PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 July 1922, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY’S SITTING. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. MEAT PEOPLE EAT. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. The Hon. E. P. Lee gave notice of his intention to introduce an Administration of Justice Bill-. Mr. D. Jones (Kaiapoi), asked if, in view of the need for encouragement in the consumption of beef in New Zealand, the Government would give instructions for the purchase of beef in ail public works camps and public institutions instead of mutton and lamb. The Premier said the idea seemed to be a good one, but he did not know how far it was practicable. There would be no harm in making the suggestion to the authorities concerned. In reply to Mr. H. Holland (Leader of the Labor Party), t\e Hon. J. G. Coates said there was no objection to supplying particulars of the New Zealand railway sleeper contracts let in New South Wales. Such information was published in New Zealand. Replying to Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central), Mr. Coates said he had not yet received the. report of the coronial inquiry into the fatal disaster at Mangahao. Until he received that report he could not say whether lie would set up a Government inquiry and whether the workers would hn.ve representation on sueh an inquiry.

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY. THE DEBATE CONTINUED. Continuing. the Address-in-Reply debate, Mr. W. E. Parry (Auckland Central ) condemned the present electoral system, under which there was minority rule. Labor was prepared to vote the Reform Government out of office and would do exactly the same with the Liberal Government,' and continue to do so until it got on to the Treasury benches itself. Mr. A. McNicol (Pahiatua) deprecated criticism of the meat pool, because the board was up against many difficulties and needed every assistance. It had been said that Reform held office on a minority vote, but he argued that if it came to a straight out fight between Reform and Labor the former would win nearly all the seats in the Dominion. Mr. F. N. Bartram (Grey Lynn) referred" to the increasing private wealth of the country, and claimed that taxation should fall on those who accumulated that wealth. Mr. M. J. Savage (Auckland West) combatted, Mr. Clutha Mackenzie’s contention that Labor was disloyal. Capital knew no flag and no country; it went wherever it could secure the highest rate of interest, and cared nothing if it built up an enemy country in the process. Labor, on the other hand, loved its country and was loyal to its comrades. To make a readjustment of the country’s finance the Labor Party would tax 1 higher incomes and still reserve the right to make a levy on accumulated wealth. Our economic position would not be rectified until the economic condition of Europe was rectified, and for that reason he blamed the Government for not being directly represented at the Genoa Conference, where these matters should have been discussed, and some arrangement come to by which trade would be opened up with Russia. The debate was adjourned and the House rose at 10.50 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. to-morrow.