PARLIAMENTARY JOTTINGS.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 October 1919, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY JOTTINGS.

(By Wirei—Own Correspondent.) 1 , ■■.

Wellington, Last Night'/: When the House met to-day, tfetf Speaker read a message from the Legtt* iatiro Council insisting upon its amenj- ' nients to the Women's Parliamentary Sights Bill. The matter was JuK .<, over until next sitting day, on tha ' motion of Mr. Massey, who will tell the House to-morrow what the Government . intends to do. The most hopeful course from the point of view of BUpporters 4t the Bill would be to accept the aineiii* a ments, and then introduce a . separate ' Bill in the Council granting, women tgtv right to sit in that Chamber. t Us .'" would dispose of the point of jprlTUe**, - on which the Council has based its ofi" jections to the present Bill, '.i ■

PREJUDICE AGAINST FROZEK MEAT Replying to a complaint that meat h#* risen in price again, in Christchureft, M>fi Massey said that the cause wa# tfceij shortage of fat stock. He remind** the House that any retail butcher poujd get meat from the freezing stores at 4ift| export price, and that over 100 tradftß* were doing this, but it appeared -ttajtt there was a "prejudge agalttif frodft meat, and that the consumers did ri&t encourage the butchers to take thiameats at the low priceT "I don't understand; this prejudice," said Mr. Massey. *I say that if frozen* meat is propeijy, thawed it is quite as good as lttm \ killed." . , ' ,■ COST OF LIVING.

A general discussion regarding the casl< of living followed, the Labor urging that the Government ought to] follow the example of the Queensland* Government in controlling the pricet. commodities. Mr. Pearce (Paitea) said that in troth' meat was cheaper in New Zealand thananywhere else. The best lamb couW b» bought at the Freezing Works for 61Z per lb., and there was nothing to prevent a group of consumers buying.f/y the carcase. People who wanted tfce meat delivered at their doors we« bound to pay higli. . The Hon. W. D. S. Macdonakt said he was not convinced that prices could not be lowered, but much had been done. The real trouble about meat was the demand of the peopb for fresh. lulled. Butchers had been paying up to Is p« lb. at the markets when they couW have bought at 6d from the cold stores. There was no doubt that but for Government control the local prices of meat, butter, cheese, and other produce would ;h«.ve.been much higher. The producers jhad not been getting'the full market (prices for their produce, and the Labor men ought to recognise that fact and jrealise the importance of encouraging ' the producer, who was the foundation, of national prosperity. The farmers, as a class, were not anxious to exploit the community. l ' • Dr. Newman (Wellington East) urged the Government to undertake the stor;agc of produce for use during the periods of scarcity and high prices. People could not have fresh meat, butter, epg»> etc., during the winter without payin.7 the high cost of out of the season's production, but these goods could be held in cold store. Enormous saving* rould -be made by improved method* of dis. ..trihution, and by reducing the number of distributions.

The Prime Minister, replying after other speakers had discussed the subject, s»id that it was rxol necessary to go into the details of what the' Government had done to keep down prices. There was no country in the world where, in proportion to the population, so much had been done as in New Zealand. "I have no time for the profiteer," said Mr. Massey, "and I have still less time for the politician who tries to make political capital out, of the hardships imposed on the people by the war and the consequent falling off of production. The cost of living is lower in New Zealand than' in any other British country. No other country is as. prosperous to-day as this Dominion. There is no other country in the Em? pire where so much has been done for labor, and where labor is so well paid. No other country in the world relieves. the people of smaH incomes of tax? ation in the way we do. "We all regret that the cost or living has gone- op and that hardship has been caused to persons of limited incomes, but we must not shut our eyes to what has been done. I think we have had too much fault-find-ins altogether. ■:;

Mr. Fraaer (Wellington Central) : You were a pretty keen critic in opposition. Mr. Massey: But I never took an unfair advantage of an opponent. Mr Holland (Groy): You dumped them into gaol when you could not deal with them.

Mr. Massey: If a man has broken the law of this country and is guilty of 'edition there is only one place for him, Rn<l that is between fSur walls. I have no time for the law braaker and for the man who does not do hm duty to his country in its time of danger. Mr. Eraser: What do you think of 81r Edward Carson? Mr. Massey: I think the honorable gentleman had better put that question on the order paper. (Laughter). I wish the hon. member was as good a man M Sir Edward Carson. A suggestion had been made by Dr. Newman, continued the Prime Minister, that the Govejriment ought to store produce. That was done already. There was no scarcity of meat. The recent scarcity of butter had been due to' an exceptional winter, and it had been of short duration. If people would buy their food- ! stuffs over the counter at the establish- " ments where prices were low they would effect a big saving, but if they pre- ■ ferred to send in orders and have the goods delivered at their doors by motor or cart they were bound to pay for tha privilege, Mr. Massoy proceeded to state that the coat of living had risen 62 per cent, in Queensland under a Labor Government, against an average, of 57 per cent, for all Australia. In order to tell cheap meat in the Government shops, the : Queensland Government had commandeered meat belonging to the pro- . ducers of the country at low prices, and at the same time had sold most of ttp ■ meat from the Government farms in the export market at the highest available ' prices. It was a fact, of course, that,,, beef could be produced more cheaply M Queensland than in New Zealand or In any other Australian State, yet the cost of living was higher to.day in Queensland than anywhere else in Australia. The New Zealand Government ' had been more successful in keeping down the cost of living than the Queensland Government had been.