ESTIMATES PASSED

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 September 1938, Page 7

ESTIMATES PASSED

PUBLIC WORKS MACHINERY MR. SEMPLE’S DENIAL [PEB PBESB ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, September 6. The House met to-day at 3 p.m., a delay in the commencement being occasioned. by the fact that Members (were detained at the Government luncheon to Sir Earle Page. The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. A. Hamilton, in the course of an urgent question, asked the Prime Minister if he would inform the House what use he proposed to make of broadcasting during the forthcoming general election, and what facilities for broadcasting he would make available for the Opposition on that occasion.

Mr Savage, in reply, said that the broadcasting arrangements would be made, but details had so far not been finalised. Mr C. H. Burnett gave notice to ask the Minister of Finance if his attention had been drawn to the circular issued by the Public Mutual Insurance Company of New Zealand, in which notice had been given to members of the company of .the Directors’ intention to make a levy on the members to meet unforeseen, unavoidable expenditure and claims in respect to the administration of the' Company. He asked if the Minister would have an inquiry made into the matter. The following five Bills were introduced by the Governor’s message: — Land and Income Tax (Annual) Bill, Slaughter of Stock and Inspection Of Meat Bill, Stallions’ Bill, Carter Observatory Bill, Native Housing Amendment Bill.

The House went, into committee of supply for the consideration of the estimates, when urgency was accorded six classes. Speaking as to the maintenance of public works and services vote of £668,972, Mr J. G. Cobb and Mr W. J. Polson stressed the need for improved backblocks roads. Hon. R. Semple, in reply, said that there would be the opportunity to discuss this matter on Friday. Mr J. Hargest alleged he had seen machinery in a deteriorating condition lying by roadsides, and not being worked. He asked why double shifts could not be worked with these machines. He also asked what proportion of machinery was American. Mr R. Semple denied that there was one machine out of use. He asked Mr Hargest where any machines were to be seen unused by the roadside. Mr Semple said that, whereas they were compelled, in the past, to buy certain types of machinery ' from America, they were now hoping to be able to get the machinery from England. As an instance, the Minister said that Newi Zealand was the first part of the British Commonwealth of Nations to import the British counterpart of one of the most versatile machines produced, and he invited Members of the House to see this machine in operation. Double shifts with machinery were-being used, and they hoped in future, with the aid of powerful searchlights, to have three-shift machinery.

AERODROMES. Mr Hargest asked Mr Semple if he had considered the advisability of constructing smaller aerodromes than the'two big fields under construction, as smaller scattered aerodromes would not be* so liable to damage in the event of a massed attack. . Mr Semple said that, up to a point small scattered aerodromes were an advantage, but it was absolutely necessary to have one or two large aerodromes in order to enable largest bombers to get away with a full load of bombs and with sufficient fuel for a flight of one thousand miles out and one thousand miles back. Mr Endean, speaking on Air Force aerodromes development, asked if the Government had a definite plan for this purpose?

Mr Semple: Most careful, methodical, and scientific investigations have been made into the question of providing aerodromes, and the Hon. Member can rest assured that the plans are there. The vote was passed, and the House was considering the vote of £312,913 for the Department of Lands and Survey when the House adjourned at 5.30. The House continued discussion on the vote of £312,913 for the Lands and Survey Department when it resumed at 7.30. Sir A. Ransom asked for information concerning the development of the pakihi lands on the West Coast of the South Island. The Minister of Mines, Hon. P. C. Webb, said that the present Government was carrying on the programme, of development which had been introduced by Sir A. Ransom when he had been Minister of Lands.- There were two thousand acres under development, and it was hoped that the experiments would be brought to a. successful conclusion. Probably this work would not have been done unless there had been some men who had been out of work.

Dealing with the Land for Settlement Account vote of £345,000, Mr W. J. Polson said that nothing at all had been spent last year on the purchase of land for settlement, but as a sort of death-bed repentance, the Minister was placing £149,300 on the Estimates for this purpose. However, he might do the same as he had done in the past, and place the sum on Estimates, but fail to spend the money. Speaking of the Government’s land development scheme, lie said that anj’ land that cost £l5O per acre to develop was not worth it. The Minister of Lands, Hon. F. Langstone, said that the trouble in the past had been that past Ministers of Land had sold the land that was suitable for settlement,, and the present Government was faced with the task of buying it back again. He had had returns made out of the suitable lands for settlement, but he would not pay fancy prices for them. The prices must be right, and the nearer the land was to the railways and to other facilities the better he would be pleased. The unemployed men whose labour was used for the development of lands' were creating a national asset. The Native Trustees Account, of £ 147,000, was also passed. BUTTER STOCKS. On the Dairy Industry Account of £61,794, Hon. A. Hamilton asked the

Minister of Marketing, Hon. W. Nash, what was the largest estimate of the dairy industry account. Mr Nash, replying, said it was £291,706 at December 1. Mr Hamilton: Stocks on hand will be valued at the guaranteed price? Mr Nash: The figure. £291,706 is the actual surplus of what has been sold. Replying to further questions' by Mr J. G. Coates, Mr Nash said the figure £291,706 was as close as they could get it, as it was impossible to estimate to the £1 the expenses in selling the produce. Mr Coates said that there apparently was fourteen thousand odd tons [ of butter yet to be-sold, and he asked how long did it take tO' dispose of but- , ter shipped from New Zealand at the end of August, that was,'until it actually was sold in the United Kingdom. Mr Nash said it depended on the stocks in London at the time that a , shipment reached London. He thought- 118/- per hundredweight ; would be about the average price j realised for the stocks still on the water. < The vote was passed. . < Questioned regarding a sum of , £5OOO for advertising in the Dairy £ Industry ■ Account vote of £53,323, j the Minister of Marketing, Mr Nash, j eulogised the radio advertising, stat- c ing' that the results of such advertis- £ ing of apples had brought in remark- j able results" g Mr Hamilton said that the Minister a had been vsry enthusiastic over the ]- expenditure of £5OOO for radio adver- jtis’ing for the marketing of apples. v The fact remained that there would be 0 a loss on the internal marketing of fruit of some £lOO,OOO. t Mr Nash said the advertising was r a-great, success. The loss arose from the fact that the Government t] gave a guarantee to the fruit grow- p ers. . The vote was passed.' v The Minister of Education,. Hon. P. a Fraser, in moving the adjournment, jj said that the House would resume consideration of the Social Security y Bill in committee to-morrow and on Ci Thursday, while on Friday the Pub- c ] lie Works Statement and the Esti- a mates would engage its attention. Vl The House rose at 10.30 p.m. i E

During the day, six classes of Estimates, to l a total value of £1,446,702, were passed. This completes the main Estimates for the session, with the exception of those for the Public Works Department.