PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 July 1917, Page 4

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Council resumed at 2.30 p.m. Sir P. D. Bell announced that the Address-in-Reply was to be presented nest day to tile Governor-General. ' HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES repli.es to question. The House met at 2.30 p.m. Replying to Mr. Payne, the Premier said any rumor to the effect that he and Sir Joseph Ward would be shortly leaving for Britain to represent, the Dominion there -i High Commissioner and as permane: '.iuistcr in London respectively was i'.v.iilutcly incorrect. So far as he was personally concerned, he had no desire to leave Now Zealand, and he was quite sure New Zealand could not do without him. He further stated that there would be no change in the High Commissionership for eonie time to come. Replying to further questions, Ministers said it was impossible to commandeer all the alien labor in the 'Dominion, becauso many aliens are natives of countries which are our allies or ire ( friendly to Britain; that the que m of whether a certai). article, re".-:iily published in the 'Tablet," is seditious, has been referred to law officers of tho Grown ; that in the event of a gqnerai election being held in this country, the necessary legislative provision will be made to enable our soldiers abroad to record their votes; that the scale on which reinforcements aro sent by New Zealand is exactly that asked for by the Imperial Government, it being tho same as that stated in the House, of Commons last year, as proved by experience to be necessary for the British army in France. (The rate is 15 per cent, per month for infantry, and less for other arms.) That at present it is not possible to return men to Now Zealand who have served three years at the front; that last year's final sheep returns showed an increase of 2A8.W2 breeding ewes as compared with the ipreccdins' year, only interim sheep returns for tins year having been published, but it is expected the final returns will show a further increase in the number of breeding ewes, and a substantial increase in the total number of sheep in the Dominion as compared with last year; that the whole matter of dealing with next season's production of freezing stock is at present receiving very careful consideration.

[ A CORRECTION. The Minister of Defence informed the House that yesterday, when giving information regarding the classes of wounded soldiers, lie inadvertently' transposed the terms "seriously" and "dangerously" wounded. Dangerously wounded was the most serious class. Jib also stated that one of the hospital ships reached its destination safely, and that a portion of the 24th Reinforcements, | about which there had been some anxiety, were safe, though they had not leached their destination.

STATE BUTCHERS' SHOPS. The Premier also stated' that if it was found necessary, the Government was quite prepared to start State butchers' shops, as was done in Auckland, hut, so far as the Board of Trade had reported, the necessity "did not exist. The Wairoa Harbor Board Endorsement Bill (Sir J. Findlay) was read a first time. The Minister of Mines laid on the table the annual report of the Mines Department, which provoked a lengthy discussion on mining matters.

'ADDRESS-IN-KHPLY. When the House resumed at 7.30, the debate on the Address-in-Reply was resumed by Mr. Mosworthy, who looked forward to the. time when they could resume party government, under which, he was satisfied, the country would experience a more efficient Government. He denounced the butter-fat levy as a most iniquitous impost, and to remedy the injustice it would be only fair that recompense should be made. He protested regarding the wheat purchase, and declared that had the Government dealt promptly with the farmers and given them 6s 3d on trucks at country stations, farmers would have had enough sown to supply the needs of the country. He characterised the Board of Trado as a board of humbugs, appointed merely to silence political clamor. He appealed to the Government to mate up their minds what they mere going to do, and to let the farmers know wliat was expected of them. : Mr. Jennings was of opinion that if the House had appointed a WaT Committee at the outset of the war to assist the Minister of Defence, military matters would have been conducted in a manner more satisfactory to all concerned. While complimenting the Minister on the efficiency with which he conducted the affairs of his Department, the speaker demanded that the officers who were making criminal blunders towards our men be Bummarily dismissed. He quoted an instance of where A man who was ill in hospital in 'Prance was actually sentenced as a deserter,; but, so far as ho knew, the officers who so traduced one of our -brave soldiers had not .been punished. Better hospital provision should be made for back-block settlers' wives, and a strenuous effort should be made to relieve the 'cost of li\ffng. So far as dairy farmers were concerned, he thought their troubles mainly arose from the excessive price of the land. The butter-fat levy was a grievance not so much because of its amount, as on account of the dairymen bavin? been treated exceptionally, He regretted this differentiation. If all the other sections of the community had been treated in the same way the farmers would never have objected to pay whatever was asked of them.

Mr. Parata lipped the Government would not now licaitate to make more generous .provision for soldiers' pensions. It should not be necessary for returned soldiers to run about looking for pensions. It was our duty to look after them. Soldiers should not be settled on , mountain tops, but '\ve Bhould give them of our best, as they had given of their heft for us. The Maoris had put aside 40,000 acres of Bocond class land for the benefit of their countrymen fighting beside their pakeha brethren, and he would like to see some rich Europeans do the same for their boys in return for the great sacrifices made at Gallipoli and olsowhere, The House rose at 10.4^