PARLIAMENT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 306, 24 November 1945, Page 3

PARLIAMENT

DISPOSAL OF WOOL. LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL. (Press Assn.) WELLINGTON, Nov. 23 I Two Bills were passed and four new ones were introduced in the House of i Representatives this afternoon. • The Wool Disposal Bill gives legis- | lative approval to the agreement bei tween the Governments of the United : Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, and , New Zealand in relation to the disi posal of .wool. I Details of the agreement were con- ! tained in the report of the London ; Wool Conference, tabled in the House i earlier in the session.

The Bill establishes a AVool Disposal Commission of seven members and one associate member, as follows :—Four ; representatives of the New Zealand j Government, one of whom shall he I chairman, three representatives of the AVool Board, being elected members of the board, and one associate member, | who is to he nominated by the New Zealand AA 7 oolhrokers’ Association. The functions of the commission are to act as the subsidiary in New Zealand of the wool joint organisation formed in London and comprising representatives of the four Governments. In so acting, the subsidiary will carry out all the duties necessary in the implementation of the wool disposal plan which is given as a schedule to the Bill. The AVool Industry Account, established under the Marketing Act, is to, be abolished and any moneys in it will be transferred to a new accountj a A\ T ool Disposal Account, to be established at the Reserve Bank. Provision is made for a contributory charge on all wool produced in New Zealand, the rate of which will be prescribed from time to time by regulations. The commission may arrange with the consent of the Minister that any of its functions, may be performed by the Export Division of the Marketing Department. The commission is not to borrow or mortgage any of its property without the consent of the Minister of Finance. It shall he exempt from all taxation, and an annual report is to be presented to Parliament. If the moneys for the time being in the AA 7 00 l Disposal Account are insufficient to enable . the commission to exercise its functions, the Minister of Finance may advance to it from the Public Account such sums as may in his opinion be necessary. Advances may also be made from the National Development Loans Account.

The legislation is to be brought into force on a date fixed by proclamation. DIPLOMATIC PRIVILEGES.

The Diplomatic Privileges Extension Bill confers diplomatic privileges and immunities in respect to the archives and documents of international organisations in New Zealand.

The Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) said the Bill gave effect to Article 105 of the United Nations or international organisations such as Unrra, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, and the World Educational Organisation, if they set up offices in New Zealand. It placed them in the same position as consuls. Similar legislation had been passed in Britain and other nations would be doing the same. The question of immunities from rates and taxation was a matter for the Minister of Finance.

Other Bills introduced during the afternoon were the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Bill and the Local Legislation Bill. All four were read the first time.

Bills passed during the afternoon were the Bush AVorkers Bill and the New Zealand Council for. Educational Research Bill.

The Minister of Lands (Mr Skinner), speaking to the second reading of' the Valuation of Land Amendment Bill, said it corrected a rating anomaly whereby land used in connection with State housing milst legally have its unimproved value assessed on a lower value than privately-owned land. This concession applied not only to State rental houses, but also to private individuals when land was subdivided, improved, and sold. There were adjacent sections in various parts of New Zealand where the rates were different, though the values were the same, and this position had led to much dispute. The Act ironed out that anomaly. The most important of the Bill’s amendments was a change in the Assessment Court in an effort to achieve more uniformity in the establishment of rating values. The debate was interrupted at 5.30 when the House rose until 2.30 on Tuesday.