PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 July 1917, Page 4

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL By Tdegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, last Night. The Legislative Council resumed in the afternoon. Sir Francis Bell gave notice to move that the Council express its deep regret at the retirement of Sir H. Miller, after forty years as councillor. Tho joint printing and reporting debates committee recommended that 23 copies of Hansard be supplied to each member of the House of Representatives and Ave to each member of the U|pper House, also that non-essential matter be not reported in Hansard, and that the reports be judiciously condensed, but that a full shorthand note be taken of the debate. Sir Francis Bell announced that the Speaker (Hon. C. J. Johnston) had left the Dominion under urgent medical orders to receive special treatment abroad. On liis motion, the Hon. W. C. F. Carncross, who had been re-appointed chairman of committees, was appointed acting-Speaker, and the Hon. O. Samuel aotiug-eliairman of committees, and a motion was passed expressing the desire of the Council that the Speaiker would return fully restored to health. The Council adjourned at 3.S p.m.

HOUSE ( 0F REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30. CUtRTAHLMBNT CXF PRINTING. Mr. Wright brought down a report from the Printing and Reporting Debates Committee which recommended a drastic curtailment of the reports of the proceedings of the House in Hansard, on account of the shortage of paper. Sir Joseph Ward hoped consideration of the report would ibe adjourned to enable members to acquaint themselves with the real nature of the tproposals. He strongly deprecated any'infringement of the of members, and he thought the people had a right to know how their representatives were discharging their responsibilities, Mr, Payne moved that the report; be laid on the table that day six months. Its proposals aimed at the .liberty of members and infringed the rights of the taxpayers. The motion was lost by 45 to M'. ■As there seemed to (be considcrabla misapprehension amongst members as to the proposals of the committee, the debate was, on the motion of Hon. G. W. Russell, adjourned for a week.

The chairman of the same committee also brought down a report recommending that the number of copies of Hansard supplied to members be reduced to twenty-five, and to members of the Legislative Council Ave. The Hon, Russell said that last year 8000 copies of Hansard were printed, each member receiving seventy-five and Ministers ninety. The present proposal was to put members and Ministers on the same footing. He stressed the shortage of paper, and >uicl if the House insisted on printing the full number of Hansards as before, the paper was available, but if so, such publications as the Seliool Journal must be discontinued. He "left the. responsibility with the House Thei debate was continued till 5.3D, when the motion was talked out.

THE . ADDRESS-IN-RBPLY. THE GOVERNMENT ATTACKED. On the House resuming at 7.30, the debate nu die Address-in-Raply was continued by Mr. McCombs, who congratulated Sir James Allen on the high honor conferred on him by the King. The deKite last night was lifted out of the common by the statement of the Minster of the part New Zealand was playing in the great war from his (Sir James Allen's) point, of view. Speaking of the financial aspect, he said that Nciw Zealand was the niost selfish of all the overseas Dominions, and he deplored the fact that our Ministers had boasted when they returned that they had bled the Old Country of the la'st shilling in the increased, prices for meat and 'butter. The part our men played the great struggle was a less sordid theme.

TOO AMBITIOUS A SCHEME. •He defended the voluntary system, claiming it had fulfilled all requirements until an ambitious scheme was conceived by giving Sir Alexander Godley command of a division composed: entirely of New Zealanders. He denounced the methods by which the national register was 'prepared. every promise connected therewith being shamelessly broken. Having got conscription passed, promises were made to give financial aid to conscripted men. but 'what was the result. Out of BS,OOO men who had enlisted only 1089 had been granted aid. And yet there was even a greater claim for assistance to the men who had no. property obligations to fulfil, the men whose only stake was their life. The claims of these men to better pay and higher pensions was slowly being recognised, ibut the recognition was being wrung from the Government only by the force of public opinion. If the voluntary system tailed it was because adequate provision had not ibeen made for soldiers' dependents. The men held back, not for fear of death or wounds, but because the pay and pensions were insufficient. He defended his action in endeavoring to force Parliament to increase the pay of the men. and declared that the floor of the House was the place where voluntarism could have been saved. Canada had not done as well as New Zealand, nor did it propose to do much even with conscription. The question for us to consider was whether iwe had sent men enough, and whether we should concentrate attention upon the production of food.

question of reinforcements. To his mind the Government had gone mad 011 this question of our reinforcements. He thought the time had arrived when the country should know where ' Parliament stood on this question. To determine that point he moved an nmendment, which declared that the people viewed with alarm the policy of creating new' 'brigades out of accumulated reinforcements. Sir Joseph Ward asked the House to proceed with the debate as though the amendment had not been moved. Later on a division could fee taken on it. Mr. Hindmarsli followed, and dealt with the house rent question in "Wellington. Passing on to matters connected "with the war, ho criticised the manner in which returned soldiers in search of land are driven from place to plaxie. tie also spoke in strong terms of the treatment meted out to wounded boliliev? who were refused admission to Wellington hospital, on whose behalf he dteoMWMA SB iSSNSfc .«•<

At the supper adjournment, Mr. P»yn« was arguing that we had sent roinfcwce wonts enough. The Minister Dofenct - had declared that we ffliwt keep up oui obligations, but, he aeked, who made those obligations? 'Not the .people; not Parliament; ibut simply one autocrat by whom the Dominion is governed. With Russia back in the firing line «s4 ca in the -war there was no jwtf jp W»*a thia country white After supper Mr. Payne returned speaking, urging an increase in the in-come-tax as the fairest taeans <>f raising revenue. He did not press for the retention of the excess proftte tax, which in knew in many case's operated rnosb inequitably. The adjournment of the debate was moved by Mr. Field (Nelson), and the House rose at 10.45 p.m. *

REPLIES TO QUESTIONS, Replying to questions, Ministers stffl:' That the provisions of the existing pensions law in New Zealand are for the most .part well in advance of similar proposals in Groat Britain. Any; direction, however, in which the New Zealand scheme can be feensfttcd on lines of the British scheme was ibeing carefully considered, it being the deeirq of the Government to make the best provisions possible for our soldierfi and their dependents. That the supply and price of sugar to the Dominion was the subject of ne-, j gotiation between the Colonial' Sugar Company and the Board of Tra4e, and '.it was upon the report of the s6ard [ that the Government had agreed to an increase of £1 per ton over the pric# arranged for in June, 191IJ. The reasons for the increase would (be submitted in an interim report of the IBogjd of Trade. The Colonial Sugar Company had agreed to supply our cms## and jrflitary .lios-. pitols at £lB mt ton. That the Government was closely watching shipping mattets with a view of talking such steps as may be nepesSary in the interests both of (producers and' consumers. That the question of assisting returned soldiers to purchase farms privately is now under consideration, and a measure on similar lines to the Land Settlement Finance Act, 1909, is in contemplation. That the suggestion to bring home'on leave to New Zealand members of the Main Body now on service is not practicable. Such action would undoubtedly result in the deterioration of, the efficiency of our forces in the field., That the policy regarding the treatment of alien enemy civilians' residing in the British Empire at the conclusion of the war will undoubtedly be con: sidered by the Imperial Government in consultation with the Governments, of the overseas Dominions. That in view of the heavy financial obligations of the Government at the present time the question of making further concessions in the direction of exempting from death duties the small estates of soldiers whose lives have been sacrificed in' the cause of the Empiro cannot be entertained. That it is not considered at present to be an opportune time to establish State steamers as a connecting linto between the North and South Islands.