PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 July 1920, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. .REPLACING FLOOD DAMAGE. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. The Minister of Public Works (the Hon. J, G. Coates), in answer to Mr. W< T. Jennings, said his Department 'would do all possible to facilitate the reereetion of bridges damaged or destroyed by the recent floods, which would impose a great hardship on settlers, especially those engaged in the dairying' industry. PRIVATE MEMBER'S BILL, The Wanganui Borough Council Vesting and Empowering Bill (Mr. Veltbh) was read a first time. THE ADDRESS-IN -REPLY. Mr. W. D. Lysnar resumed the debate on the Address-in-Reply. fie said he was elected as an Independent, his only pledge being to oppose everything disloyal and extreme. Referring to the Opposition Leader's proposed amendment to the Address, Mr. Lysnar said"Party feeling should be dropped, and all) should work together to assist the Government to deal with the difficulties arising out of the war. He had no confidence in the Board of Trade, as its inquiries were | too late. He urged increased sfettlemertt of the land. He declared that the meat and shipping trust was at work in New Zealand, and it was the duty of the Government to see that these were not licensed to export. "HELP THE CRADLE." Dr. Thacker urged the Government to remember-the part played by the women in connection with the late war, and added that these Women were going to help in reconstruction work. One of the most effective roads to the rehabilitation of the country's fortunes was through increased population, and the best way to get this was through the cradlfe. Here was, women's part, but to out and give childrelt a proper chance in life better housing was needed. Dr, Thacker considered that mm'who enlisted, but did not get to the front; should receive moro consideration, and permanently disabled men required better treatment. I CONSERVE THE COAL. Mr. J. Horn (Wakatipu) urged tftat the country's stocks of precious .bitumenous coal should be conserved, and greater efforts made to develop the supplies of brown coal, which was equally as good for domestic purposes. The Government should also see that the gold "miner got a better price for the product of his labor, as during the war period he had been prohibited from exporting, and the banks had made large profits out of his work. LABOR'S CENSURE. Mr. H. E. Holland (Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party) said Labor would support the present motion of censure on the Government because the Labor Party was not afraid to express its opinion, but it must be understood that they were voting against the Government, not for the Liberal Party, because they had no more faith in the Liberal Party than they had in the Government. In his opinion the attack made on tho Government by Mr. Mac Donald was one of the weakest he had ever heard, and the speeches of other Liberal members who had spoken in the debate "reminded him of a dead voice. They were as a child crying in the night, and with no voice, but a cry. He proceeded to criticise the Liberal Party's conduct in the late general election. THE GO-SLOW POLICY, Mr. Holland said that at next election Labor will have its own candidate in every constituency, challenging Liberal and Reformer alike. It had been said the Labor Party were extremists, but what were the early Christians but extremists, and how could they have made Christianity what it is if they had not been extremists 1 Coming to the question of the "goslow" policy, he contended that there was unquestionable evidence of "going slow" in wheat growing, and the reason for this was precisely the same as the "go slow" on the part of the coal miner. When it did not pay ,to hew coal the miner would not do it, and when it did not pay to grow wheat the farmer would not grow it. But there was this difference, that when the miner would not hew coal the Government came along and prosecuted him, but when farmers refused to grow wheat the Government Called a conference and raised the price. SHORTAGE OF COAL. There was a shortage of coal in the Dominion, due entirely to our planless system of production- He claimed that there was an abundance of coal in the Dominion,, and he called Up6n the Government to develop new fields. One of the scandals in this connection was a coalfield on the West Coast, on which the Government spent £BOOO in prospecting, and then turned it over to a private company, which was reaping all the benefit from the Government expenditure. In conclusion, Mr. Holland said that if the Liberal Party should get oh the Government benches the Labor Party would support measures, and not men. So aoon as Liberal measures failed to reach the Labor standard they (the Labor Paity) would fight them, and endeavor to drive both Liberals and Reformers into 5 one camp, where no doubt they properly belong. The debate was continued by Dr: Newman (Wellington) and Mr. Biirtram (Grey Lynn). On the motion of Mr. Edie, the debate was adjourned, and at 10.51 p.m. the House rose until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.