PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 October 1919, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

■ LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Legislative Council met at 2.30. The Bills of Exchange Amendment Bill (the Hon. McGregor), which provides that where a banker pays a cheque which has been fraudulently altered he shall not incur any liability, was read a first time. Sir Francis Bell moved the second reading of the Women's Parliamentary Rights Bill. The Hon. McGregor moved, as an amendment, that the Bill be laid aside on the ground that its introduction in the other House was an. infringement of the most important privileges of the Council. The Speaker refused to accept the amendment, as it traversed his ruling on the matter. - The second reading was carried by 18 to 5, the latter including the Hons. Te Heuheu, Tukiuo, Earnshaw, Harris, MeGibbon, and R. R. Simpson. In committee the Bill was altered to make it apply simply to the House of Representatives.- The third reading was set down for to-morrow. The Companies Amendment Bill, providing for the protection of mortgages, secured on uncalled capital and making the provisions of the principal Act aa to reserve capital not to apply to private companies, was read a second time,' and went through the committee unamendedBefore the Council rose, the Hon. McGregor'gave notice of his intention to move that tlie ruling of the Speaker in refusing to accept his amendment on the second reading of the Women's Parliamentary Rights Bill be dissented from. The Council rose at 3.55 p.m.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House mot at 2.30. Replying to Mr. Sykes, the Minister for Internal Affairs said that during the course of the war naturalisation papers were refused to all aliens, enemy and otherwise, and until a proclamation declaring -we were at a state of war be recalled, the practise of issuing these papers will not be resumed. Replying to Mr. Forbes, the Hon. HerrieS said as a Minister for Marine he had nothing to do with the ferry service between Christclmrch and Wellington. He thought it was more a matter for th* Minister for Railways, and he would bring the matter under the notice of his colleague. The debate on the Budget was then resumed by Mr. Luke, who favorably reviewed the proposals of the Budget. Mr. Isifct deprecated the suggestion made last night that the two big parties Should unite, as both parties had their proper functions, and any such Union would drive large numbers into the arms of the extreme Labor Party. He outlined events and influences which led to the formation of the National Government, in which the extreme Labor Party nt first acquiesced, but almost immediately began to attack it, and never once helped it to perform its war worn;, the one purpose far which it was formed. He attacked the Labor Party for its evident disloyalty, and said Labor had its destiny in its own hands, but five men who constituted themselves its leaders in the House had done everything in their power to hinder the young men of the Dominion from doing their duty. Proceeding to the discussion of the features of the Budget, he said it was no pandora's box, out of which wealth and comfort could be got for the asking, and it was no use the Labor Party demanding larger pay and shorter hours unless they were prepared to preach thrift and endeavour to establish character amongst the people, and to teach them to use their enhanced leisure and wages thus gained to their own advantage and the good of the community. Mr. Harris said good administration In conjunction with thrift was essential if the country was to continue prosperous. He quoted figures from the consolidated revenue to show the increase in taxation, and declared" that one of the best ways to even our liabilities was increased immigration. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. Ministers gave the following amongst other answers to questions:— That it is quite likely German goods are being sold in Britain; (2) the sale of German goods in Britain is not prohibited by the Peace Treaty;. (3), the Government will take necessary steps to prevent New Zealand markets being flooded with German goods. That evidenced by the financial statement economy is a cardinal plank in the policy of the Government. That to prevent the export of the Dominion's products would be ruinous, and the Government have no such intention, as expressed in the question. That the Government is not aware of , dissatisfaction or unrest over the present policy governing the administration of bidustrial schools, nor of Any respects in which such policy is not in the beßt •Interests of the public, and of children concerned. That investigation is being made by the Department of Agriculture on the •practicability of installing carbonising plants for the treatment of very seedy wool, and the likelihood of such plants, „if established, proving financisHly successful. There were two plants in the North Island treating seedy wool by mechanical process under contract to the imperial Government and doing very work. That representations had been made on many occasions to the Imperial Government asking for reductions in freights and fares, but the scarcity of shipping and labor difficulties have so far prevented much being done in the direction suggested. Further representations will be made.

That a special cancer research" Tund has been established for many years in Britain in charge of a committee who endow special establishments for such research and employ a large staff of experts, who devote their whole time to this work. It is thought advisable, to co-operate with the work of this committee rather than attempt in a necessarily small way an independent investigation. For this purpose a sum has been placed on the estimates of the Health Department. That the Government recognises the urgent need of substantially increasing the Dominion's farming population, and is in favor of legislation which will stop injurious speculation or profiteering in land values. That the Department of Public Health and Hospitals has urged hospital boards to provide maternity hospitals in their districts. Recently two such hospitals have been provided, and others are in contemplation. Tow«rrds such buildings the Government contributes at the rate of £1 for £1 on capital expenditure from the Consolidated Fund, and also towards the annual maintenance. That retrospective seiparation'aTlowance can be paid only in respect of men who actually embarked for service ever* mt* •■' f-'-r"--**- •■,■■•-■■•■

Tnat the question of making pensions payable to widows under the Pensions Act, 1913, equal to that paid to epidemio widows is under consideration by the Government. That It.is proposed to introduce legiplation at the first opportunity prohibiting a defaulting ratepayers from voting. That inquiry is being made into the allegation that stranded New Zealanders in Australia, were treated in a negligent find cavalier manner by the New Zealand agent'ftn Sydney. .EVENING SITTING. The Hirkse resumed at 7.30. Mr, Sjemple said he regretted the Budget did' practical proposals. Commission after commission had reported on the coal and gold mining industries time after time, but their reports had been shelved anaVfcheir recommendations neglected. He proceeded to describe the ravages made by miner's phthisis, and delared that, while Mr. Isitt had denounced the Labor Party as disloyal, he (Mr. Semple). had never heard that gentleman denounce the slaughter made by this dread disease. It was true he (Mr. Semple) had used strong language in this country upon .this subject, and he would be without heart if he did not attack the system which knew no pity for men and women who had done useful service to the ceuntry. Discussing the coal mining industry, he declined to accept any responsibility . for the alleged "go-slow" policy. If the miners Were going slow they, no doubt, had good reason, but it was their duty, not his, to justify it. He admitted that the Hon. W. I). S. Mac Donald, when Minister of Mines, had striven to minimise the industrial unrest amongst the miners. He was one of the few sympathetic men who had ever been Minister of Mines. He had always been willing to discuss every grievance, and that was the best way to secure industrial peace. He (the sppakcr) had frequently striven to preserve industrial peace, a statement to which Mr. Mac Donald would subscribe. On the subject of profiteering, he denounced the all-powerful National Government, which had done nothing when it had the opportunity. He urged'the Government to take up some of the Industrial Commit' tees' recommendations, put them into Bills, and pass them this session, and so do something of a rational, or" even a revolutionary nature,., so as to secure production for the use of the people, and not for the benefit of thifew privileged individuals. \ - >■

Sii J. Findlay said the great trouble with much of our social legislation was that it was all designed to meet superficial effects, apd not;; the root (jauges. The poor law of England, the repression of trades unions, and the limitation' of the freedom of the press were well-itnown instances of this kind. Beneath .every social and industrial evil there was a root cause, and it was our duty to find, diagnose, and treat that cause, not its effect. As an instance of this kind in New Zealand, he mentioned the sijheae of land settlement intended to help the poor settler. The poor settler was helped by Government aid in the shape of rebates in rent, cheap money, and other concessions, but when that settler got on his feet he sold out, and, in selling out, capitalised the State advantages, which were added to tke .price aiid so assisted to intensify the evil of Inflated values, about which so much was being said to-day. That was a clear'case where our legislation missed its mark. Beneath the trouble we had with the flremen who upset the running of our steamers, and beneath our trouble with the coal miners, there was a root cause These are vital services to the State, and our method of treating them must be revised. We have hitherto regarded ttese businesses as things to be avoided. We must pay men for work in proportion to its social value. This might raise the question of the cost of production, but our views on the cost of production were undergoing a change. We must take the human element into this calculation. We did not want industries that created moral and physical wrecks. That sort of thing had done muoh to create a sense' of wrong in the mto4«f Labor. Until we treat our labor as something different to p.ig-irdn or a bag of potatoes, we shall never get industrial peace. In Englahd to-day, they were giving Labor a voice in the man»gement of the coal mines, and more of that sojrt of co-operation was needed. He appealed for some less bitter spirit between Capital and Labor. There was no equation between life and ' money. The man who, died as the result of working in the white lead Industry was not paid for his life, and the sooner that fact was recognised the better What he hoped to see in industrial life was the introduction of the "team" spirit. That was the spirit of our Bports, in which each sacrificed his own interests for the benefit of all.

Mr. Wright followed, criticising tho Labor Party's doctrine that the mean 3 of production And distribution should be held in the interests of the workers'. This, he said, meant the doctrine of force, and the party hoped, in the general smash-up, that some new heaven would arise out of the wreck.

_ Mr. Ell said that the Labor Party had ignored the constant efforts of the Liberal Party to improve the working conditions of the miners and all other classes of labor.

Mr. Field (Nelson) said extremists in the Labor Party were largely an alien element, which gave trouble all over the world. The debate was carried on by Messrs Hunter, Poole, Anstey and Glover. At 1.10 Mr. Talbot moved the adjournment of the debate, and the House roso until 2.30.