Parliament FURTHER DISCUSSION ON BUDGET

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 21, 20 October 1937, Page 12

Parliament FURTHER DISCUSSION ON BUDGET

Minister Denies Rumour That State Intends Entering Chain Store Business

LARGE NUMBER OF QUESTIONS ASKED Government Inquiries Into Conditions ’ On Waterfront With the exception of a speech by Mr. R. A. Wright ( Independent, Wellington Suburbs), all of the contributions to the Financial Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday we made by Government members. The debate has now <^en de over 10 sitting days, and 42 speakers have taken part Twentythree speeches have been made from the Government benches. 17 by Opposition members, and two by Independents. Ministerial answers to questions will be circulated and discussed this afternoon for the second time this session, and the debate on Financial Statement will be resumed to-night. First speaker in the debate was the Parliamentary Undersecretary in Charge of Housing, Mr. J. A. Lee (Government, Grey Lynn), who defended the Government s housing policy. He said that as the production technique improved so would the quality of the houses which were being built. The Minister of Industries and Commerce, Hon. D. G. Sullivan, took part in the debate in the evening. He denied a rumour that the Government was considering entering the chain store business with the idea of keeping retail prices down. He also said the suggestion that the Government intended to take control of chemists if they did not put their house in order was groundless. Mr. A. G. Hultquist (Government, Bay of Plenty) was speaking at the adjournment at 10.30

p.m. • . , During the. formal business at the commencement ot the sitting there was an unusually large.number of notices of questions. An urgent question relating to conditions on the waterfront was asked by Mr. W. J. Polson (Opposition, Stratford), and in reply to this inquiry the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, said the Government was having inquiries made with a view to having the position rectified. Several departmental reports were also presented.