Parliament

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIV, Issue 234, 10 September 1924, Page 5

Parliament

Legislative Council riTTFCh MINUTE'S' WORK. TEN MEASURES DEALT WITH. (Per Press Association.) Wellington, Sept. 9. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. The Births and Deaths Registi>tion Bill was read the second time pao forma and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee. The Sale of Food and Drugs Amendment Bill was read the second time. The Auckland City, and Auckland Museum Empowering Bill, the New Plymouth Borough and New Plymouth Harbour Board Empowering Bill, the Wanganui City Council Special Rate Empowering and Enabling Bill, the Wanganui-Rangitikei Electric Board Enabling Bill, and the Petone Borough Streets Bill were introduced from tne House read the first time, and referred to tho Local Bills Committee. The Engineers’ Registration Bill, the War Funds Amendment Bill and the Medical Practioners’ Amendment Bill were also introuced and read the first time. The Council adjourned at 2.45 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. to-morrow. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. GETTING DOWN TO WORK. The House met at 2.30 p.m. On the motion of the Premier, the House agreed that on and after Monday, September 22nd, the House would meet on Monday evenings for the transaction of Government business. The Premier said this did not mean that the session was coming to an end. He would make a statement on the business which the House would be asked to pass. He had no wish to drive the House, but they must all recognise that tho serious business of the session had yet to be tackled and the work must bo done. There were quite a lot of bills yet to be brought down which were not on the order paper, but there was no reason why the session should not close at the proper time and in a reasonable way.

TAXATION PROPOSALS. Replying to Mr. H. E. Holland, the Premier said he could not possibly put all the taxation proposals in one bill. If on the second reading of the annual bill members would advise him as to what information they wanted he would endeavour to have it ready, for them at the committee stage. With regard to the second bill t his idea was to pass its second reading and then refer it to the Public Accounts Committee. RAILWAY INQUIRY REPORT. Replying to Mr. S. G. Smith (Taranaki), the Hon. J. G. Coates said he could not say when the report of the Railway Inquiry Board would be available to members. It was at present being considered by members of the A.S.R.S., who were a party to the dispute. When the report was printed it would be considered by the Cabinet, which would say what was to be done with it. Printed copies would be posted to every newspaper, so that its full text could be published, and it would not suffer by condensation, as might happen if it was transmitted from Wellington. MORTGAGES FINAL EXTENSION. Mr. Nash, on behalf of the Public Accounts Committee, brought down the report on the Mortgages Final Extension Bill.

Mr. Rolleston (Timaru), explaining the amendments made by the committee, said the date of closing the moratorium had been extended from December 31st next to March 31st, 1925. All applications for benefit under the Act must be lodged by that date, and the court was given to July 31st to hear a motion, so that the moratorium was virtually, extended to July 31st. By that time Parliament would have met again, and if there was any great measure of hardship beings inflicted by the closing of the moratorium the matter could be considered by the House. At present there were no statistics which would assist them in arriving at any conclusion as to what amount of money was affected by tfie moratorium, but when the House assembled next year this information would be avail able, if the amendments made by the committee were agreed to. Mr. McCombs pointed out that the committee had made another important amendment, that no party to any action in the Supreme Court should be ordered to pay the costs of any other party. Mr. Young thought it would be better if some arrangement could be made by which mortgages could be made to fall due on some sort of sliding scale instead of all on one day. Mr. G. W. Forbes thought the amendments made by the committee would greatly ease tne position compared- with that set down in the bill as introduced.

Mr. Massey agreed with this view, March being a more suitable date than December. He did not agree with the proposal to postpone the ending of the moratorium until July, but in that he was in a minority. The continuance of the moratorium was doing injury to settlers who required to borrow capital. People who were in a position to lend capital did not like what had taken place, as it looked like a breach of contract. He would like to dispel that idea, especially when arrangements had been made to provide £400,000 per month extra money for advances to settlers, which began on the first of this month. Continuing. Mr. Massey said it had been impossible to find more than a few persons who were affected by the moratorium, but he feared if the matter ran into another session it would drag on indefinitely. If two or three hundred people came demanding a further extension he could make a shrewd guess what Parliament would do. Mr. W. E. Parry. (Auckland East) said he was pleased to find proposals submitted by the Labour party had been taken up bv the Premier. Mr. Massey: What is that you say? (Laughter.) Mr. Parry: In respect to the £400,000 it is a consoling factor that as a result of the Labour party’s suggestion small farmers will derive benefit. (Reform laughter.) Mr. Massey: Not a single word of it came from the Labour party. Mr. Parry: The amendments made in the bill have relieved the Government from an awkward position, for it was unable to put forward an intelligent suggestion.

Mr. Massey: We will not come to you for an intelligent suggestion. Mr. H. E. Holland approved of the amendments made by the committee, as, they would enable the House to obtain information regarding Hie amount of money involved under the moratorium. In the absence of this information the House had been working in the dark, and consequently it had been very difficult to deal with the problem. When, however, the moratorium was disposed of there still remained the larger question of the mortgage system in the Dominion to be dealt with. The report was then adopted.