Parliamentary Potpourri

Northern Advocate, 10 December 1937, Page 6

Parliamentary Potpourri

REPRESENTATIVES PASS FOUR BILLS.

The following four Bills, which were accorded urgency in the House of Representatives yesterday, were put through all stages and passed: The Petroleum Bill, the Gold Registration Amendment Bill, the Agricultural Workers’ Amendment Bill, and the State Advances Corporation Amendment Bill.

NOTHING AGAINST CHRISTIANITY Replying to a question by the Hon. C. J. Carrington (Auckland) who alleged in the Legislative Council recently that a commercial broadcasting station had been used to recommend a book inimical to Christianity, the Plon. Mark Fagan, Leader of the Council, said he had the script of the broadcast address referred to, and it contained nothing advocating action for the destruction of Christianity. As far as addresses by clergymen were concerned. provision was made for these at regular intervals, and they were arranged by inter-church committees in each centre.

PASSED BY COUNCIL.

The School of Agriculture Bill, the Agriculture Emergency Regulations Confirmation Bill, the Sovereign’s Birthday Observance Bill, the Local Legislation Bill, the Cawthron Institute Trust Board Rating Exemption Bill, the Thames Valley Drainage Board Empowering Bill, the Taupiri Drainage and River District Amendment Bill, the Napier Harbour Board Loan Amendment Bill, Hie Hamilton Borough Council Empowering Bill and the Christchurch Domains Amendment Bill were passed by the Legislative Council.

JAPAN AND N.Z. WOOL. The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (Opposition —Kaipara) asked the Prime Minister in the House of Representatives yesterday, if it were true that Japan was not operating on the New Zealand wool market because the Government could not give a guarantee that wool for Japan would be loaded at New Zealand ports. The Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, in, reply, said he had not been aware of the subject until Mr Coates had drawn his attention to the matter. The Government was not in a position to say that Japanese buyers were not operating on the market and he could not see any reason for wool for Japan not being loaded ai, New Zealand ports and Japanese woolbuyers not operating on that account.

To ask the Government to make regulations as to the future was asking altogether too much, but he saw no reason whatever for Japanese woolbuyers not operating in New Zealand for the reasons mentioned by Mr Coates.

LEAGUE CONVENTIOINS. The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, gave notice in the House of Representatives todg,y that when the session ..resumed 'after the recess he would move for the ratification of a large number of conventions passed by the League of Nations 'at Geneva, dating from 1919 onwards.

HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATION. Mr E. L. Gulley (Government — Hawke’s Bay), on behalf of the Speaker, the Hon. W. E. Barnard, asked an urgent question of the Minister of He'alth, whether it was proposed during the current session to amend the law affecting the conduct and administration of public hospitals in the light of additional knowledge gained by him and his officers during this and the previous year. The Minister, the Hon. P. Fraser, replied that: an amendment to the Hospital Act was not contemplated.