PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10057, 3 August 1910, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES.

FINANCIAL DEBATE.

' By Telegraph—Press Association. 1 WELLINGTON, August 2. In the House this afternoon, Mr G. W. Forbes, Hurunui, resumed the Financial Debate. He considered i the proposal to wioe out the public debt a tualthv sign, and one that woiiH rmet with the approval of the countiy. He resetted that the f Leader of the Opposition should level I a charge of "Tamrnanyism" at the ■ party in power, which was a reflec!tion on the persons.! character of the EKecutive. Mr D. Buick, Palmerstor, contended that the frech >ld tenure made better settlers. The leasehold system did not prevent the aggregation of estates. Many of the present dairy inspectors knew very little about their work. . Mr J. C. Thomson, Wa'lace, replied to the arguments use 3 by tie Opposition members to the effect that all increased expenditure meant increased borrowing. It was unfair, he said, to compare the taxation and public debt of other countriea with New Zealand, where so many public services were controlled by the State. It was impossible in tbe Dominion to cease borrowing and carry on a vigorous works policy without which the country's prosperity could not increase. Mr G. Witty, Kiccartor, Faid that one of the blots of the present land system was that men with capital were allowed to take up land on lease which they afterwards sold at a pnfit.

Mr J. B. Hine. Stratford, said that he believei in ths freehold coupled with the giving of ever? man a chance to go on the land if he desired. He alleged that a member who helped to put the Land for Settlement Act on the statute book had actecTas a commission agent to sell the land to the Government under the Act. He said if a Commission were appointed to investigate the charge, he would yivd m oath,.

j Mr G. Laurenson, Lytteiton, after .traversing: the speeches of seve al ..members of the Opposition, said that Mr Hine's charge against a member of the House threw a stigma upon ewery member of the assembly, and until the matter was thrashed out it was a disgrace to the man who made it. He called upon Mr Hine to nana the member referred to. Referring to the Death Duties Act, he said th:s was a good attempt to deal with a difficult problem which was confronting every nation, that of distributing* wealth. In regard to the lani question, be denied that the freehold" was being demanded by the Crop n tenants. When the history of the Dominion was written the blackest page would be that which recorded the fact that there was a party so lost to decency and self respect as to offer a bribe to the Crown tenants uf nine millions of t public money. The manner in which ihe lands were settled was of vital moment to every individual in the Ot - minion. Mr Laurenson concluded by referring to the signs of nations decay shown by the decreasing birth rate, which called for immediate attention by Parliament. Mr F. M. B. Fisher, Wellington Central, said the Government waa shuffling on the land question. He questioned the accuracy oC the amount alleged by the Government to hava been saved as the result of retrenchment. He ridiculed the statement in the Budget that the cost of living: had been reduced during 1909. As proof of extravagant administration* he said that the Dominion bad added more to its national debt than the Victorian Government had in eight

years. The debate was adjourned and the House rose at 11.50 o'clock.