PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 October 1919, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

'IXGISEXTIVE COUNCIL. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Legislative Council met at 2.30. WOMEN'S RIGHTS. To-day, at his own request, Hon. .T. McGregor's notice of motion that the ruling of the Speaker in refusing the amendment proposed by a member on the second reading of the Women's Parliamentary Eights Bill be dissented from, was discharged from the Order Paper. Sir F. Bell moved the second read'ng of the Bill, pointing out that the Council, by passing the Legislative Council Act, 1914, had said that as soon as the House of Representatives admitted women, so soon could the Council admit them, either hy nomination or by election. Therefore, the Government ought to introduce to the Council, immediately, a measure to give effect to this promise. Hqn. W. Earnshaw said that ao the Government had no mandate from the people on the subject, such a radical change to the Constitution should not have been introduced yet. Hon. Te.Heulieu Tukino opposed the Bill as being against the traditions of his race.

Sir F. Bell replying to JTr-.i Paul's contention, said the'latter hod stood the clause of the w&icl&livp Council Act. He had quoted one clause which set forth that, in given circumstances, women should be eligible for nomination and election, not nomination or election to the Council.

The third reading was carried by 19 to 3, and the Bill passed. The Companies Amendment Bill went through its final stages, and was passed. The Bills of Exchange Amendment Bili was read a second time pro forma, and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee. The Auckland Univeristy College Site Bill was put through its final stages and passed. The Council adjourned at 4.28. HOUSE OF REPRESTATIVES. REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. The House met at 2.30. Replying to Mr. S. G. Smith (Tavanaki), the Premier said if any reconstruction of the Ministry took "piace he would take into consideration tin* question of having the portfolios of Education and Public Health held by a Minister in the Lower House. Replying to Mr. Young, Mr Maasey said everything possible would be done to provide clean rolls at the forthcoming election. Replying to Mr. Walker, Mr. Massey said that unless the business of the House was proceeded at a better rata than has been done up to present there would be no amendment of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act this session nor did he think there would be any amendment of the Disputes Investigation Act. Replying to Sir Joseph Ward, Mr. Massey said there would be an amendment of the electoral law this session, but. whether the wives of soldiers who had not been in t);n country for twelve months would be allowed to vote was a point yet to be considered.

A PRIVATE BILL. Mr. Scott gave notice of his intention to introduce the Taieri Land Drainage Bill. BUDGET DEBATE. The debate on the Budget as resumed by Mr. Talbot, who urged economy in connection with public expenditure; that where money must be spent it should only be for reproductive purporses. For that reason he favored the programme of the Leader of the Opposition, because it was constructive. To that programme he suggested Sir Joseph Ward should add State accident insurance. * An lion, member: Why not all insurance? ' Mr. Talbot thought it unwise to proceed too fast. He favored the payment ot soldiers' gratuities out of the accumulated surpluses, which would have meant that it had been a free gift out of money saved-during the war. The reform of methods of taxation, especially of co-operative societies, was urged. He favored a return to the old system of land tax, and the reinstatement of the mortgage tax. In land settlement, the tendency was for subdivision in the North and aggregation in the South. This aggregation sJioula be checked by the imposition of a. stiff graduated tax. Mr. Sykes defended the Government's proposals for soldier settlement. While it was desirable to encourage so'dier settlement, the effect of the speeches by Sir Joseph Ward and Mr. Holland might be unfortunate, in that they discourage men. The voluntary gyatwil of offering land had broken down, and a compulsory system must be adopted. He suggested legislation in that direction. For the better solving of the housing problem he recommended the standardisation of parts of houses, so they could be built in bulk, and later assembled on the site. The scheme might be worked in connection with State sawmills in Crown-owned bush. He marte an appeal for the better payment of school teachers, and urged Ministers to find a solution for this problem of underpaid teacher?., Mr. Hornsby agreed with the suggestions made for the increase in Ihe death duties, but thought the suggestion had come too late. It ought to have been done four years agi. The prices that were being given for dairy land were generally regarded as startling, but were justified, because dairy farmers were? getting adequate returns, so adequate ' that he predicted, with new branches of the industry, that in twenty years New Zealand would be importing Uitter and farmers would not be making it, because they could do better out of preserved milk, casein, and dried milk. He disapproved of the present method of buying land for soldier settlements. He thought land should be classified, and ten per cent, taken according to classification. The coal mines should be nationalised and a system of co-operation with the miners introduced. A system of State steamers to carry coal should be established, and the better housing of the miners undertaken. Ho criticised the extreme demands of the extraw section of the Labor party, summing them up as "My doxy is orthodoxy, everyone else's doxy is heterodoxy." He read quotations from speeches of Labor leaders at the recent conference, to Show that the real objective of the party was armed force, if necessary, to dispossess people who have property in this country, and the sooner the people of this Dominion realised the fact the better. Mr. Hudson said there was a. cry of "keep the cradles full," but the fact ipa* th*t the capditiww ia sewwetieu

with maternity homes were prohibitive to many people. It was almost impossible for a man with children to get a house, or even accommodation in hotels or boarding houses. He regretted to think that the Plunket Society, which was doing noble-work, did not have the sympathy of the medical profession, and generally there was not that encouragement of paternity which'would help to, make up for that enormous loss of manhood the Dominion had suffered as the result of the great war. Assistance should be given to parents in connection with school books, to small harbor boards in the direction of State-owned dredges, and to the fruit industry by providing shipping space - to South America and to Great Britain. EVENING SESSION. The House resumed at 7.30. The Hon. J. B. Hine .eluded Sir J. Findlay with pointing out the evils of our currency system, but ■ provided no remedy. Sir Joseph Ward had asked when we were going back to normal conditions, but he (the speaker) wanted to know what was meant by normal. Did Sir Joseph w «?d suppose e were going back to pre-'vu;, conditions t Such could never be the case, because we were entering what had been called, "the new era," when we have to face higher wages and higher values, and it was absurd to suppose that, unless we got back to normal, the conditions prevailing in this new era were going to be detrimental to the country. Sir Joseph Ward interjected that he did not, expect to get back to normal for a very long time. i On the subject of borrowing, the speaker twitted Sir Joseph Ward with inconsistency in advocating internal borrowing in his August manifesto, and I condemning it in hii Budget speech. He * (the speaker) favored nationalisation of mines, with a bonus for increased pro- . duetion, rather than profit-sharing, and , at at the risk of being in advance of i the times, he thought we should have j a law making strikes and lock-outs illegal, while he would deal with strike! promoters, summarily, and. have them out of the country in double quick tir/ie. Answering the argument that taxation on a soldier would be so unbearable that he would not be able to survive it, he contended that there would be little or no taxation on a soldier whose capital value was only £2500. He accused Sir j Joseph Ward of deserting the National j Government, and so losing the chance of imposing taxation on those shoulders which ought to bear it. His statement that Hawke's Bay land owners were escaping taxation was unfair, since he had not brought it before 'the National Government when it might have been remedied. Much had been said about increased values in land, but this increase was not in large holdings, but in small ones, and there was no undue burden being placed on the soldiers in the price of land being bought for them. Soldiers were not fools, and knew whether land was worth what they were giving for it. It was all very well to be wise, after the event, and if the Government had known four years ago what was going to happen they might have been able to prevent indiscriminate sales of land. He thought the absence of so many soldiers had a considerable influence in promoting aggregation. The country was suffering severely in every direction from the loss of manhood. Labor was required in every Walk of life, and he was thoroughly convinced that what was wanted was a great immigration scheme, guaranteeing workmen three years' employment and good conditions. There was no question that soldiers should be absorbed first, but when the Public Works Statement came down members would see that there was room for all the workmen who came to the country. Ho agreed that the death duties on big estates should be increased. Taxation on higher incomes could bo increased, but it ill became gentlemen who had just left .the National Cabinet, where they might'have done so mu;h in this direction, to stand up and criticise the reconstructed Ministry, and charge them with shortcomings. When the policy of the Government was brought down the country would reeocnise it as well devised for the benefit, not of one class, but of everyone. Mr. S. G. Smith (Taranaki), dealt with the Government's educational, hydroelectric, and soldiers' settlement proposals, mainly from a Taranaki point of view. It was peculiar that one member of the present Government was in favor of nationalisation of the mines, and one against it. He, therefore, thought it possible the Government might put nationalisation of mines in the window for show, but noj; for sale. He favored the amalgamation of the various superannuation funds of the Dominion, and hoped the time was not far distant when there would b,e nut only public superannuation funds, but similar provision made for employees of private firms. He urged greater energy on the part of the Tourist Department, as cue of the best advertisements the count: y could have were satisfied tourists. Repatriation problems, viz., ironsand, and the Mokau coal industries ware deal* with, and, in conclud'mg,'the sp°akcr sai' that when they came to face the electo of the country, the Premier and rue Leader of the Opposition would find a change in public opinion of which they were scarcely aware, because they hud not had an opportunity of mixing with the people. They heard much said about not going back to the o'd party strife, but he was certain that under the surface there was the old party spirit waiting to secure the flr« party advantage. At the same time, if any coalition was contemplated, it was no use forming a coalition to carry on in the old ways of the profiteer. No such combination would be tolerated by the people, who were eager for a change of Governmenmt, but what they wanted was a Government of young New Zcalanders running their own co.irtry, and they were going to have it. Mr. Payne considered the policy of tho late Minister of Finance in setting up a sinking fund in England was sound, because in the present unsettled state of the world no one could tell whether the prices of our products would fali, and we I must be prepared for such an emergency. j Ho agreed with Sir Joseph Ward's proposal to nationalise the Bank of Ne>v , Zealand, but, that being so, he asked what logical reason there was for not ] taking over all the other hanking in- | stitutions and using the profits there- i

from in reduction of taxation. Mr. Payne, continuing, criticised the offical Labor Party for failing to produce practical bridges across the gap between capital and labor. What was required to bridge the gap was State ownership of industries. It. would bo only necessary for a generation to nationalise the big industriei. A* part of the housing scheme, he advocated complete State ownership of the timber industry, also of the cement manufacture. In order to get the best men to offer their services as representatives in Parliament, he advocated increasing the honorarium to £6OO, paying the election expenses of the winner, and providing £l5O for the runner-up. Mr. Smith (Wahnarino), dealt with the difficulties of putting, soldiers ou the land, and urgsd eW«»l Kfarub which

would avoid minority representation. I Mr Jennings uttered a warning arft&it the mad speculation now going on. Otherwise we would have a repetition of tie Australian land boom, which brojrti There were 10,159 registered land agotte in the Dominion who were living, not vf working the land, but on the profit* « sales, one of whom recently told hjm he made £SOO in a week on commission, more than a mechanic with ft family protkbly would make in twenty years. He maintained that land aggregation was going on, and that many schools in the backblocks were in a disgraceful condition, and he made a plea, that more consideration be shown to tfce backblock settler. > After midnight, the debate was continued by Mr. Rhodes (Thames), and Mr. Mandcr. PREMIER'S REPLY. ; Y At 12.60, Mr. Ma&sey rose to- repw, ' which he did very briefly. Be said |* did not think it necessary to raise another loan before September, 1020, and he had good reasons to beUewo they would get the ten million loan thsv were now endeavouring to raise. Ha mentioned that Australia had not got her last loan fully subscribed, and Britain had been compelled to issue but last loan at 85 before she could get it. It would be impossible for u» or any other Dominion to raise a loan in Britain at the present moment. Answering the point* raised in the dsbate, he said that many people were under the impression that the iloFernmeat had ■ spent seven or eight millions on the purchase of land for soldiers. As a matter of fact they had spent £2,360,420 on private lands, which was a large sum certainly, but not too much on such, a purpose, and the Government fully expected to have the work of soldiers' settlement completed in seven months.

The House went into Committee of Supply, and the first item— £43,W0, Legislative Department was passed, after Mr. Massey had given Sir Joseph Ward an assurance that he would make a statement later on in the session on the subject of increasing memßerf* salary for the next Parliament as ne considered the present payment altogether inadequate. , The House rosir at 12.48 till 7.30 on Monday.