PARLIAMENT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3286, 3 August 1911, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

THE COUNCIL’S DELIBERATIONS.

MEMBERS AND THE CORONATION

“A GRAVE DISCOURTESY.”

tJPER PRESS ASSOCIATION.J WELLINGTON, August 2. In the Legislative Council the debate on the Address-in-Reply was continued by the Hon. W. W. McOardle, who urged the amendment of the Land for Settlement and Finance Act, in the direction, of bringing its provisions more within the scope, of the poorer men. He pointed to the necessity for some measure to prevent the aggregation of land and said the only way to secure this end was to amend the Land Transfer Aot so as to limit the amount of land 1 any man might hold in fee simple. Regarding the Hon. S. T. George’s suggestion in regard to borrowing to immediately complete the trunk railways he considered the scheme too huge for a country the size of New Zealand.. The Hon. J. Rigg said he wished to direct attention to a matter which appeared to him to infringe on the rights and privileges of the Legislative Council. He referred to the invitation sent te the members of the Legislature to attend the Coronation. Members of the Council appeared to have been overlooked, a circumstance which to his mind constituted a grave discourtesy to them. Referring to Imperial matters he said he saw great difficulties in the formation of an Imperial Council, and such a Council w r ould bo valueless in advising on a matter of war. There was no time for such consideration, as the nations now struck first and that was their declaration of war. It would be impossible, therefore, for a Council to consider such a matter. He failed to understand why some well-meaning people opposed military training. They did not appear to realise what would happen in the event of war, and he felt sure that some day the young men who were now being trained, would have to fight for their liberties in New Zealand. Referring to the Hon. S. T. George’s speech and the reference to the completion of the trunk railways, he said it was one which would commend itself to any business man with capital. The debate was at this stage adjourned, and the Council rose.

HAPPENINGS IN THE HOUSE,

ADDRESS-SN-REPLY DEBATE.

HON GEO. FOWLDS CONCLUDES

In the House after midnight the Hon Geo. Fowlds, continuing liis speech, said there were 8,000,000 acres of European freehold lands not in cultivation, and when mountain tops and the listless land were deducted from the total area of land, there are only two million acres left unoccupied. There are five times as much land held by Europeans than the whole lot held by Natives. This did not suggest that the recent references made to unoccupied Native lands were worth much consideration. With regard to the Valuation Act, one of the lieutenants of the Leader of the Opposition came into power they would repeal the Valuation Act. Mr Massey: That is not one of our planks. Mr Fowlds, continuing, said that in connection with the Mokau land case he did not wish to go into the matter at any length. When the matter is gone into he felt certain that the Government will come out of it with credit. Mr Massey had referred to the slave-driving tactics of last year, and hoped they would not be repeated this year, but Mr Massey had to remember that lie did not control the Parliament. The Leader of the House decided that the land legislation had to be put through, and that legislation was put through. Some very important legislation has to be dealt with, and the Government was just as desirous as anyone for the expedition of the work of the Boundary Commission, and the Commission had done its work in a week less than any previous Commission, although the work was much greater on this occasion. He congratulated . some of Mr Massey’s followers on being converted to the idea of proportional representation, and concluded by referring to Sir J. G. Findlay’s trip Home as a colleague of Sir Joseph Ward to attend the Imperial Conference. He was also to attend to the Webster claim so far as he could without) staying some twelve months to await the stow movements of the English Departmental machinery. At this stage the debate was adjourned until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, and the House adjourned at 1.15 a.in. THE AFTERNOON’S SITTING. THE DEBATE CONTINUED. The House met at 2.30 p.m. when the Speaker was directed) to issue a warrant to make out a new writ for the election of a member for Christchurch North in the room of the late Mr T. E. Taylor. Mr Fisher asked the Acting-Premier to afford the House time to discuss the report of the Representation Commission before the session closed. Sir James Carroll replied that it was rather premature to give an answer as the report had not been received from the Commission. Replying to a. question by Mr W. H. Field concerning the rumor that eleven burials of patients from Porirua Asylum had taken place in one day, the Hon. Geo. Fowlds said there had been thirty cases of typhoid at the Asylum. Three attendants had contracted fever, but no nurses, and! there were no cases at the Asylum now, except one, an attendant who has been removed to the hospital. There were four deaths in March, two in April, two in May, and one in June, and there had never been more than one death on any one day. Mr W. D. iS. MacDonald resumed the

debate on the Address-in-Reply. He congratulated Sir A. Guinness and Sir Jas. Carroll, on the honors conferred on them by the King, and he traversed the statements made by Mr Massey on the previous evening, and congratulated the Administration on the splendid progress made of late years, especially in the matter of land settlement. _ He felt sure that now 1 the Native® realised that the Government was doing its best for all concerned, they would come forward and offer their land for settlement. Ho wished to draw the attention of the Minister of Public Works to the great difficulty experienced by co-operative workers in getting their goods to camps, especially in the winter, when many of the roads which were the only moans of access were practically impassable. He suggested the erection of a large store for storage purposes only in the vicinity of the largest camp to facilitate the. distribution of food stuffs to those engaged on co-operative works. With regard to the defence system, the great majority of the peoplo of the country had adopted it, and were quite satisfied to have their children trained for defensive purposes. Mr F. Lawry, continuing the debate, congratulated both Sir A. Guinness and Sir J. Carroll on the honors received from the King. With regard to the Opposition policy he said l that what was new in it was not true, and what was true was not new. The country was undoubtedly prosperous, and this was due to the excellent policy of the Government. Regarding the National debt, lie considered this was an illustration of the intrinsic worth of the country, and if it were offered in the public market a syndicate would readily be found to offer 300 per cent, for it, so high were our assets valued. Mr C. H. Poole followed 1 and alter congratulating Sir A. Guinness and tor Jas. Carroll on their rewards for tliwir services, said lie still was of the opinion that the Prime Minister, in accepting a hereditary title, had made a stupendous blunder, and the action was injurious to the principles of democracy. He recognised l Sir Joseph Ward’s great work for the Dominion and the Empire, but. still he must- record liis protest against his accepting a hereditary title. Dealing with the high cost of living, he said the cause of the trouble was the expense of distribution which needed a remedy to combat monoplies and state competition was the best remedy. At this stage the Hons. R, McKenzie, D. Buddo and G. Fowlds were the only Ministers present, and Mr Poole entered an emphatic protest against this, saying that the Address-in-Reply debate was plainly to allow the Executive to hear what private members bad to say. Proceeding, he dealt with the pay of railway employees, saying that the reduction of fares was no benefit to the country if the employees were not paid a decent wage. This should be remedied, even if the fares have .to be raised. He pleaded for greater expenditure on roads in the North Island, which had not the natural means of transport like the South. The House adjourned at 5.30.

IN THE EVENING.

PRIME MINISTER CRITICISED.

On the House resuming, Mr. Poole said that one of the features of the session would be the introduction of a. bare majority measure. He referred to the withdrawal, by Mr. Massey of the charges made by him last session against the late Mr T. E. Taylor. Mr. Massey’s withdrawal was a complete vindication of Mr. Taylor’s character, and he asked Mr. Massey if he did intend the withdrawal to be a wholesouled one to let it stay there. If he did not .so intend'he should give a full and complete vindication, and so clear a dead man’s character.

Mr. A. S. Malcolm dealt mainly with Imperial questions. Mr. J. P. Luke, after referring to the good work done by Sir Joseph Ward at Home, protested against the latter’s action in not telling them) before he left what he was going to do there, but keeping it bade till he got to Sydney some time later. He considered New Zealand would have fared better at the Conference if the questions which were deliberated upon had been discussed on the floor of the House prior to the departure of the oountrv’s 'envoy®. He condemned! tlie contemptible (and he used the word advisedly) desire to shine alone, and when the representatives oome from Home they must give an account of what, they had done, when at the Imperial Conference Mr. E. H. Taylor, in referring to the titles dispensed at the Coronation, said that those who sneered at titles were true to the monarchy to which they belonged. If the King desired to honor any of his subjects, who were they to decline those honors?

The debate was adjourned, and the House rose at 10.35 p.m

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