PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19719, 19 August 1927, Page 13

PARLIAMENT.

BUDGET DEBATE ENDS. EIGHT DAYS' TALKING. TOTAL OF 51 SPEAKERS. MINISTERS ANSWER CRITICS / _ UK VIEW OF ESTIMATES. [BT TELEGRATH.—SPECIAL REPORTER. ] WELLINGTON, Thursday The debate on the Financial Statement was concluded in the House of Representatives to-night, after having lasted for eight sitting days,, including the day on which "-e'Minister of Finance, Hon. W. Downib Stewart, presented the Budget. Fifty-one members participated in the debate, which ended at 9.35 p.m., when the' House adjourned until 2.50 p.m. 10-nTSr-row. The Prime Minister, Mr. Coates, who spoke this afternoon and this evening, quoted many pages of statistics to show that Great Britain was recovering her position as the leading manufacturing country in the world. The Minister of Finance also replied to criticisms of the Budget. The House went into Committee of Supply and will discuss the estimates tomurrow. SUMMER TIME BILL. DELAY TO THE MEASURE. MAY NOT BE TAKEN THIS SESSION. [BY, TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON, Thursday. The length of the Budget debate has affected the chances of many private members' bills coming before the House. When information was sought concerning the facilities which the Government would give to bring them forward the Prime Minister, Mr. Coates, was non-cotumit-tal. Special reference was made by the Leader of the National Party, Mr. G. W. Forbes, to the Summer Time Bill, but Mr. Coates said he was afraid this bill would have to take its chances with the Others. What action the Government would take he could not say, but he would advise the member concerned when a decision was reached. There were difficulties to be overcome before a bill could be taken from the bottom of the list and brought before the House. One of the difficulties hinted at by Mr. Coates has reference to the unanimitv required before a bill can be taken out of its turn. It is now possible that if the opponents of the Summer Time Bill like" to take advantage of the opportunity thus afforded them of blocking it, the bill may not come forward again this gession. GISBORNE RAILWAY. PLEA FOR ITS COMPLETION. EXPENDITURE IN CITIES. [BY TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Thursday. "The Auckland and Wellington railway stations and the electrification of the' Lvttelton tunnel are luxuries so long as the Gisborne railway line is uncompleted," said Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne), in the House to-day. Mr. A. Harris (Waitemata): The Auckland station is badly wanted. Mr. Lysnar: How long do you stay on the station ? No time at all. You get nut of it as quick as you can. I have never heard of a ton of goods being kep out of Auckland or Wellington because of their stations, but we have lost goods in Gisborne. . , Mr. Lysnar drew a pathetic picture ot a lonely midnight motor ride, so that he could get home from the railhead, while the people of the cities were being given luxuries. "These city works shoula not be proceeded with until the Gisboine railway which will be profitable, is completed," he added. "The city works vtfl not result in one single additional passenger being carried. There is also that Wairarapa line. I do not know what is happening to that. Perhaps it is incubating, and the longer it remains there the better." RADIO BROADCASTING. LOAN TO THE COMPANY. SECURITY OF GOVERNMENT. [BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Thursday. The position with regard to the loan of £ls 000, made bv the Government to the New Zealand Broadcasting Company, was explained in the House to-day by the Prime Minister, Mr. Coates. Labour members have made several attacks on the Government in connection with the agreement, and it was stated the charges registered against the company were firstly a mortgage of £SOOO to the Bank of New Zealand, and secondly a debenture of £15,000 to the Crown. This would make it appear that the Crown's security was Subject to the bank's first mortgage. The Prime Minister explained that by an instrument dated July last, the bank released its charge over the Wellington *s.sctri of the Broadcasting Company for the purpose of giving priority to the debentures issued in favOTii, of the Crown. The Crown, therefore, had a first charge on all plant, apparatus ai d assets m connection with the Wellington station other than land, and a. charge on the land subject to the mortgage of £oooo in favour of ilie bank. The assets were valued at approximately £27,000, and the Crown s interest was therefore fully protected. The Government had got, the station cheaper than if it had been responsible for the whole station. Mr. Coates said no one could forecast what would happen in these days in connection with wireless. It was possible that in a few years the whole system might be turned upside down. It was deenie Advisable; however, to have a high-power station erected in Wellington, a station that could be heard in daylight throughout New Zealand and the Pacific. The value of such a station would be great, especially in case of emergency. MAKING LAND BETTER. VALUE OF FERTILISERS. [BY TELEGRAPH.— SPECIAL REPORTER..] WELLINGTON. Thuredav The application of fertilisers as a means Of overcoming land deterioration was advocated bv the Prime Minister Mr. Coates. in his speech m the House to-day. Mr. Coates expressed the opinion that the financial institutions could render no creater service to the farmer and show the sincerity of their desire to help him than bv actually subsidising the primary producer to procure fertilisers m the same manner as the Government had, particularly in the case'of the men in a small vrav. The successful application of the fertiliser spett the quickest way to o\ei•omitig deterioration.