PARLIAMENT TO-DAY'S PROCEEDINGS.

Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 78, 30 September 1915, Page 8

PARLIAMENT TO-DAY'S PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THE PRICE OF BUTTER. i ' ___ The House of Representatives sat at 2.30 p.m. to-day. • Mr. G. Hunter asked the Prime Minister if he intended to do anything in regard to the higher shipping, freight charges on butter. The Prime Minister said the matter, unfortunately, was not in his hands. The whole of the space on insulated ships trading to and from New Zealand had been commandeered by the Imperial Board of Trade. The board wae simply charging enough to get back the expenditure they had incurred. Mr. -Fletcher : It shows they have paid too much ! " , The Premier added that the board had raised the freights to the standard of Australia. In reply, to a question by Mr. C. J. Parr, regarding the increase of the price of butter to Is od, the Prime Minister stated that when certain Wellington merchants increased tie price of butter a 1 week ago, he cabled to London to ascertain the position there, and to see if the price here was in accordance with the price of exported butter. He had received a reply that there was no New Zealand butter on the London market, and if there were there would be very little difficulty in disposing of it at 16(te aewt. This meant practically \,He retail price in New Zealand. The increase in freight would yet ' make an addition of per lb. He intended to look into the matter and see if it was possible to keep the price down. The position was that the Germans' had bought' practically all the Danish butter available, and the supply had thus been interfered with. The Australasian butter had not begun to arrive. T^ie "butter people here had found they could get a higher price here and they had put it up. Mr. Hine asked if the Premier knew that the retailers of Wellington were selling "butter ai Id a pound below export prices ? " i . ' , The Premier : - 1 would be willing to make an offer on behalf of the people of Auckland and .Wellington j for the butter at Id a pound below, export • prices. {Hear, ,hear.)' Now, then, I hope the Taranaki. retailers will come along ! J Members : You won't get it ! j "A number' of people want to' know wheri the* extra stamp .duty must- , be put on cheques," said Dr. Newman. Sir Joseph Ward said he hoped to be in a position to. ask the Governor, to sign the Bill to-morrow, and immediately it was' signed 1 everything^ in it in regard to which the date of coming into,operation was not''named' in the Bill would become, .operative.. He would make, an announcement' as soon as the bill was signed.' Subsequently Sir Joseph said that portion of the Act. relating to stamp duties would come "into force 'on Ist November next. . (Proceeding.) •