Review Of Tourist Hotel Corp.

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30887, 21 October 1965, Page 3

Review Of Tourist Hotel Corp.

(Parliamentary Reporter)

WELLINGTON,

October 20.

A sub-committee of the Parliamentary Public Expenditure Committee will investigate affairs of the Tourist Hotel Corporation during the coming Parliamentary recess.

Announcing the review today, the chairman of the Committee and Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister of Finance (Mr Muldoon) said the Committee would be interested to hear from any person or body about corporation activities. The sub-committee would examine the accounts and affairs of the corporation to ensure that Government funds were being wisely spent. The Committee, which is at present checking spending on education, has wide powers to examine the accounts of Government departments and other agencies receiving Parliamentary appropriations. Bill Supported Mr P. Blanchfield (Opp., Westland) today described the Stock Amendment Bill as “revolutionary.”

He was speaking during the second reading debate on the measure.

The Opposition generally supported the intention of the bill, he said. It had some reservations about the strength of provisions relating to the rights of individual farmers.

The bill enables an inspector of the Department of Agriculture to declare land an infected area if he believes or suspects that an infected animal has been on it. It also makes it an offence to remove an animal from an infected area.

The bill is mainly designed to allow quick and effective action against foot-and-mouth disease, which is as yet unknown in New Zealand. Mr Blanchfield said he was pleased that racehorses could not be infected with the disease. “Otherwise one of our up-and-coming industries could be drastically affected overnight,” he said. The bill was committed. Potential Forest

The Minister of Forests (Mr Gerard) told Parliament that 52 local authorities held land suitable for forests and 32 had shown interest in making plantings after the extension of the Farm Forestry Act, 1962, which has become the

Forestry Encouragement Amendment Bill. This bill, which implements budget provisions, was given a second reading, the Press Association reports. Mr Gerard had been asked by Mr S. A. Whitehead (Opp., Nelson) if the Forest Service would get out and sell to local authorities the scheme by which advances could be made for the establishment and maintenance of plantations. Mr Gerard said there would be no great need to do that—the service already knew what bodies held suitable land and 32 had shown interest.

But the response of education boards was not very heartening. They did not appear to be very interested in the scheme, he said. The bill was read a second time. Tapes Rejected The Minister in Charge of Police (Mr Alien) said that the use of tape recorders by the police when questioning suspected persons at police stations had been considered.

The weight of opinion in the police was against the idea, however, Mr Allen said.

Dr. A. M. Finlay (Opp., Waitakere) had asked the Minister if he would follow the lead of the Victorian Government in providing for the use of tape recorders.

Mr Allen said special circumstances had led to the introduction of tape recorders in the Victorian police. In a supplementary question, Dr. Finlay said South Australia had embarked on a review of police interrogation of suspects, and asked if such a review would be considered in New Zealand.

“We are continually reviewing police administration,” s?.id Mr Allen. The Commissioner of Police (Mr C. L. Spencer) had studied the question of tape recorders and did not advocate their use.

The Minister said Mr Spencer believed they could be classified as a further infringement of the rights of suspects. “No Evidence”

The Minister of Transport (Mr McAlpine) was asked today if he was prepared to direct traffic officers in plain cars to take all reasonable steps to prevent their activities either giving the appearance of, or actually, “goading motorists into speeding offences.”

The question was asked by Mr A. D. Dick (Govt.. Waitaki) on behalf of Mr W. H. Brown (Govt., Palmerston North). Mr McAlpine said such a direction had been issued.

There had, however, been no evidence in support of the allegations contained in the question, he added.

“Painless” Loan

In borrowing from the International Monetary Fund New Zealand would not have to agree to any conditions or obligations other than to repay the loan in from three to five years, said the Minister of Finance (Mr Lake). He had been asked by Mr A. J. Faulkner (Opp., Roskill) to confirm a statement in the “Meat Producer" on October 1 that the first drawing of the fund was a fairly painless operation but subsequent drawings forced the fund to become concerned about the management of the country’s affairs. Mr Lake said that on no occasion did he expect the operation of drawing from the fund to be painful. Forces’ Pay The Cabinet committee considering armed services pay and conditions had another long meeting this morning, the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) said tonight. He had not received a report on the meeting.

The committee was still considering the question, he said.