Parliament RETURN TO 1931 WAGES LEVEL

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 254, 23 July 1936, Page 10

Parliament RETURN TO 1931 WAGES LEVEL

General Restoration of Depression Period Cuts COMPREHENSIVE FINANCE BILL House Discusses Road Fatalities and Motor Traffic Control Scope fdr keen debate was provided in the House sentatives yesterday afternoon by the-introduction. of the Finance Bill by Governor-General’s Message. In addition to making provision for the general restoration of the depression cuts in salaries and wages, bringing back the 193 L leve sit dea s with a host of miscellaneous matters some of them of specia interest to members of Parliament. The Bill was read a first time and dra pSL consideration was given to the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill, which was introduced in the House before the midwinter recess and partly debated in the second reading stage. ?he™ was not rnritt was new in the resented d.scusston snecial reference was made to the increasing record o road fatalities since the Bill was first submitted to the ouse The continuation of the debate was opened by Mr. J. B. Cotter (Government, Wanganui), who made a maiden speech The Minister of Transport, Hon. R. Semple, replying to the debate, emphasised the importance of a rigid inspection of motor vehicles, mentioning that in seven years 14,000 motor vehicles in New Zealand hfd been found to have defects Several a p 2 the Bill were introduced ,by the Minister. The Bill was put through all stages and passed with in ’ st , e ” al am . en J^ e The House rose at 10.5 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. to-daj.

UNPARLIAMENTARY ‘ Words and Phrases of Legislators A FORMIDABLE LIST A list of words and phrases declared as unparliamentary by various Speakers of the House of Representatives from 1912 to 1935 was tabled in the House yesterday by the Speaker, Hon. W. E. Barnard. Over 500 examples were cited in the list and. many of these represented the occasional frenzied language of legislators. Outstanding phrases are:— “A blasted lot of Shylocks.” "Blow-fly minded.” "A heart the size of a pea-nut, but of a harder substance.” “The thick skull of a Minister of the Crown.”

FINANCE BILL Travelling Allowances to M.P.’s MATERNITY BONUS RESTORED Various miscellaneous provisions are made in the Finance Bill which was introduced in the House of Representatives yesterday by Governor-Generals Message, and read a first time. Maternity benefits) available to contributors to the National Provident Fund, which were reduced from £6 to £4 by the Finance Act, 1931, are to be restored to their original rate. . The larger sums will be payable only in respect of children born after July 1 last.

It is stipulated that the normal provisions regarding leave of absence for members of Parliament shall not apply in the case of Mr. R. McKeen, M.P., at present absent from New Zealand on duties connected with the International Labour Conference at Geneva, and Mr. W. J. Jordan, M.P. for Manukau, who left this week to attend the Assembly of the League of Nations. Their absence from New Zealand is not to disqualify them for payments to which they are entitled as members of Parliament. Provision is made for the payment of travelling expenses) and allowances to members of Parliament when travelling within New Zealand on public business at the request of a Minister. The rate of their allowances is not to exceed the rate paid to members of tlie Executive Council, and the allowances will not apply when members are travelling wholly within their own • electorates 1 . Payment will be retrospective to April 1. The effect of the clause, it is understood, will be to facilitate investigations on behalf of Ministers by co-opted members.

“A giggling monkey.” “A disgrace to the Scottish race. “Look in a mirror and see a donkey.” “The face of the honourable member reminds me of a great cheese, out of which a yokel has taken a great bite.” “He never played a game that was not crooked.” , “Enter Eden on the crawling belly of servitude.” “Put a collar round your necks like dogs.” “Judas Iscariot was a gentleman compared with the Government.” “The worst visitation that can affect suffering humanity is a plague of unjust Government and Tory rulers.” “Nose so long that he trips over it.” “Use a niblick to get out of a bad He.” , “Leave the dirty business to the dirty people who want it.” Among the list of single words that have been ruled out by Speakers throughout the period are these: “Ananias,” “Ass,” “Arch-Tory,” “Barabbas,” “Anti-God ” “Autocratic Bully,” “Cad,” “Common Brute,” “Coward,” "Scabs,” and “Political Chameleon.” NOTICES OF QUESTION Mr. Speaker Objects to Wording Two notices of question given by members of the Opposition in the House of Representatives yesterday were the subject of comment by Mr. Speaker (Hon. W. E. Barnard), who suggested that some rearrangement of the wording might be desirable. Mr. W. J. Broadfoot (Waitomo) referred to a published statement of the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) that if necessary the Government would be big enough to correct mistakes. “If that is so,” he asked, “will the Prime Minister be big enough to give the Opposition credit ” Mr. Speaker: Order. I am afraid the question is not couched in acceptable terms. Mr. Broadfoot resumed his seat. The other notice of question was given by Mr. W. J. Polson (Opposition, Stratford) concerning the intervention of the Minister of Labour (Hon. H. T. Armstrong) in the Maui Pomare dispute last week. Mr. Polson asked the Prime Minister whether he would inform the House if the principles pmbodied in the action of the Minister in securing the reinstatement of two insubordinate seamen was to apply to all departments of the public service, and what, if any, were the obligations of the Government to Mr. O. F. Nelson which made it necessary for a Minister of the Crown to search the hotels of Wellington for these men in order that the departure of the Maui Pomare would not be delayed. "That question may require a little redrafting, too.” remarked Mr. Speaker. EDUCATIONAL GRANTS Increase Provided For Provision for increased grants to education boards and to governing bodies of educational institutions is made in the Finance Bill which was introduced in the House of Representatives by Governor-General's message yesterday. The purpose of the increased grants is to provide for the increases in salaries brought about by restoration of the 1931 cuts. It Is pointed out that grants to edu cational bodies were reduced in 1931 and again in 1932. and it is stated that the amount of the grant payable for the current financial year and in the future may be increased by direction of the Minister of Finance by an amount not exceeding that necessary to provide for the salary restorations.

The existing temporary authority to fix rates of interest on deposits with building or investment societies or with trading companies is made permanent by another clause in the Bill, which repeals various sections of previous Acts.

The provisions for the payment of overseas passenger duty, amounting to five per cent, of passage money, are extended to apply to passengers' leaving New Zealand by passenger aircraft. It is provided that receipts given on refund of moneys held for inmates of hospitals and mental hospitals will be exempt from stamp duty. Another clause provides that expenditure out of the Lands for Settlement Account is to be subject to appropriation by Parliament. GOODWILL OF CROWN LEASES Tax Exemption Sought A request that the Government should take action to exempt the goodwill of Crown leases from the payment of death duties and of local body taxation was made by Mr. W. A. Bodkin (Opposition, Central Otago), in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr. Bodkin asked if, in view of the refusal of the Lands Department to consent to transfers of Crown leaseholds where the purchaser had agreed to pay a goodwill for the lease, the Minister of Finance would introduce legislation on the lines suggested.

“The Valuation Department Is at present engaged in making a general revaluation in Otago.” added Mr. Bod kin, “and this discloses that most Crown leases have a substantial goodwill which is described in the valuation certificate as the lessee's interest in the unimproved value. This interest has to be included in rhe assessment for payment of death duties, and in such cases Crown tenants should be permitted to sell it.”

MORTGAGE ADJUSTMENT New Legislation Next Week It is the intention of the Government to bring down the Mortgage Readjustment Bill in the House of Representatives next week. This was stated yesterday by the Prinie Minister. Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, who indicated that consideration of the measure, which has been designed to largely to bring mortgages into line with the Government’s guaranteed price scheme, was occupying a good deal of the time of the Labour caucus.

The Bill was further discussed by the caucus yesterday morning, Mr. Savage said, and would again be considered this morning. The caucus looked on the Bill as one of great importance.