Comment From The Capital Four Weeks’ Work Remain For House

Press, Volume C, Issue 29669, 13 November 1961, Page 12

Comment From The Capital Four Weeks’ Work Remain For House

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, Nov. 12. Although two weeks have passed since the “working recess.” members of Parliament are still unable to say with any certainty when the present session will end. On present indications, some four weeks of work remain; but neither ot the session’s most contentious measures has yet returned from committee. The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill is stiM with the Labour Bills Committee, though the hearing of evidence has been completed. Some deliberation is needed before the committee can complete its report. It is possible that this committee has struck trouble over sitting hour*. Parliament gave it permission to sit "for the hearing of evidence” during the sitting hours of Parliament. The committee does not now want to hear evidence, but merely to formulate its report. This means that Opposition members, if they so desire, can insist on meeting outside the sitting hours of the House. As Parliament sat from 2.30 p.m. until midnight on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and from 9.30 a.m. until 4.50 p.m. on Friday, not much time was left for committee deliberations. Opposition members would object, under, standabdy, to having to leave the House last Friday morning, when the Opposition turned the Imprest debate into a “set piece” attack on the Government’s handling of the Nelson cotton mill jectThe crucial debate on the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill is still in the future. Keeping it company is the Licensing Amendment Bill, which is still before the Statutes Revision Committee. The deliberations of this committee are likely to be completed early this week. Rumours that, because of intensive lobbying and some second thoughts the Government will hold over the Licensing Amendment Bill this session, continued to gain support. Government sources botly deny any such intention. Busy House The House ha* done a great deal of steady but unspectacular work in the last week or so. More than 20 bills have been dealt with, and many others have been moved along towards the completion of discussions. On the other hand about a dozen new measure* have arrived. There are still 37 measures on the main Order Paper, and five local bills in their section. A partial clearance will be made on Tuesday, when eight measures now awaiting their third readings will be passed. Seven others are at the "consideration ot report” stage, which means that they can be moved to the next, and penultimate, stage in about 10 minutes. The hard core of work on the present Order Paper consists of 13 bills awaiting their committee stages and seven which await their secondreading debates. These in. dude some (the “Ombudsman” measure is one) which may be left on the books tor this year. The I.C. and A. Bill and the Licensing BUI head a shorter but more formidable list which consists of measures, both local and general, which are before Select Committees. This is why, even at this late stage, nobody is prepared to hazard a guess at the date Parliament wUI rise. A little by-ptay heard on Friday afternoon illustrates the mood

ot the House: The Prime Minister (Mr Hdyoake): So we’ll all be here on Christmas Day. Opposition voice: What will i we be doing? Government voice: Talking • turkey. ( Fencing Wire i An assurance that New • ZeaJard-madc fencing wire will be available to fanners i next year at a price and in a '■ quality similar to those of ' overseas products has been i given by the Minister of Ini dustries and Commerce (Mr i Marshall) to Mr H. E. •L. Pickering (Government, Hurunui). Mr Marshall said the types ■ of wire approved last year i when the establishment of a i wire-drawing mill was auth- ! orised included fencing wire. ■ Production would be started I next year, but galvanised ■ wires were not likedy to be J produced until 1963. Ferry-rail Centre > Whether the rail accommodation on the inter-island I steamer express wharf at • Lyttelton should be improved . is entirely a matter for the I Lyttelton Harbour Board, i This was indicated by the i Minister of Railways (Mr i McAlpine) in a reply to a . question by Mr N. E. Kirk ■ (Opposition, Lyttelton). Mr Kirk asked the Mini ister whether, it view of the • recently-announced plans of i the Lyttelton Harbour Board ; to modernise the wharves . and facilities in the harbour basin, he would have the . Railways Department initiate I negotiations to establish “a I civilised and up-to-date , passenger wharf terminal to i replace the present unsatis- ■ factory and inconvenient . conditions." . Mr McAlpine replied that , his department would be i happy to keep in touch with the bo&rd, and to co-opcrate , as far as it could. . Travel Appointment : The explanation that the president of the National Party (Mr A. McKenzie) 1 would receive no honorarium, ■ but would be paid fees and travelling expenses, as Gov?5 nn i£ nt rcpreaentatlve on the Travel and Holiday Association has been made by t the Minister in charge of ’ “ nd Health : (Mr Eyre) in answer to a • question by Mr J. Mathison ' (Opposition, Avbn). I Mr Eyre said that the i appointment followed the ■ precedent set when Sir Wilr ham Bodkin occupied the Tourist and ’ Department had I the right to appoint its gen- . eral manager, and the GovI ernment considered that a i separate Ministerial appoint- [ ment was desirable. The • lee3 ,? n . d “Wowance* payable t would be in accordance with ’ the regulations. r j Whitebait Inquiry The Government is trying i ♦? rec ™ it ■ scientist to con- • !l nue ■A b< l inv *«tigation into . the whitebait industry How- ; the Minister of MaAne ■ *5? ha * informed Mf P- Blanchfleld (Opposw ««ttand) that arrangement* tor the continuation **»• “mid not be be (2 re the •**>“ > “2E? <m November 30. ■ “The young scientist work- ° , L th « a »i«nment was an aeroplane ’ crashed last February." said ?Sf t ? erar<J - 'So for. in spite i ® ffort4 ' Which I " b par’S^ W0 ° r^ r f ° r