CLAUSE IN BILL

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 136, 6 December 1944, Page 7

CLAUSE IN BILL

STATE TRADING

An Opposition protest against State trading intrusion into electric power board districts made in the House of Representatives yesterday appeared to be successful, for a majority of one against the clause was announced by the Chairman of Committees. But the tellers had omitted to count the Prime Minister, and a tie was the result of the amended list. Then the Chairman of Committees (Mr. R. McKeen) gave his casting vote which enabled the clause to be retained. It ■was one of the clauses in the Statutes Amendment Bill, and gives the Minister of Works authority to carry on the business of trading in electrical appliances and charge rent for them or accept payment by instalments. If. as had been stated, it was the Government's intention to apply these provisions to the Southland district, that should be specifically, stated in the Bill, said Mr. W. S. Goosman (National, Waikato). One of the clauseT stated that the Government could erect lines and the Government could supply the power. Mr. Goosman said he would say that the. Government could intrude into power board districts and could take the most payable accounts from the power boards. Mr. F. Langstone (Government, Waimarino): It would bs a terrible crime. Mr. Goosman replied that Mr. Langstone would like such a thing; Mr. Langstone would welcome anything as long as it broke down private enterprise. It did not matter whether there v/as any justice in -it or not. The power boards, added Mr. Goosman, had to pay for the power they bought from the Government on the peakload basis, but that did not apply in the case of the Government which was debited only for the power it used. The Government could Undercut power boards, undermine them, and eventually cut them out. The power boards were doing an excellent job and should receive the co-operation of the Government "DIVIDE AND CONQUER." Mr. C. M. Bowden (National, Wellington West) said he also wished to sound a note of warning against a further extension of the powers of State trading. The Government was following a policy of peaceful penetration or a policy of divide and conquer, taking one industry at a time and submerging it Opposition to the clause was being advocated because certain members saw in it a challenge to private enterprise, said Mr. F. Langstone. Many of the members of the Opposition had been members of local bodies which had done exactly what the Government was taking power to do. There \vere some districts where it was impossible to form power boards—districts through which transmission lines ran—and -the people were without light and power. The advantages of electric power should be extended to those districts at the earliest possible moment.

In the future there would be more and more of such activities undertaken by the State, said Mr. Langstone. The day $would come when there would be one uniform rate for hydro-elec-tric power. Public opinion would demand it. POSITION OF ELECTRICAL TRADERS.

Mr. W. J. Broadfoot (National, Waitomo) said that the clause was in direct conflict with traders in electrical appliances. There were many thousands of people engaged in that work, and it was unfair to give the State the power conferred by the clause: It was another example of contentious legislation being introduced by the Government during the war when the Government was continually asking for unity. "I hope this clause doesn't mean that, the Government; will allow the Department to pick the eyes out of : the power boards' business," said Mr. T. G; Webb (National. Kaipara) The Government was'able to undercut the power boards under the system of charges operating and had actually undersold the North Auckland Power Board. The Attorney-General (Mr. Mason) said there was not the slightest intention by the Government to do any of the things Mr. Broadfoot attributed to it. The purpose of the clause was to enable the Government to continue to do what it was doing in Southland, where it was necessary or. at any rate, convenient to take over work being 'performed by the power board. The power board desired it, and it was discovered that there was an absence of sufficient legal authority. The clause simply put that matter in order. It offered no widespread threat.