PARLIAMENT’S ENDING

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 October 1928, Page 7

PARLIAMENT’S ENDING

ALL NIGHT SITTING SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES (Special to “Star.") ' WELLINGTON, October 9. The House sat until well past four o’clock this morning, clearing up the order paper of practically all that remains of the final business of the session. Some time was spent in the afternoon and evening in discussing the University Amendment Bill which was eventually passed.

The Supplementary Estimates were then considered and customary pleas were put forward by Opposition sections of the House for extra remuneiation to be made to messengers and officers of the Legislative Department. After the Estimates had been got out of the way, the House proceeded to deal with the Finance Bill clause, in which it was proposed to remove the limitation of £3oo'on superannuation of civil servants and the railways employees. This proved to be most contentious, and the Leader of the Opposition, Sir J. Ward and Mr Veitch, raised strenuous objection to the proposal on the ground that it would destroy the sound basis of superannuation scheme. Eventually, the Finance Minister agreed to withdraw the clause to give an opportunity for further actuarial consideration in the recess as to its effects. o The House rose at 4.25 a.m. £5,000,000 LOAN AUTHORISED. Authority is contained in the Finance Bill, for £3,000,000 loan, lhe money is to be allocated for the following purposes:— (a) Railway construction and additions to open lines. (b) Additional rolling stock for open lines.

(c) Telegraph extension. (d) Road construction and improvement (including main highways) tracks and bridges, goldfields developihent. j . (e) Construction of irrigation works. (f) Other public works. The Minister of Finance, however, is empowered to borrow an additional £2,000,000, making £5,000,000 in all for the purposes of Railways Improvement Authorisation Act, 1914. The purposes for which the totalisator duty may be refunded to racing clubs are extended by the Bill to include erection of or permanent improvements to stables on land not forming part of a racecourse. An important amendment of law with respect to retiring allowances of the civil servants is contained in the Bill. A clause removes the limitation of £3OO under which members of civil service or railway department have to retire on superannuation at present. A further clause ■ allows, temporary employees to contribute to the superannuation fund. The percentage of salary to be contributed by any person who thus becomes a conti ibutoi is to be fixed by reference to his age at the time he elects to become a contributor. INTERESTING ITEMS. In the supplementary estimates, compassionate allowance of £3OOO is made to Lady Sim, widow of the late Sir William Sim. The vote of Police Department is increased by £21,544 in fulfilment of increases in salaries to police officers.

Further expenses, in additions to those met in the main estimates, are provided for the Government publicity office in votes of £lOOO for displays at local shows and exhibitions, and £lOOO in connection with publicity in England for New Zealand produce. Other internal affairs votes include £lOOO towards entertaining visitors to the Dominion and the cost of official functions, £2OOO to aviators of the Tasman flight, £5OO to Board of Maori Arts and Crafts, £5OO towards the expenses of New Zealand Olympic team, £250 to the War Funds Council for South African veterans, £lOOO towards the expenses of the Parliamentary delegation to Canada. Towards expenses of the team of riflemen which is to visit Victoria next March a grant of £250 is allocated. The visit of Air Marshall Sir John Salmond accounts to £4OO. An additional sum of £lOOO is allocated towards the expenses of honoraria and travelling allowances, secretarial charges etc., 'in connection with the industrial conference. Honoraria and travelling allowances and expenses of delegates to the recent apprenticeship conference amounted to £425.

On the Department of Agriculture supplementary estimates appear the following items: Agricultural field experiments £1000; phormium research £350, analysis and sampling of fertilisers in. Europe and Great Britain £l2OO, grants (on account) to cattle dipping associations £1000; guarantee on export of eggs £500; additional bonus on export of pork £5000; to railway department as additional portion of allocation in connection with freights on fertilisers £27,000. An additional amount of £5OO is voted in connection with the Empire Forestry Conference. COAST GRANTS. Coast items on the supplementary estimates include the following: — Colligan’s Road (Buller) £lOO. Nile River Erosion (£1 for £2) £5O. Pascoe’s Road (Inangahua) £2OO. Winstanley Road (Inangahua) £l5O. Arnold River Bridge (on account) £lOO. Big River footbridge (£2 for £1) £l7O. Great South Road Extension (on account) £l5OO. Kumara Junction to Kapitea Road (£2 for £1) £6OO.

NO RENT RESTRICTIONS. The question as to whether the Government proposes to re-enact the Rent Restriction Legislation which was temporarily extended last session was asked in the House to-day by Mr Fraser, who said that there was a good deal of uneasiness about the matter, and that people were afraid of exorbitant rent charges, when the legislation expired at the end of the year. The Acting Minister (Mr Wright) said Cabinet had very carefully considered the matter and it had been decided not to re-enact the legislation, it was felt that if the Bill passed the House, it could not possibly pass the other Chamber, and that it was useless to take up time considering it. Whether the difficulties mentioned by Mr Fraser would actually

materialise or not was not quite clear. Ho had found that already. bjz various means, rents had been raised in quite a number of cases, when the premises had been vacated. He did not think there was going to be the serious position that Mr Fraser imagined. If there was the matter would have to be faced next session.