DECISION ON BILL

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29004, 19 September 1959, Page 14

DECISION ON BILL

Announcement Next Week (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 18. A decision whether to send the National Roads Amendment Bill to a committee in order to allow interested parties to make representations on its clauses or to allow the measure to proceed will be made known by the Prime Minister (Mr Nash) next Tuesday. Mr Nash said in the House of Representatives today, replying to a recommendation made by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Holyoake) earlier in the week that the bill be sent to the Local Bills Committee for further study, that he had discussed the matter with the Minister of Works (Mr Watt). Mr Watt had already seen the Counties Association and wanted to see “one or two other people.” Mr Holyoake: -! understand the Minister is seeing the Municipal Association on Monday? Mr Holyoake said that if the bill was sent to a committee he did not know, at this stage, what evidence would be offered. Mr Nash: There are four or five bills already before the committee. Earlier this week, Mr Holyoake said some aspects of the bill had aroused protests and Opposition members had received requests to have the bill referred to a committee.

It is understood that Mr Nash and Mr Holyoake of the Opposition, and members on both sides of the House in the last two days have received about 400 telegrams of protest from local authorities throughout New Zealand.