PARLIAMENT

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21176, 27 July 1940, Page 8

PARLIAMENT

AMENDMENT LOST PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT DEBATE ENDS IN HOUSE WELLINGTON, Friday The amendment moved by Mr W. J. Broadfoot (Opposition—Waitomo) in the House o£ Representatives today, to the effect that the Public Works Statement be referred back to the Government, was defeated on a division being taken, by 36 votes to 17, voting being on party lines. The Minister of Lands, the Hon. F. Langstone, reviewing the small farm* scheme, said there were 38,090 acre* under development in 1936 and 130,000 acres in 1940. The average number of men employed was 1241 four years ago, and today it was 1101. The sheep carried in 1936 numbered 8800, as compared with 93,959 thi* year. Dairy cows increased from 2155 to 8831 and run cattle from 1132 to 13,317. The revenue from small farms amounted in 1935 to £6794, in 1939 to £79,039, and in 1940 Jo £139,944. Maori Soldiers’ Rehabilitation Sir Apirana Ngata (OppositionEastern Maori) advocated the opening up of 50,000 to 60,000 acre blocks in the Taupo district and the King Country for settlement by Maori soldiers when they returned from the war. The rates of interest charged on the capital value of native land for settlement were criticised by Sir Apirana, who said the Maoris did not have the advantage of cheap money made available to the State through the Reserve Bank. He asked that all the facts should be placed before the Native Affairs Committee. The Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash, said that the whole of the figures would be supplied to the committee. Peace-Time Basis "We maintain that the Government’s policy is building up another depression,’’ said Mr F. W. Doidge (Opposition—Tauranga). “ It seems that we are on a peace-time basis while the rest of the Empire works the clock round. We have it plainly shown in the new British Budget, in which four-fifths of the money raised is for war. We are spending on war only one-third of what we are raising.” In the course of his reply to the debate the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, said many of the projects had been started long before the outbreak of war, and no new works had been started since the war, unless they were of a military nature. A considerable curtailment had been made this year in civil expenditure. The Minister said that one of the major public works activities of the future should be the extension of irrigation. In his opinion Canterbury Plains and Central Otago could with irrigation feed the whole of New Zealand. Estimates Approved The Public Works Estimates were subsequently approved. In view of the earlier debate on the Statement there was little discussion on the Estimates, and all items totalling £12,807,200, were passed in about half an hour. The House rose at 5.40 p.m. until Tuesday.