DOMINION FINANCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 208, 3 September 1927, Page 9

DOMINION FINANCE.

ESTIMATES DISCUSSED.

run. TOM THE RAILWAYS.

HELP FOE IliON* ENT>USTH\-

{Br Telefrsph. — Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, Friday.

The House of Bepresentatives went into Committee of Supply to-day to further consider the Estimates.

Mr. Field asked if something could not be done to provide an adequate building for the National Art Gallery, the absence of which had already cost the country some fine collections, which were irreplaceable.

Sir Joseph Ward drew attention to the vote of £500 for the reiteration of tb« memorial of the late Sir John Mackenzie, which, he said, ni quite inadequate to do justice to the memory of one who was undoubtedly a great man, who did an immense amount of good to all sections of the community. He proposed to call on the Minister in the course of a few days and endeavour to get the matter settled in a manner creditable to all parties concerned. If anything was to be done it should be done quickly and in a worthy manner. Mr. H. Atmore, discussing the preservation of New Zealand bush, said deer and opossums should be treated as the pests they are. , 4 Sir Maui Pomare, replying to Sir Joseph Ward, said the Government was waiting for information from Palmer - ston South regarding the Varkenrip memorial. When that was received they were prepared to go on at any timeAs to the cost of the memorial, if £900 was not sufficient the Government would do the right thing. Replying to the discussion, the Minister of Mines, Hon. G. J. Anderson, said the Onakaka mines produced very fine iron, and some had been exported to New South Wales, but further export had been checked by an increased tariff in The company was doing wr well, and had reduced costs by potting in new plant. It produced 4000 tons last year, I 1"* the Government had purchased as much as possible from the company. The trouble was the company had not sufficient capital, but that was being overcome. The company waa meeting with strong opposition'from imported iron, and the Minister of Customs waslooking into the question of importations of cheap iron from Bengal, and would see what could be done to help the New Zealand product. Sack Briqncttea. The question of the briquetting of slack coal was being further investigated by the Government. The price of smokeless fuel so far produced waa too higfr to maka it a commercial proposition. The smallest briqoetting plant that would make sufficient fad for the New Zealand railways would cost £500,000. The whole question of smokeless fuel and briquetting supplies for the railways waa being examined by an official committee consisting of representatives of the Railway Department and the Mines Department.