PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9139, 15 July 1908, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL,

BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION,

DR FINDLAY ON ARBITRATION. The Legislative Council met: at 2.30 p.m. Dr Findlay, replying in connection with the Address-in-Reply debate, said that Arbitration was the most important question of the day. Was compulsory arbitration to he abandoned, he asked? What were its drawbacks? He did not think it advisable to abolish the system, the many blessings of which were sometimes overlooked. Labour had been beaten in all the strikes before the Act, and would so again if the Act was repealed. It was labour which had asked for compulsion. Could the Hon. J. Barr or any other member point to a country where labour was better off than in New Zealand? Labour wanted the Act to protect it, but it must be loyal to the Act, which could not be one-sided. If it were the old system must oe reverted to. Beyond the interest of labour was that of the whole community, which was dead against the repeal of the Act, and would revolt against it. If the Act was abolished it would only be to show the real value of it to both sides. Successes must he weighed against failures. Discontent with the Act, far from showing that the Act had failed, showed, on the contrary, that the condition of labour had improved. Referring to the Arbitration Court, he defended the judges and pointed out the high qualifications of the present president. He admitted that the cost of living had increased, and the family man was the one who felt the burden. It had been said that the workers had lost confidence in the Court, but he had yet to learn that any one of the judges had been guilty of bad administration. He declared it was necessary to have one possessing +;he a legal mind as president. He asked the Council to approve of the imprisonment of strikers in cases where life may be endangered. The Attorney-General then reviewed the new Arbitration Bill. Referring to the uniformity of wages, he said that it had reduced the production of the worker at least 50 per cent. No better change could be affected than the charge proposed which ultimately the worker would consider ihe greatest blessing conceivable. In conclusion, he deprecated class warfare. The paid agita tor was a parasite upon the honest worker, and was to he utteily condemned. (Loud applause). The Council adjourned at 5.20 p.m. until to-morrow afternoon.

HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES

The House met at 2.30 p.m. The Roman Catholic Archbishops of Wellington Empowering Bill was read a first time. A week's leave of absence was granteJ to Mr Hall (Waipawa). Replying to Mr J. A. Macpturson (Mount Ida), the Minister of Railways stated that whtre farmers had suffered from hejvy snowstorm* stock would be carried free ore way on the railway, and'fodder free. Replying to Mr W.T. Jennings (Egmont) the Hon. W. Hall-Jones said that he would inquire into the alleged delay in the issuing of the soils.' The House adjourned at 3 10 p.m. till 7,30 p.m. to enable the members *,o attend the Maori Conference. At 7.30 the House v\eni into Com • mittee of Supply. Mr W. T. Massey opened the financial debate, complaining that the Railway Department statement and tae Lands Department repr.rt, return of the State Coal Department, also details of expenditure for the last financial year, and other necessary returns, weie not presented. If the electors do not put the brake on he thought it would be a good thing if the moneylenders did. He de.-lared that the gross indebtedness of the Dominion was £66,453,000, and that the amount of interest and sinking fund annually was '£2,593,537. With regard to railway administration he declared that it was the least progressive of any Government Department, and there was plenty of room for improvement-. He complained that money had been borrowed in the Dominion by the Government, and that had. caused money, to be scarce and dearer, with the result that e»ery industry from agricultural downward was in consequence suffering through taxation. He admitted that there had been no direct taxation, but every opportunity was taken to increase the value of land, and therefore owners were compelled to pay more than they were entitled to. In the Customs tariff there had been many reductions but there were many increases on articles,of necessity in agriculture and mining which had seriously affected the profits of Ihose interested. He congratulated the Go vernment on its much improved roadirg of the back block settlements, but he pointed out that in the amount voted last year there was a sum of £185,000 not expended. He claimed that was only on the eve of the election that these promises of increased expenditure were offered to electors as a bribe. Dealing with national annuities, he said that if the Government used the Government Insurance Department and provided subsidies he would assist to pass the Bill. He favoured an increase in the amount contributed to the Imperial Navy, and strongly urged the Government to give further attention to the volunteering and cadet movemtnt. The Hon. G. Powlds claimed that mdre information was now given to members than in former years. The statement could be fully discussed. He recognised that the prices of many of the products were somewhat on the decline, and said the finan cial statement of the Government preached prudence and caution. He denied that £350,000 for road making was an election vote to catch voters, and pointed out that similar amounts were being spent over four successive years, which were not election years. Dealing with the statement made bv Mr Massey that the interest on borrowed money far exceeded the amount borrowed each year he contended that while the Dominion continued a borrowing policy the interest must naturally increase, and he claimed that the amount of interest per head was decreasing each year. The only increased borowing foreshadowed was £250,000 for roads,

and he asked would the Leader of the Opposition object to that. He was pleased that Mr Massey had not questioned the existence of a eurplus. He denied that the Government extensively borrowed in New Zealand ; in fact the amount for years was insignificant. With regard to national annuities, he had hoped that the Opposition would have been glad to forget the bitter opposition of the party to old age pensions. In concluding, he said he thought all .unbiassed people who read the Statement came to the opinion that the Government had deserved the confidence of the country. Mr F. W. Lang explained that the reason of the opposition to the old age pensions was that it was considered that they should be universal. Whatever audit system was adopted there should be no delay in presenting accounts. The budget, as usual, was optimistic. As usual at the beginning of the session, there was little business to do, measures not being read. He thought th<; Leader of the Opposition was at a disadvantage as compared with the Ministers in visiting the constituencies. Continuing, Mr Lang said it was always easy to show a large surplus. He didn't believe in a large'surplus. It was iniquitous that the same land should be subject to two valuation?. The North Island was not getting a fair share of the railway expenditure. , That the Government's policy was socialistic was proved by its land legislation. He approved of the special land settlement policy of the Government, and also of the proposed expenditure on back-blocks roads. Mr D. Buddo (Kaiapoi) defended the financial policy of the Government, and said that the position of New Zealand in .regard to borrowing compared very favourably with that of the Australian States. The lightness of the money market due.to the heavy advances made by the banks to settlers. Land was continually increasing in value, and the Government valuations were the market value. The land tor settlements policy was not favourable to the small settler, the acreage of sectiors being too large. Irrigation was required in many parts of the Dominion. The State should take a greater interest in tie Bank of New Zealand. He believed in a general superannuation scheme if optional. He supported an all-red mail service, and an increase of the naval subsidy. The debate was adjourned and the House rose at 11.45 p.m.