MINISTERS ANSWER QUESTIONS IN PARLIAMENT

Grey River Argus, 18 August 1949, Page 5

MINISTERS ANSWER QUESTIONS IN PARLIAMENT

P.A. WELLINGTON, August 17. Ministerial replies to questions were circulated and discussed in the House to-day. LICENSING POLLS j Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, answering Mr J. A. Roy (Nat., Clutha), said that in view .of an unusually high percentage of informal votes at the recent Ashburton, Geraldine, and King Country special licensing polls, the form of voting paper for the future local option polls in the nolicence districts was being carefully examined, as also was the question of adopting separate voting papers for the two issues of Local Restoration and Trust Control. SOUTH ISLAND HYDRO RESOURCES Rt.. Hon. W. Nash, answering Mr J. R. Hanan (Nat., Invercargill) ’ said that the Government would facilitate inquiries from any investors in the United States or in Britain about the use of hydro-electric resources in the South Island, and would consider sending experts to those countries on any occasion when such a visit appeared likely to produce beneficial results. DIFFICULTY IN GETTING HYDRO EQUIPMENT Hon. R. Semple, answering Mr W. A. Bodkin (Nat., Central Otago) who had inquired about negotiations overseas Ton hydro-electric construction contracts, said; “It is the normal practice to let overseas contracts for the principal items of plant and machinery for hydro-electric works, and specifications are now ready for certain equipment that will be ■ required in the next few years. However, the overseas currency problems have become accentuated recently. A decision as to what’tenders will be called for will be made after the Government has re-examined the position in the light of the present currency situation”. A CHALLENGE Mr W. S. Goosman (Nat., Piak£* said the Minister had evaded the issue. Some machinery for Maraetai had been in the country nearly four years. It would not be required for some time yet. The Government gave a considerable portion of that order to the United States. It claimed that th e British quotations for the plant were dearer. If we sold our produce to Britain, he argued, we must buy plant from her. The House wanted to know whether any dollars now urgently needed for other things were to be spent on plant for the big Roxburgh scheme. The Minister had evaded that issue. He said Maraetai would produce no power before 1952. He challenged any Government Member to donate £lOO to any charity if that statement were proved wrong. CHALLENGE TAKEN UP Dr Finlay (Govt., North Shore) said the terms of this challenge thrown out by the Member for Piako were vague, but he would accept it, in principle! His acceptance was, however, contingent on the present Government remaining in office. It was, obviously, a necessary stipulation, as one could not trust the future of this country to the bungling of the Opposition’ if it were to become the Government. In those circumstances, he would accept this challenge. GOVERNMENT GETTING MORE SUGAR

Hon. A. H. Nordmeyer, answering Mr J. T. Watts (Nat., St. Albans) said that ten thousand tons of sugar was being imported by the Colonial Sugar Refining Company from the United Kingdom at a landed price which could hot yet be precisely determined. It would be sold at the same price as the supplies from local production. Mr Watts, discussing the Ministers reply, said he wondered how the United Kingdom could supply New Zealand with ten thousand tons of sugar, when, from all accounts, sugar was in scarce supply in that country. He thought that the cause of inequitable distribution of sugar in New Zealand was the shipping situation. Sugar was very short in Christchurch and other centres in the South Island. He' 'asked the Minister to indicate what the position was concerning future supplies, and if distribution problems would be overcome. Mr Nordmeyer said that, the only refining works in New Zealand was at Auckland. It was capable of a certain output only. Until its reorganisation had been carried out, it was not likely that the full requirements of the country would be met. Mr' Nordmeyer said that the shipment of sugar from the United Kingdom would be refined sugar. It would be distributed before the jam making season. A large distribution would be made to the centres in the South Island. , . . . He added that the first shipment of five hundred tons of sugar would be landed at the Bluff. Smaller shipments would follow. Then, theie would be some large ones. iRON HEEL?

Mr A. S. Sutherland (Nat., Hauraki) discussed Hon. A. McLagan s reply to questions as to the waterfront. He said every section of the community was heartily sick of the Minister’s procrastination in dealing with waterfront troubles. He asked why . should watersiders not be brought under law, the same as other sections of the community. Figures he had quoted of produce awaiting shipment were substantially correct. The Minister was only quibbling when he questioned them. Discussing the dispute over the ship Tridale, Mr Sutherland said there was a strike director, a Mr Williams, roaming New Zealand. He should be shipped back to Canada where he belonged. MINISTER BOWLS OUT CRITIC Hon Mr McLagan was temporarily absent from the chamber during Mr Sutherland’s discussion on his reply. Mr McLagan, however, returned to the House and he disputed the accuracy of figures that were quoted by the Member for Hauraki of the amount of. produce held in storage while awaiting a turn round of ships. The Minister said that the latest figures obtainable were to July 31, and these had been provided for him by the Meat Board. The meat in storage at that date was 76,450 tons, and not the 110,000 tons that, the Member for Hauraki had claimed. There was not fourteen thousand tons of butter in store, as Mr Sutherland asserted, but only 6300 tons. There was only 4900 tons of cheese in store, not ten thousand tons as alleged by Mr Sutherland. The Minister said that there was no evidence that the increase in freight rates was due to a slow turn-round of ships. The real position was that the average turn-round of the overseas ships in 1948 was 44 decimal 62 days, and in 1949 it was 40 decimal 78 days. The Minister also discussed the action taken to settle the waterfront disputes. He said that it was advisable, at times, to wait, and not to be too precipitate.