PARLIAMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 14, 17 July 1934, Page 9

PARLIAMENT

TODAY'S PROCEEDINGS

T HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

.The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. today.

Mr. B. A. Wright (Independent, Wellington Suburbs) gave notice to ask the Prime Minister if lie*would appoint a committee t>f members of Parliament from all sections of the House who

would, in a non-party spirit, inquire

into the problem of unemployment with J'f .the object of suggesting a plan whereby "■} those' at present unemployed might be ■a- teabsorbei in. useful occupations atrea-

■v. sbuablo wages. "The Prime Minister •"■'recently promised that the unemployed •:<■■ would bo reviewed," said Mr.

Wright. "At present Ideal relief committees are disappointed and disheart-

■?'.' cned because the problem is no nearer *" solution than it was two years ago. The. -o1 feeling is growing amongst responsible j>& people that if something is not dono un- ; c_f employment in New Zealand v/iH be- '" come permanent."

Mr, G. A. Wilkinson (Independent, Egmont) gave notice to ask the Prime

Minister whether tho Government,

when amending the Mortgagors Relief Act, or when introducing further mea

sures to afford relief to mortgagors, it *'■ would take into consideration the desir--0; ability, and necessity, of providing that ; when mortgages were for a. fixeel period .i of years the mortgagor should in all % 3 such cases have the right of repayment -. ; of the mortgage by giving six montha' notice of his intention to make repay- ,,,; ment. .. . ~o- Mr. J. A. Nash (Government, Palmes orston> gave notice to ask the Minister n;7 of Employment whether, when adjusting the unemployed.tax, he would take into consideration the removal of tho ' tax in cases where local authorities make sonje sinaJl grant, and where the foreman is awarded an increase

_Mr- Wilkinson also gave notice to ask the' Minister of Finance to indicate to the House the undertaking- he received from stock and station agents and finance companies regarding tho rate of interest they agreed- to charge when the Government arranged with the banks to reduce overdraft interest rates

to 5 per cent. He said that some (som- , s panics were still charging 10 per: cent. ..;,;• interest on current accounts.

..-.- .Mr. J. :O'Brien (Labour Westland) v.-.tgave notice to ask the, Minister of Einr.'t ployment" if .he, taking into considera...itionthe shortage of dwelling houses in ~,. the Dominion, would bring before the .^Unemployment Board the necessity of >( , making advances .without interest payJ'|i meats; to workers wishing to '■ build r? their own homes—such advances to be .' fb r equalto 75 per -cent, of the cost of the ;„ houses erected; and to be repaid to the '.r Unemployment Board at a weekly ren'\,.,tal. ; form.of subsidy would be ; .,V. an 'improvement on that previously given," said Mr. O'Brien. "The previous subsidy couM not be taken advantage of by workers because of their lack of iundsjbui; the new proposal would return to the board most of the money so advanced instead of as previously,- where the subsidies were a direct grant to some, people and firms that -were" financial enough to erect their own buildings. - The building of the niueh-needed workers' houses would

..,also .cause a.jonsiderable amount of .^.employment in the sawmilling and ~ building industries." ;. . . '-f ■';.;_ V; TAE.IFF COMMISSION. j.,

••'. ..,,Eesuming the"debate on tlie Ta'nff 3r Comtnis'sipn's report,' Mr. J. "A. Nash "!," (Government, Pahrierston North) said '^ tho .difierenpes.in the rates-were not '- very igreat, and the manufacturers who were' adversely -affected would have ample opportunity of stating their case. He. believed that the' Government had carried out the terms of the Ottawa Agreement, and statements made to the contrary were-grossly unfair. Propagandists who "made, those ' statements got away with :it' because people did not stop to think for themselves. There was a section of the, community which cried out: for free "trade,'but it was well Known that tho British manufacturers had not asked for that. Mr. Is ash -said .ho agreed that the existing _''.: secondary .industries should be en"^l eouraged and/efforts made to. start new '.]' cues. . ;■-.. . l. ' ..''"■ ■■■-/. t. ;Mr. A: S. Eiehards (Labour, Koskill): ",. Why help to kill them, then? Mr. Nash said the raising, of the exchange- rate had assisted the manufacturers just.as niueh as. it. had assisted the primary producers. ". He.ptd. in a plea for the tobacco industry, which was deserving of every encouragement-from-the Government. i • . ,Mrs. E. R. McCombs (Labour, Ly.ttelton) said that the exchange rate had adversely afieeted local-bodies and traders. The .position had been aggraKl vated'by the sales tax, and the yonths sr ani Sit]s -haa been penalised by ,tho wages-tax on their small earnings. Now•,%(*'l? sacriflcqs: of the community were '" being carried; a further stage by the jeopardising of local manufactures. ■ Most of the industries affected had gone through .the struggles which1 were associated -with-their establishment, and now. they were to be thrown out of business by the new tariff: ■ • ,