MINISTERIAL REPLIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 July 1945, Page 3

MINISTERIAL REPLIES

PAYMENT TO SEAMEN. WELLINGTON, July 18. Ministerial replies to questions asked on previous sitting days were discussed m the House of Representatives this afternoon. The Minister of Finance (Mr. Nash) in reply to .Mr,. Bowden (Opposition, Wellington West), who asked if the payment of £l2 a month to seamen on the New Zealand coast was consistent with the refusal to give extra pay to New Zealanders with the British Pacific Fleet, replied that conditions of pay in the Merchant Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy were not comparable. Different allowances and concessions were available to personnel of the Navy which were not received by men in the merchant navy. The pay of New Zealanders in the Navy was comparable with the pay in the Royal Navy, notwithstanding .the granting of a .'war service increment and Japanese campaign pay to Royal Naval personnel. MOSCOW LEGATION. Mr. Nash, in reply to Mr. Morton (Opposition, Waitemata), who asked for a report on the work and general activities of New Zealand’s Minister to Moscow, said he would be glad to arrange for an appropriate time for the House to be given an account of the activities of the New Zealand Minister in Moscow. Mr. Nash said the Minister made frequent reports to the Government on conditions in the U.S.S.R., and on matters relating to foreign affairs, and these reports were most informative and useful. SCHOOL TELEPHONES The Minister of Education (Mr. Mason), in reply to a question asked by Mr. McKeen (Government, Wellington South), Mr. Chapman (Government, -Wellington North), and Mr. McCombs (Government, Lyttelton-), said it was not practicable at present to install telephones in all primary schools because of the extreme shortage of equipment. RAILWAY WAGGONS. The Minister of Railways (Mr. Semple), in reply to Mr. Sutherland (Opposition, Hauraki), who asked what steps were being taken, to provide rolljng stock for the distribution of fertiliser, said that during the last two months the supply of railway waggons for fertiliser had more than equalled the demand. The Minister added that everything possible was being done to expedite the construction of new rolling stock. RAILWAY REFRESHMENTS Replying to Mr. Clyde Carr (Government, Timaru), who had suggested the introduction' of the queue system fin railway refreshment rooms, and the sale of meal tickets on trains, Mr. Semple said that the whole matter had been investigated, and the Railways Department had decided that the solution of the present difficulties was the remodelling of the refreshment, rooms. This remodelling would be done as soon as practicable. The Minister said the sale of tickets on trains, apart from making work the train staff could not cope with, was unlikely to be satisfactory as there could be no guarantee that food paid fox- on the train would be available at refreshment rooms.

FIRST FURLOUGH DRAFT. The Minister of Defence (Mr. Jones), in reply to Mr. Aderman (Opposition, New Plymouth), said tnat those members of the first furlough draft who refused to return to their units on the expiry of their furlough, and who were dismissed from the defence forces, were originally deprived of deferred pay and mufti allowance, and*were debarred from participation in any rehabilitation benefits and from employment, or re-employment, in the service of the State. Deferred pay and mufti allowance, the benefits of rehabilitation, and other rights to them, would be considered by the Government. CENSORSHIP. The Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser), in reply to Mr. Gerard (Opposition, MidCanterbury). said that in harmony with the United States Press code, the New Zealand Government had decided not to dispense with censorship .so far as it related to Press cablegrams and mailed dispatches intended for publication overseas during the period of the Japanese war. WAR RISK BONUS. The Prime Minister, in reply to Mr. Mackley (Opposition, Masterton), said that the war risk bonus of £l2 a month payable to seamen in New Zealand registered ships applied not only to the New Zealand coast, but also to the Pacific area, and while the risk of attack by the enemy had been appreciably reduced, it had been by no means eliminated. Therefore the subsidy from the War Expenses Account was not being discontinued, but appropriate steps would be taken .when circumstances justified such action. D.D.T. IMPORTS. The Minister of Customs (Mr. Nash), replying to Mr. Watts (Opposition, Riccarton), said that no firm in New Zealand had been granted a license giving it the sole rights of importing D.D.T., and applications for licenses would receive consideration. TYRE PRICES. The Minister of Supply (Mr. Sullivan), replying to Mr. W. Sullivan (Opposition, Bay of Plenty) said that negotiations between the Price Tribunal and tyre importers were proceeding with a view to securing an amended price list for tyres. The matter was being expedited, and he hoped to be able to make an early statement. PAPER PATTERNS In reply to Mrs. Ross (Opposition, Hamilton) the Minister of Customs (Mr. Nash) said the import of paper patterns to the extent of approximately half the value of imports in 1938 was permitted. The quantity produced in New’Zealand had increased substantially, and imports and local production combined now considerably .exceeded the quantity available from both sources in 1938. DEFERRED PAY The Minister of Defence (Mr. Jones) said in answer to Mr. Harker (Opposition, Waipawa) that the authority for the payment of one shilling deferred-pay for overseas service provided specifically that no payment would be made for any period in New Zealand. Personnel who took their furlough in the United Kingdom and South Africa were treated in the same way as those who spent their furlough in New Zealand. WOOL SCOURING The Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Roberts) told Mr. Williams (Government, Kaiapoi) that the possibility of us ; ng freezing works for scouring wool in the off season to provide seasonal workers with greater continuity of employment had been explored, but it was auite impossible. Works in general were not equipped with plant, and there were 27 wool scouring works, which were more than adequate to meet the requirements of the industry.