THE FINANCE BILL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18235, 31 October 1922, Page 8

THE FINANCE BILL.

ADDITIONAL CLAUSES.

ROTORUA VALUATIONS.

RENT RESTRICTIONS TILL JULY. [by. telegraph.—special reporter]

WELLINGTON. Monday. A clause additional to the Finance Bill introduced to-day reads as follows:-— (1) The lessee of any Crown lands to which the Rotorua Town Lands Act, 1920, is applicable shall have the dame right of objection to any valuation made by tho Valuer-General under section A of that AcE as ho would have in respect of a valuation made under tho Valuation of Land Act, 1908. (2) Where any such valuation has been made beforo tho passing of this Act tho right of objection hereby conferred may be exercised at any time before March 31, 1923. (3) For the purpose of computing the. price of any land proposed .to bo ac- i quired in fee simple by the lessee pursu- , ant to the said Rotorua Town Lands Act, 1920, the valuations as determined by tho Assessment Court shall supersede and , be deemed to be substituted for the valuation as ascertained by the ValuerAnother clause states that in addition ' to all moneys which the Minuter.for | Finance has' heretofore *«- automMd to borrow for the purpose's of the Hauraki Plains Act, 1908, the Minis or may for those purposes borrow such further , amount/ not exceeding £100,000 as he thinks fit,, and aU moneys so borrowed shall bo dealt with as provided m section 2 of tho Hauraki Plains Amendment Act, . 19 A" further extension of the duration of the law dealing with the restriction of rents is provided for in a clause which j m that Part L of the War Legislation Amendment Act, 1016, and the several amendments thereof, in so far as those enactments are now in force, shall continue in force until July 41, 1923. and shall then be deemed to be repealed. A clause makes provision for the distribution of siuplus profits of the accident insurance branch of the Government Life Insurance Department by means of rebate!, of premiums in lieu of bonuses. t In Committee, Mr. E. J. Howard protested acainst tho, method adopted of distributing the profits of the accident insurance fund. , .. The clauses were passed without further comment. . . v On the motion that tho amendments made in Committee be agreed to, Mr. M. J. Savage moved the recommittal of clause 29, validating the collection of certaan water rates by the Pukckohe Borough Council. _, , The amendment was lost by 56 votes i to 14. „ „ ! On the third reading, Mr. Fraser congratulated the Government on renewing the. rent restriction legislation until Julv 31 next, bv which time Parliament would be in session, when the whole question . could be reviewed. Ho regretted the re- j newal of the protection formerly given returned soldiers had not been favourably considered. The Hon. J. A. Hanan asked what the Government was doing to put the public sen-ice superannuation fuuas on a sound footing. The Hon. O. J. Parr replied that £ijO,ooo was voted on the Supplementary Estimates to strengthen tuo railway fund, and £25,000 h»d been voted to strengthen the teachers' superannuation fund. This would put thsm. oh a sound basis for this year. The Bill was passed. , •' ' ~~ ~~~~ THAMES HARBOUR^

QPPOSITrON TO BILL. HOUSE PASSES MEASURE.,. [BT TELEGRAPH. SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON, Monday. The Thames Harbour Bill was passed by the House this morning, but not before ! somo opposition had been voiced when the j Bill was in its second reading stage. Sir William Herries (Tauranga) said ! there was a good deal of feeling in his i ; district against being included in the har- j hour district. The same feeling existed \ j in tho portions of tho Rotorua and Waikato districts affected, and he th *ight there was a certain amount of dissaasion iji the Ohinemuri district. The ob- , jection was to certain portions of I the Upper Thames district being included in the harbonr district. He reminded members that in the "eighties," the Thames Board endeavoured to have its jurisdiction extended to the head of navigation up the Waihou River, and his district always protested. He claimed that the Thames could never be tha harbour for the districts in Upper Thames. All the produce of this country went to Auckland, and even if a harbour capable of accommodating 10,000-ton ships was constructed, which was not likely, their connection would still be with Auckland. They objected to being rated for a harbour which could never serve them. If ithe Harbour Board would undertake the I duties of a river bbard and kfiep the naviI gation of the Waihou River intact, it | would bo of son.- use. Even if the produce from Morrinsv'lle, Te Aroha, end I the surrounding districts went to Thames 1 it would still be transhipped to Auckland, so that their best means of communication was the Auckland railway line. He did not think that 10 per cent, of the people 1 of the Matamata county and town district I would vote for a loan to construct a harj bour at Thames. Most of the meat from j tho districts mentioned by him was sent ito either Hos-otiu or Auckland, and all ' the butter stores were at Auckland. There was no indication that if a harbour were mado at Thames, stores would be erected at that place. He hoped to be able to carry an amendment in Committee deferring the operation of the Bill until tho end oi; 1923, Mr. H. Poland (Ohinemuri) said he was in a dual position. He represented: some districts which were in favour of the Bill, but a large section round Morrinsville was strongly against it. He agreed that tho operation of the Bill should be delayed until the end of next year. The second reading waß carried, and when the Bill wds in Committee, Mr, J. A. Young (Waikato) moved that Matamata county ahd Matamata town district be struck from the clause providing for the levy. This was defeated on a division bv 47 votes to 8. "Sir William Henries then moved that the Bill come into operation, on January 1 1924. This was lost by 31 votes to 27 oia a division, and the Bill was put through its final stages and passed.

RIMUTAKA DEVIATION.

NEW ROUTE LOCATED.

SURVEY NOW IN PROGRESS. [BX TSjUKCIEAFH.—3PECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Monday. Tlie discovery of a new railway route across the Rimutakas, from Wellington, was oainounoed by the Minister for Public Works, Hon. J. G. Coates, in the House of Representatives to-day. " Another route." he said, " has been suggested, and it may prove a better route than any of the others. It has only just been discovered. I do not think it was ever thought of before. Tha survey party, after making m investigation of the Wainuioroata route have now discovered what they believe to bo by far the best, i cheapest, and most direct route of all."