THE WEEK IN THE HOUSE A touch of urgency, and raised hackles

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33024, 18 September 1972, Page 2

THE WEEK IN THE HOUSE A touch of urgency, and raised hackles

(By <

C. R. MENTIPLAY.

our Parliamentary reporter)

By the use of a touch of urgency last Wednesday night, Parliament disposed of the principal Budget measures without much difficulty. The rest of the week was employed in the discussion of the Estimates.

The Prime Minister (Mr Marshall), back in the House on Friday after his trip to Fiji, said that next Tuesday and Thursday would be devoted to Estimates, and Wednesday and Friday to legislation. Mr P. Blanchfield’s Buller-West Coast Promotion Bill may be debated on Wednesday.

Wednesday is of possibly greater significance, however, as the reporting date for the special Select Committee which is examining the Accident Compensation Bill. If this is ready to proceed on schedule, it will occupy most of Parliament’s time for the remainder of the month.

A slim Order Paper would be even leaner if 11 measures still awaiting their third readings were completed and banished to the Statute Book. Without them there are only 14 major measures on the list. The Order Paper looks a little odd, with the Hydatids Amendment Bill (No. 2) at the head, followed by the highly-controversial Shipping and Seamen Amendment Bill.

The hydatids measure was introduced last year, and had a pro forma second reading on December 3. Committal discussion before it goes through the formal committee stage has an allocation (under the new rules) of 21 hours. So the shipping and seamen’s bill should be under discussion on Wednesday — unless something of more urgent Government importance intervenes.

The last week was fairly quiet, even though there was some evidence of raised hackles. The week ahead should be quieter, whatever happens, for the Minister of Finance (Mr Muldoon) will be overseas on his annual trip to the financial centres, and the House will be in the Prime Minister's hands again. DEARER PETROL?

During the Imprest Supply Debate, Opposition members expressed their fears that to offset increased local authority costs the Government would have to increase taxation over a wide range of items. It was suggested that petrol would be one of these. Mr M. A. Connelly (Lab., Wigram) suggested that a report by the Minister of Internal Affairs had shown that the tax on petrol would be increased heavily soon after the election — if the National Government was returned. “We shall see increased fuel taxes, which means that the farmers will have to pay more,” Mr Connelly said. “There will be increased electricity. transport and power charges also, and the small manufacturers who are endeavouring to carry on in Central Otago will be faced with higher costs and heav-ily-increased petrol and fuel bills . . . “Now we are told in a report released by the Minister of Local Government that there may be an increased accommodation tax, increased electricity tax, local government tax (that, of course, would be on top of the present rates and income tax), beer tax, liquor tax, commodity tax, sales and added-value and turnover taxes, and any other substantial source of finance the Government can think up.

“The Government has no realistic proposals to overcome the problem of local government. What is required is a sound and logical method by which output can be increased, particularly in some regional areas, so that the burden of local government taxation can be better spread. “Where are the regional development policies? Where are the proposals that the Government could bring into being to encourage the use of our own natural resources, to spread industry and population throughout the country, and, through increased growth and development, to help spread the mounting burden of local government debt?” SUGAR BEET Another warning about the predicted world shortage of sugar was given by Mr P. Blanchfield (Lab., Westland) during debate on the Finance Bill. He reminded the House that a world authority had said that there would be a shortage of from 750,000 to a million tons. “I believe New Zealand can be self-sufficient in sugar by going in for a sugar-beet industry,” Mr Blanchfield said. “Ever since 1877 there have been committees meeting on this subject. Nearly a century ago bonuses were offered to anybody who would produce sugar-beet. It was also pointed out that excise duty was not to be applied to this product. “Since then we have had experts from agricultural colleges and from the farming sector. They have proved that we can grow sugar beet, but in the meantime no blow has been struck for the establishment of an industry.” He spoke of clause 2 of the bill, concerning the overdraft to the New Zealand Sugar Company. “This company is a subsidiary of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, and while that company goes in for all sorts of products, including chemicals, timber, rubber and cement, sugar is one of its major profit-earners. It is terrible to think that New Zealand, affluent as we are now in overseas funds, should be virtually held to ransom by overseas sugar barons, who simply say when the price of sugar moves ... “Just fancy the New Zealand Sugar Company asking for an overdraft at a time when a farmer who is trying to turn rough country into pasture finds it difficult to get a couple of thousand dollars from the State Advances Corporation . . . The Minister is using a double-headed penny, because, after all, this stabilisation is only to last while the price of sugar goes up.

"When it goes down overseas, is there any guarantee New Zealand housewives will pay less? Will we be able to buy more boiled lollies for 20c than we do now?” TIMARU AIRPORT

Congratulations to the Minister of Transport (Mr Gordon) on the sealing of Timaru Airport runway w’ere given by Mr R. L. G. Talbot (Nat., South Canterbury) during discussion on Estimates.

“This regional project has been a combined effort between the Minister and the Mayor of Timaru (Mr Hervey), who is also chairman

of the airport authority,” Mr Talbot said. “Now that the runway is sealed, are there any plans to upgrade the terminal building? It is not good enough for the increasing amount of traffic.” Mr Talbot said he had been glad to see the introduction of direct flights between Wellington and Timaru by N.A.C. There were long waitinglists. Soon there would be a daily service. He asked whether provision would be made for Friendship aircraft to use the cross-runway at Timaru when conditions prevented their using the main runway. The other day, because of a strong cross-wind, the Friendship had been unable to take off, and the passengers had had to be transferred to a Hawker Siddeley 748, which could use the cross-runway. He suggested that to get the most out of Timaru Airport the cross-runway should be upgraded. REGIONS AND RAILWAYS The suggestion that in the future, as well as in the past, New Zealand Railways could play a key role in regional development was made by

Mr R. P. B. Drayton (Lab., St Albans) during discussion of the Railway Estimates. “Continually increasing rail freight and passenger charges mean an increase in the cost of goods so transported,” Mr Drayton said. “This inhibits regional development, and is a disincentive to the South Island manufacturer. For example, a Christchurch manufacturer of foam-rubber mattresses rails a major part of his production to the Auckland area. “The freight cost of $4.40 on each mattress equates the fair profit margin on that mattress. Such prohibitive freight rates practically disqualify that manufacturer from continuing to supply or further exploit the Auckland market.” He suggested that the separate journey by Cook Strait ferry should be disregarded, and the freight rates should be based on a one-journey concept. In Australia the Victorian Railways Department had a progressive system of freight charges. “A Melbourne manufacturer of foam rubber mattresses can market his product in Sydney—and the distance between Melbourne and Sydney is comparable to that between Christchurch and Auckland —on a freight cost of only 60c a mattress, compared with the Christ-church-to-Auckland rate of $4.40.