PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17957, 6 December 1921, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

LOCAL BILLS PASSED. tariff under review. ! FURTHER PROGRESS MADE. HON. P. J. NERHENY'S DEATH. Ibt telegraph.—special reporter.] | WELLINGTON, Monday. A number of Local Bills were put j ""■oujjb their final stages with groat j iity by the House"of Kepresentatives ( t,..* afternoon. Among them were tho Tauranga Harbour Board • Empowering , Amendment Bill (Sir W. H. Hemes), the j Auckland City Loans Consolidation and , Empowering Bill (Hon. C. J. Parr), the Judea Land Drainage Board Empowering j Bill (Sir W. H. Herries), the Tolaga Bay ' Harbour Board Empowering Bill (Mr, K. I S. Williams), and th| Tauranga Borough ( Council Electric Loan Empowering Bill ( (Sir W. H. Herries). i Reports of Select Committees were then taken, aft&r which a motion of condolence i was passed in connection with tho death j of tho late Hon. P. J. Nerheny, the j House adjourning until the evening. On resuming, consideration of tbo tariff schedules was continued. Class VII. < : glass, china, earthenware, ek., was passed rapidly, but divisions were asked for on i several items, In Class VIII., fancy goods, etc,, a division without debate wag , taken on the item which included sporting 1 and athletic requisites. The remainder of the class, after a discussion about band instruments and an undertaking by the Minister to reconsider the point, passed without difficulty, and the consideration of paper and stationery was commenced. This was disposed of without, much trouble, progress was reported, and the House rose at 10.40 p.m. MAILS IN THE NORTH. AWANUI TO HOUHORA. A FORTNIGHTLY SERVICE. . [by telegraph.—special reporter.] WELLINGTON. Monday. The establishment of a fortnightly overland mail service between Awanui and Houhora was announced in the House of Representatives to-day by tho PostmasterGeneral. \ Mr. V. H. Reed (Bay of Islands) asked whether any action had boen taken in consequence of his representations on the point. The Hon. J. G, Coates said that in consequence of the irejresontations special inquiries Were made by the department. Prices were asked from those likely to undertake the work. The terms asked for the weekly service proved too high, but someone was found to undertake the fortA nightly service on an acceptable basis, and the service would be established accordingly.

LOANS WITHOUT POLL. CHRISTCHURCH TRAMWAYS. PROVISION IN NEW BILL. [BY TELEGBAPH, —SPECIAL MPORTEE.] WELLINGTON. Monday. A principle of some importance is embodied in the Christchurch Tramway District Amendment Bill, which was before the House of Representatives to-day. The Bill proposes that the Christchurch Tramway Board shall have power to borrow money for certain purposes without taking a poll of the ratepayers. The amount borrowed under this authority is not to exceed £20,000 in any one year, and there proviso thst'a poll must be taken if 1000 ratepayers sign a petition asking for it. \ The Local Bills Committee had struck out this clause on the ground that the ratepayers' control of all loan proposals ought to be protected. , Mr. L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North) who had charge of the Bill, asked the House to reinstate the clause. He said the tramway district was a very large one, containing something like 38,000 ratepayers, and the taking of a poll was a very expensive business. The board required to raise small Bums of money for eurfi purposes as the renewal of lines, and its difficulties were greatly increased if it had to take a poll on every occasion. Each poll cost more than £400. Mr. R. P. Hudson (Motueka) said the Local Bills Committee had felt that its duty was to strike out the clause, but the members of the committee were not strongly opposed to it. Sir John Luke (Wellington North) remarked' that he had long been convinced that if the local bodies were to conduct large enterprises successfully their finances must be made more elastic than they were at the present time, The House agreed to the reinsertion of the clause. The Bill was then read a third time and passed.