TO-DAY’S SITTING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 9 October 1936, Page 5

TO-DAY’S SITTING

URGENCY FOR SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES HON. W. NASH'S DEPARTURE (■By Telegraph—Press Association) WELLINGTON, This Day. The House of Representatives met at 10.30 o’clock this morning. Urgency was accorded the passing of the Supplementary Estimates to enable them to be passe*d before the Hon. W. Nash leaves for England. The House went in Committee of Supply to consider the Estimates. Speaking on the vote for the Land and Income Tax Department, the Hon. A. Hamilton (Nationalist, Wallace) suggested that members of Parliament should be allowed to deduct election expenses for income tax purposes. Mr R. A. Wright (Independent, Wellington Suburbs) speaking on the Internal Affairs Department Vote referred to £IOOO to Sir James Parr for relinquishing the Hig Commissionership. He thought the High Commissioner’s Office was a sink for public money. The Hon. W. Nash said that Mr Jordan arrived in London to attend the League Assembley at Geneva and Sir James Parr offered to relinquish office from Ist September. There was no question of compensation, but the Government thought Sir James Parr was entitled to his salary till the end of the year, when he would normally have retired. TRAVEL BY AIR Mr W. A. Bodkin (Nationalist, Central Otago) urged the-Government to' extend to Members of Parliament, the privilege of being able to travel by air. He said it would be a great advantage to those living' in parts far distant from Wellington, as they had to spend so much time travelling. Mr S. G. Smith (Nationalist, New Plymouth) asked that when Lovelock came to New Zealand his tour should not be confined to the main centres, but that the country towns should be included in the itinerary. Referring to the Labour Department Vote, the Hon. 11. T. Armstrong said he had thought it would be necessary to esctablish another Arbitration Court to cope with the accumulation of work, but he now considered that when the Court made up the leeway, it would not have the work to do it had had in the past. BASIC WAGE With the settling of shorter hours and the fixation of the basi ewage, Mr Armstrong said he thought the number of cases referred to the Court in thP future would be less. He took it that when the b?£i£. wage was fixed, it would be weekly, but that did not mean all casual workers must be paid, for the full week, whether they worked it or not. That was the principle in Australia and he expected it would be the same in New Zealand. Coming to the Electoral Department Vote, Mr H. S. S. Kyle (Nationalist, Riccarton) 1 sought information about the readjustment of electoral boundaries He urged that the number of seats .in the South Island should not be .reduced. He did not want the South Island to be dominated by the North Island. , , The Hon. A. .Hamilton suggested that the matter should be decided as early as possible, and the Prime M'nister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. ’ Savage, said that as soon as the matter could e straightened out, it would be done.

TRANSPORT-LEGISLATION Mr A. F. Moncur (Government Rotorua), speaking to the Transport Department Vote, asked what effect the recent transport legislation had had on road fatalities. The. Hon. R. Semple, Transport Minister, said that dliring.. the six weeks prior to the past six wee s, road ■. fatalities numbered 63.) Then matters were tightened up.. The staffs of inspectors had been increased _and during the last six weeks, only four people were killed on the. Dominion highways. The result was very encouraging.