PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 July 1917, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The House met at 2,30. Sir J. Findlay gave notice to introduce the Wairoa Harbor Endowment Bill REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. Replying to Mr. Poole, Hon. (J. W. Russell said the Marine Department was watching carefully the fact that several explosions had recently taken place'on benzine-laden steamers. We, in New Zealand, had not had the experience in this connection as was the case in other countries.

Mr. Poole: You are getting a few tiintei

Proceeding, Mr. Russell said inquiry was being made, and he would get a report a» to what was being done in other places. (Possibly regulations would be introduced making it a penal offence for anyone to approach the hold of a ben-eine-laden steamer with a naked light. Replying to Mr. Budd®, the Hon. Mr. W. D. S. Macdonald said that, with the consent of the Government, he had gone to the South Island to urge farmers to grow wheat. Hs was undertaking, on behalf ef the Government, to purehas-.-the whole of the 1917-18 harvest, a»-l a Gazette notice in accordance with his promise would be published immediately. It was quite a mistake to suppose his promise would not bfe Kept. Replying to Mr. Jennings, the Minister of Defence said that no bounty was paid New Zeolanders who resigned from the New Zealand forces and joined the British forces, that course not being encouraged by the Defence Department.

Replying to Mr. Glover, Hon. Dr. Pomare said the Government was subsidising a schooner to convey passengers between RarotoiJgfc and the outlying 'islands, and in vietf of the shortage of shipping, this was the best that could be done, no steamer being available. Replying to Dr. Thaeker, Sir J. Alsh said the classification of the wounded ww as follows:—Seriously wounded were cases as to which there sers grave doubts of recovery; dangerously wounded wero cases who had every change of recover; wounded were cases slightly hurt, in so danger, and every probability they would return to the front. When a seriously wounded ease improved, it ;was removed to the dangerously wounded class.

: Replying to Sir J. Findlav, Sir Jo- • aeph Ward said whatever had been done by the post office in removing the prohibition on correspondence with eaemy : firms in Japan, had been done at the suggestion and request of the Imperial i authorities.

ADDRESS IN REPLY. Mr. Vernon Reed resumed the debate on the Address in Reply. He generally 'supported the National Government, but found fault with the effects of the 3&* cess Profits Tax. He quoted instances to show that where farmers who had given up dairying because their sons had gone to the front were mulcted forty-five per cent, on the proceeds of tie sale of the cattle. This, strictly speaking was capital, and yet was taxed as if it were war profits, which was both irritatbig.and unfair. In some, way the dairy farmers had been singled out to make sacrifices on behalf of the community through butterfat tax. He favored an export aud import tfix, He estimated that 15,000 rctufned tfoldiers would be prepared to take up land, and suggested the setting up of local boards for classifying applicants aiid land, as well as acting generally as advisers. He favored settling these men on hush lai d in the North Auckland and Urewera country, rather than on highly-improved farms which ware too costly. The operations of the Meat Trust must be combated at ;all costs. He suggested, as a means of countering the Trust, the prevention of the investment of any foreign capital in co-operative meat works, also freezing on account of producers instead of buyers, and State shipping; a mutual arrangement with the British Government, but whatever course was decided upon, we g&tntld act j*&mptly UrtdMtetr&h

Mr. Forbes referred to rumors n< garding the disunion amongst the Na« tional Cabinet. He thought the Liberal side of the Cabinet *w aot rwtfving sufficient consideration, insUnelltt lb* neglett to inform % Joseph' Wa»4 «£ the Second Division deputation & Aim; days ago. He thought. Ministers sjbotfH members more fully iatp their eWfidonco, and suggested a secret session war matters. He urged a. vigorous s4l- - ' all< i settlement and power to tnkA land coinputeoriiy. He also urged imposition of a drastic system of titration, in such a way as would (lie profiteers disgorge their ill gotta gains. " ,

On the House resuming at 7.30, A. L. Her J man criticised Mr. Fortes' ' reference-. to diasention in the CablWt, characterising euch utterances as likflyto create distention rather than remote it. A secret session wa« not necesSalJr, as Ministers were taking members into their confidence as much aa possible, giving the House all the information Advisable to make public under present circumstances. Coming to Imperial matters, he doubted the wisdom pf setting up an Imperial Parliament, which would lord it over all other parliamentary Institutions. He thought that at tha out* break of war every aUeit subject should have been interned or sent book: Ma own country. If we aaturaßsed tit enemy that should carry some rcspowibility with it, but that responsMSyj yet remained to be determined. Trading with the enemy was another matter th*£ demonstrated the need for national of j ga.nir.atkm. He paid a compliment it* | the Hon. W. D. 8. Mucdonald for t&s manner in which he negotiated for t)k* purchase of our produce for the Imperial authorities. A large saving h*d . ■ been made to the people in the amusement made for thje supply of engine toI the public, and a canaiderabl® soaevafi ot organisation of the country had. bens done by tie Bfficieney Board. Mara . could not be done except by placing alf the labor in the Dominion under contpnlnion, and he doubted if the countfy* ytwS , ■ prepared to go to that txtremity. Mr. Veitch: What you want to do is to organise the idle rich. JTr. H'erdman agreed, and thought something more might have to be <kjn» in that direction when the Second Division was called up, for then we should be in a more difficult position. He justified the wtr regulations. Mr. Payne: There is such a thing ns liberty of speech in the British Umpire.

Mr. Hordman: Yea, but when yo« get - speech that stirs up men to strike to intcrfcro with shipping which is itqces- . ' sary to suocour men at the front, and> the people of the Empire, is that Mbcrty of speech? Certainly not. Dr. Thacker urged that the men U the main body should have furlough to come home as the men were tired, and! heeded rest. He feared for the efficiency of the country when the Second Division was called up. This would be exhaaffed in eighteen months, and it was iitnß we , ' had a stocktaking. The National Government was satirically compared to si ■ » ■, military "tank" floundering in the crater of the cost of living, from which It • A endeavored to escape by appointing all sorts of boards, but the, fact remained that the "tank" was still wallowing in the crater, which is growing deeper and wider every week.

Mr. Rhodes declared that any examination of the figures showed" that ISjOOO , men had not been accounted for, and ho asked where ; were, those men. He deprecated the calling out of the Second Division a day earlier than, necessary. < and urged a more generous provision for the dependents of Second Division 1 men. ,

Mr. Massey, in reply to a remark Buelo by Mr. Forbes, said the reason Sip Jo* ' aeph Ward was not at-the deputation i ,• of the Second Division was that hi» pri-. vate secretary had confused the dates.of, the two deputations from the «Une , >; body.- He deprecated the stlggartion. made that he purposely left Sir Jojeph' Ward out of the deputation. Mr. Forties explained thai he hid been informed of the deputation from ■ ' the Second Division League, and he immediately *aw Sir Joseph \Vaid, vfc) : said he knew nothing of the nsitlfll. Sir Joseph Ward saM he was g&rt of jthe opportunity to refer tothe matter,'' } as he was afraid the impresaioß got abroad that ho had been invited to iba / deputation, and had refrained fcom ittending. He had not been, invited, "but he was sure if the Premier had know# he was expected to be ■there he {Mr. Iftasey) would hare been very gl«4 to g him there. • The Houea rose at 11 pdu.