PARLIAMENT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 17 September 1925, Page 10

PARLIAMENT.

noLoJi, Ox' .Uivi.'.rUta.iiAl A'fi\ HS. X A X AWo-iOD AOOU^AaiAOi'./ UiiLLIAuiUA, >Sep. iU. I j,e nouse or ivepiesentatives met at z.ou p.m. to-day. j.\cpi \ i n<j to J.VJLX* if. G. Sullivan (Avon),' who a sited, if tne .Minister tor a niam-e uoiiiu earinaiK a portion ol die last advances loan ior housing purposes in Ciuistcnurcn. city, tne non. vv. aos worthy said he would not give any assurance ot tnat kind. City councils nad tne right and power to raise their own money for nousing purposes, and as matters stood at present he would not piomise to devote any portion of a public loan to that purpose. Several amendments to the Pensions Bill were introduced by Governor's Message, in exx>lanation of the new clauses the Hon. G. J. Anderson stated that where subscriptions were raised in old age the pensioners’ money would be regarded as capital, and the income from it would be regarded as income when assessing the pension. In cases where pensioners were awarded compensation for the death of a partial supporter, the amount would be computed as capital up to £IOO, after which it would be regarded as income. If the recipient purchased a house with the money then it would 1 be exempted from the calculation, but if it were used as cash then it would be considered as capital. Mr F. N. Bartram (Grey Lynn): What about small legacies ? The Minister deprecated the introduction of all sorts of side issues.” Legacies would be looked upon as income.

Mr H. Poland (Ohinemuri): Is this all that the country can afford? The Minister: Well, it is all the country is going to get this session. In reply to a question the Minister declared that if they wanted to remove all the anomalies from our pensions system there was only one way to do it, and that was the introduction of a contributing pensions scheme. Moving the second reading of the Coal Mines Bill, the Hon. G. J. Anderson said great care had been exercised in drafting the Bill to preserve and strengthen the safeguards provided l for coal miners. It was largely a consolidating measure. Mr G. W. Forbes (Leader of the Opposition) said it seemed wrong that New Zealand, with extensive deposits of some of the finest coal in the world was yet a coal importing country. That was a position which merited closer attention.

Mr H. E. Holland (Leader of the Labour Party) hoped the Government would set its face definitely against coal importations, which last year approached 700,000 tons. Had this coal not been imported the home output would have been vastly increased, and the miners would have reaped the added advantage. He contended l that it would be possible by improved organisation of production and consumption to reduce the cost of New Zealand coal to the consumer. Pill was read a second time. The House rose at 1.10 a.m. till 2.30 p.m. to-morrow. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. WELLINGTON, Sep. 16. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. to-day. The debate was continued on Sir Francis Bell’s motion that the Council views with satisfaction the increase in areas set apart as permanent and provisional State forests. The debate was again adjourned. The Benayment of Public Debt Bill and the Electrical Wiremen’s Registration Bill were received from the House of Representatives' and rend a first time. The Chi hi Welfare Bill was also received and read a first time, and a second time pro forma, and referred to the Education Committee. The Council adjourned at. 4.52 until 2.30 to-morrow.