More Nationalisation Sought By Labour Party

Northern Advocate, 26 May 1949, Page 7

More Nationalisation Sought By Labour Party

WELLINGTONj'Thu. (Sp.).~-Many.suggestions that the state ehouldimdeftake a greater policy of Rationalisation were referred to the Government for favourable consideration by the Labour r'arty Conference yesterday. ' ' V.V

The conference decided that the Government should give favourable- consideration to representations by organ* isations of farmers for the cooperative •expansion of freezing industries. This decision replaced a proposal that the Government should take over the freezing industry. A .remit that the Government should take .over all trading banks was referred to the Government for consideration.

were transferred.from the Wellington Town Hall to the Trades. Hall. DIVIDEND TAXES

The conference recommended that the Government should consider a proposal that.no income tax should be levied on companies, but that the net dividends of shareholders should.be taxed as normal income.

This was one of a large number of remits-dealing with taxation. Out of 14 remits before the conference, all but four received no. recommendation.

. On the proposal to take over the distributive side of the fishing industry, the conference decided that the Government should be recommended to give every facility to the cooperation of this industry. LIQUOR TRADE.

The conference had no recommendation to make on proposals that the Government should control the liquor trade.

The conference also considered a remit that the Government should nationalise all industries .essential to increased housing construction. The decision was that the Government should provide every encouragement for the direct participation of workers in housing construction contracts. The Government also was asked to facilitate uniformity in charges for electric power. A remit that the Government should control gas 'and insurance companies was referred to the national executive for a report to the next annual conference. No recommendation was made on a proposal to establish a state whisky distillery. BUYING OF SHARES. In a report on the acquisition by the state of the Westport Coal Company, Ltd., at a cost of £900,000, the Minister of Mines (Mr McLagan) revealed that among the investments which the Government had acquired by'the purchase were shares in the Union Steam Ship Company, Ltd, the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, Ltd, the Southland Frozen Meat Company, Ltd, and debentures in the City of .Hamilton and theTimaru Harbour Board.

Among those on which the .conference had no" recommendation to make were suggestions that the personal exemption should be increased, that all overtime earnings should be exempt from taxation, that the “pay-as-you-earn” system should be introduced, that all tax on superannuation should be abolished, and that all company profits in excess of 5 per cent should be subject to steeply-graduated taxatioriT UPPER HOUSE . Discussion on the future of the Legislative Council took place at the conference, Remits from six branches of the party were considered. A spokesman said that on the motion of the Prime Minister (Mr Fraser), seconded by. Mr A. L. Cloake (Wellington Coachmakers’ Union), the fallowing resolution was carried, with 10 dissentients: “That improvements in the constitution and functions of the Legislative Council should and could be effected with advantage and without in any way impinging on the powers of the House of Representatives. The conference requests the Parliamentary Labour Party to study all aspects of this question and to report to-next year's conference.” DOCTORS’ INCOMES The Government is considering an investigation into the services rendered and the incomes received by medical .practitioners. This was revealed during a consideration of remits before the conference.

.The. Minister -of .Health (Miss. Howard) said that a special 'committee had been considering this -question for seme time.

A recommendation from the Huntly branch that free ambulances should be a national organisation was referred to the Government for favourable consideration. The Minister of Finance (Mr Nash) said that the Government would not interfere where, as in many places, the work already was being done well. The conference did not end as expected last night. It continued today, when sittings

The third assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation will open in Montreal, Canada, on June 7. New Zealand will be represented by Air Commodore J. L. Finlay, air attache to the New Zealand Embassy in Washington, and Mr J. A. Malcolm, trade commissioner at Montreal,