Parliament Import Licensing Overhaul Urged

Press, Volume C, Issue 29599, 23 August 1961, Page 16

Parliament Import Licensing Overhaul Urged

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, August 22. A complete overhaul of the import licensing system was urged by Mr W. H Brown (Government, Palmerston North) in the House of Representatives today. Speaking in the Budget debate, he said many importers had suffered hardship because the Labour Government had taken 1956 as the basic year for the issue of import licences.

Mr Brown urged the Minister of Customs (Mr Marshall) to consider taking the average of three years as the basis for the issue of licences. He said some licences were held by people who were not wholesalers, retailers or manufacturers. These licences were finally used by traders who had to pay a premium for them. Other licences were not used to the full extent.

Mr A. McCready (Government, Otaki), comparing the 1958 and 1961 Budgets, said that the 1958 one had been

full of tax increases while the latest had had no tax increase. Giving incentives to the country's producers must benefit the worker.

Mr McCready said cheap State house rentals was unfair to those who built their own houses. State house tenants should pay economic rentals. Mr McCready called for support for young men wanting to take up farming. “If we don't make it possible, then in another 15 to 20 years the staffing position will be critical.” Production would go down, and factories would not be in the healthy state they were today. Mr R. L Bailey (Opposition, Heretaunga) criticised the Government’s decision to cut the rate of State housing building. This redaction would mean 640 fewer State bouses this year while there were still over 4000 urgent applications for State houses. Mr R. Macdonald (Opposition. Ponsonby) claimed the Government was destroying the State house scheme. “Labour tried to keep State house rents within the income of the working class, but the National Government believes in putting up the rente," he said. Expressing fears that Gov-

ernment policy would lead to unemployment, Mr Macdonald said he feared for young couples if National Party policy was carried out. “They will be out of work and on the unemployment benefit I don’t know how they're going to meet their commitments."

Mrs E. Tombleson (Government, Gisborne) congratulated Mr Lake for his "logical and sane” approach in his Budget. Opposition speakers In the debate had been “completely emotional,, verging on iiysteria," she said. “They are acting like silly, scared schoolgirls." Joint family home ownership provided protection from death duty on s widow’s house, but no protection from duty on the contents, furniture, in the home, she said. Estate duty on contents should only apply when both husband and wife were dead. “I am terribly worried for deserted wives," she said. She had received letters from 200 women who had been deserted. “They are living under shocking conditions." Many of them kept goinf. caring for their children, only through the help of neighbours. They were existing on a pension and the family benefit. "The Government should hclg^.them —they need it Timber Prospects The Minister of Forests (Mr Gerard) said the time bad come for an examination of long-term forest products because through them export earnings could be materially expanded. One of the difficulties facing the Forest Service was the conflict between fanning and forestry—whether land was to be developed for farming or trees. Mr Gerard said there were many such' clashes and the issue could only be decided on the grounds of national interest The two had to flourish side by side and were complementary to each other. There were great opportunities for timber sales In the Pacific where treated timbers were particularly suitable. “Our latest advice from Japan is that licences might be available for sewn radiata to be sent there” he said.

Mr R. M. Macfarlane (Opposition. Christchurch Central) said he hoped the Government would heed the support for compulsory unionism given by the country's manufacturers and employers. . 2T h , ey hop * bill to reintroduce voluntary unionism won't be introduced," he said Mr Macfarlane said he wondered whether there was still hoetility in some quarters to trade unionism and whether this had inspired the Government measure to abolish compulsory unlonten.