HEAD OF HEALTH DEPARTMENT

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25932, 12 October 1949, Page 6

HEAD OF HEALTH DEPARTMENT

COMPLAINT BY MR SHEAT APPLICATIONS CLOSING TO-DAY (New Zealand Press Association.) WELLINGTON. October 11. Applications were closing to-morrow for the post of Director-General of Health, which was advertised on September 21, said Mr W. A. Sheat (Opposition. Patea) in the House of Representatives this evening. The time allowed for applications for the job had been too short for the importance of the position. The widest possible range of applications should have been sought from within and without New Zealand. It had been suggested that the reason for the short period allowed was that the position had already been “jacked up" for an applicant from outside the department who stood high in the regard of the Minister of Health and of her predecessor in that office, said Mr Sheat. Such reports were likely to discourage applications from others who might have sought th? job. Mr Sheat said the period of three weeks between the advertising and the closing of applications contrasted with eight weeks recently allowed for a comparatively minor post. The Minister of Health (Miss M. B. Howard) replied that inquiries had been made overseas to see if people there would be interested. The job was not being “jacked up" for any person. She had not heard any name mentioned. SUBSIDY ON COAL BRIEF DISCUSSION IN HOUSE (New Zealand. Press Association.) WELLINGTON. October 11. The subsidy on production from State coal mines was apparently about 17s 3d a ton. yet the latest Mines Statement spoke of a net profit of £30.000 after £136.000 for unpaid interest had been written off. said Mi T. L. Macdonald (Opposition. Wallace) speaking on the estimates in the House of Representatives this evening. He asked to what limits would subsidies be paid on State mines. The Government could regulate the profit in Stale mines by increasing the amount of subsidy. The Minister of Mines (Mr A. McLagan) said the subsidy paid in State mines was 17s .64d a ton. but the subsidy on private coal mines was nearly 3s a ton more. Subsidies paid to four companies in the Waikato amounted to £2.372.314. yet those companies continued to show a paper profit 11 was idle to complain of subsidies paid to State coal mines when private mines were given a higher rate of subsidy. If the subsidy were cancelled the price of coal would rise by at least 20s a ton. The Government’s intention was to retain the subsidy. What was the National Party's intention? The Leader of the Opposition (Mr S. G. Holland) said that subsidy to the private companies was a result of the agreement by the Government to guarantee the profits of the companies when the mines were taken over to appease the miners. The Minister had claimed that the subsidies were paid by those on higher incomes but that was absurd since £43.000.000 of indirect taxation, including £13.000.000 in sales tax. was paid by the man in the street. Each year the price of coal was being kept down by taxing other goods. The Minister of Education (Mr T. H. McCombs) said he interpreted Mr Holland's remark as a declaration that the National Party would abolish the subsidy, but Mr Holland said Mr McCombs could not put such words into his mouth. “I did not say we would increase the price of coal.” said Mr Holland. "That is what the Minister would like me to say. but I won't say it.” COMPENSATION FOR COAL MEASURES (New Zealand Press Association.) WELLINGTON. October 11. Since the inception of the scheme for the valuation of privately owned coal measures. the Minister had shown no sympathy for the justifiable claims of those coal-owners, and there was reason to’ think that the global sum for compensation might not amount to more than £500.000. said Mr C. M. Bowden (Opposition. Karon) in the House of Representatives this evening when the vote for the Mines Department was considered. Mr Bowden said it was known that there would be claims amounting io hundreds of millions of pounds, and the Minister had said no regard would be shown for the potential value ot coal. There was not a chance of an owner getting more than a fraction ot the value of his coal measures. It was callous and barefaced expropriation of private rights. . The Minister of Mines 'Mr A. McLagan) said that there was nothing at all on which the member for Karori could base his fantastic assertions The Coal Valuation Commission, which was a thousand times better informed than the member, was not in a position to say what the global sum would be. It was nonsense to say that the owners were not getting a fair deal from the Government, which was bein? more generous than the National Government in the United Kingdom when it nationalised coal measures there during the war. Mr McLagan described some of the claims as “fantastic.” mentioning one of £1.500.000.000. and others amounling to hundreds of millions. MINISTER WOULD LIKE TO GET MORE HOME AIDS (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, oct. 11. The Labour Department would be only to pleased to bring out more girl immigrants of a suitable type who were agreeable to becoming home aids, said the Minister of Labour (Mr A. McLagan) in the House of Representatives to-day when his department's estimates were discussed. There were 60 home aids in the department’s service and about one-third of these came from overseas, he said. Mr McLagan agreed with Mr R. G. Gerard (Opposition. Ashburton), who had asked a question about home aids, that there was a great and necessary demand for their services. He wished the department had more of them.

TIMARU WATERSIDERS PRAISED (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON. October 11. Timaru waterside workers were praised by Mr D. C. Kidd (Opposition. Waimate) in the House of Renresentatives to-day when the Labour Department Estimates were under consideration. “Timaru is proud of these r- m and the job they do." said Mr Kidd. He could associate with himself in his comments the member for Timaru (Mr Clyde Cam. who. as Chairman of Committees, could not take part in the debate, said Mr Kid. "■ Ir Carr nodded his head. Mr Kidd said the work done on the Timaru waterfront was the more meritorious because the port lacked electric cranes and the men had to use the lifting gear on the ships themselves.