Ministerial Replies To Members’ Questions

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28972, 13 August 1959, Page 16

Ministerial Replies To Members’ Questions

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, August 12. “The Government believes there should be a right of appeal from decisions in the Children's Court, and is therefore considering the introduction of legislation this session to remedy the apparent defect in the law,” said the Minister of Justice (Mr Mason) m a written reply today to a question asked previously by Mr E. J. Keating (Government. Hastings) in the House of Representatives.

Mr Mason said he was advised that there had been instances where appeals from decisions in the Children’s Court had been heard, but in a recent judgment Mr Justice Haslam, in Christ church, decided that under the present law no right of appeal existed.

Other Ministerial replies were -

Dairy Farmers’ Incomes.— Pending the receipt of final figures for the 1958-59 season, it would appear that the dairy farmers’ net income for that season will have been of the order of £l2OO. This seems a sufficiently high income to enable dairy farmers to enjoy a standard of living similar to thai received by workers giving comparable service, particularly when it is considered that the farmers has certain perquisites not available to the town dweller —The Minister of Agriculture (Mr Skinner) to Mr D. C. Seath (Opposition, Waitomo).

Hydatids Control.— Hydatid control officers can now carry out all their duties of organising and fostering a programme of voluntary control of hydatids. The local authority employing the hydatid control officer can finance his operations by imposing a hydatid control fee under the Dog Registration Act regulations. The Hydatid Control Bill will be presented this session, and will provide foi any necessary compulsion in hydatid control measures. Till this bill is passed no compulsion can be exercised.—The Minister of Agriculture to Mr B. E. Talboys (Opposition, Wallace). Butter Subsidy.—

The additional cost of subsidising butter sold on the local market to the extent requested by the dairy industry is estimated on present prices at approximately £2m a year.—Tht Minister of Finance (Mr Nord meyer) to Mr Keating. Accelerator Purchase. — After full consideration of reports, the Atomic Energy Commission recommended that my department should proceed to

place an order for a 3mv accelerator of American manufacture. The particular firm concerned is the only company in the Western world commercially manufacturing equipment of the type required. No British firm manufactures similar equipment, ana Great Britain herself has recently installed similar, though larger scale equipment.—The Minister in charge of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (Mr Holloway) to Mr G. A. Walsh (Opposition, Tauranga). Slackness Denied.—

Though some young people display attitudes that no-one would wish to defend. I do not accept the contention that the present generation shows “increasing slackness and apathy.” ... By

and large I believe that we can be proud of our yo«ng people today. Our post-primary schools need no reminding that pupils should be made aware of their duties and responsibilities. The whole of school life has this end in view, and the matter is dealt with explicitly in the instruction in social studies which is one of the compulsory subjects of the post-primary school curriculum.— The Minister of Education (Mi Skoglund) to Mr Walsh.