PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19753, 28 September 1927, Page 13

PARLIAMENT.

I ■QUIET DAY IN HOUSE. THE RAILWAYS SYSTEM. REPORT OF THE MINISTER. LAND SETTLEMENT BILL. ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES. [BY TELEGRAPH.—SPECUL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON, Tuesday. A quiet day was spent in the House of Representatives to-day The sitting, howpver, extended unti) 12.15 a.m., when the House rose until 2.30 p.m. In the afternoon the Railway Statement was presented, members agreeing to take the debate on the affairs of the (lepartnent when the Estimates come up /or cot sideration. The annual report of the Pt olic Trust Office was also presented. In t ?j« evening the second reading of the l-a id for Settlements Amendment Bill was taken. It was made the occasion for Opposition attack on the Government's land policy. The bill was read a jecond time The Legislature Amendment Bill was passed The electoral boundaries recently gazetted will stand for the next |wo elections. The Imprest Supply Bill (No. 4) is expected to be introduced to-morrow. FORMER ENEMY PROPERTY. FEW CLAIMS OUTSTANDING. REPORT OF PUBLIC TRUSTEE. [riY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday. The work in regard to ex-enemy property has now reached the stage where only properties presenting some particular difficulty of administration or realisation remain undisposed of, says the annual report of the Public Trustee. The outitanding claims were few in number, and every effort was made to procure their speedy disposal, .but this object was often beyopd the power of the Public Trustee io attain, and he must in these cases await action by the parties interested in the claim. The statistics in regard to these claims ahow that out of claims totalling £316,918 notified to the New Zealand clearing office for sottlement, only a total amount of £7315 remains unsettled. This comprises claims totalling £B2O notified by New Zea- ' Jand residents against German subjects, ftud claims amounting to £6495 submitted by German subjects against New Zealand tesidents. The net amount credited to the German liquidation account to date is £245,405, find to the Austrian liquidation account £1563. The cash funds and property still held or controlled amount respectively to £13.390 and £23,387 (approximately). In ill these cases there are special circumttances or difficulties preventing the prompt disposal of the assets. In addition, there are some New Zealand Government securities on the register with the Bank of England, London, as to which full particulars have not yet been received, but which are understood to ftmount to a substantial total. To date payments totalling £150,000 have been 'made to the Treasury in re l fcpect of surplus funds arising from the liquidation of ex-enemy property in the Dominion. _ Further payments will be made from time to time as the progress tof this work permits.

TONGARIRO PARK. THZ POWERS OF CONTROL. PROVISIONS IN NEW BILL. [by telegraph.—special reporter.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday. Provisions contained in the Tongariro Rational Park Bill, introduced into the House to-day by Governor-General's message, strengthen the hands of the Park Board in controlling the use that may be toade of the park by the public. The board is given additional power to make by-laws excluding the public from any tpecified part of the park, prescribing the Conditions of access or exclusion, and fixing charges of admission for persons, horses and vehicles. Another clause amends slightly the constitution of the board. In the past the president of the Isew Zealand Institute i* as a member, but it is now proposed that {hat position will be filled by an appointment by the Board of Governors of the Institute Concerning alteration of boundaries, the bill provides that by proclamation Crown lands or reserves in the vicinity of the park may be included in it, and the Minister of Defence is given the right to use for military purposes any land originally •set apart.'"for defence training grounds. The final clause authorises the issue of certificates of title in respect of the park under the Land Transfer Act in the name bf the King in respect of any land comprised in the park The object of the last clause is to enable the Park Board to grant a lease 'of a section or sections in the park for use for such purposes as sites for hostels, should it be considered advisable to allow these to be provided by private enterprise. Similar powers ar-s vested in the Egmont National Park Board.

IMMIGRANTS ON MATAROA. SMALL NUMBER STATE-AIDED. MEN WITH WORK TO GO TO. [BT TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL EXPORTER-] WELLINGTON. Tuesday A question concerning immigration was answered in the House to-day by the Acting-Minister in charge of the House, Hon. G. J. Anderson. Mr. E. J. Howard (Christchurch South) drew' the attention of the Minister to the reported statement of the Prime Minister that immigration had ceased until December next, and to a message from Auckland stating that nearly 300 insmigrants had arrived there by the Mataroa and that a large proportion of the vouncer men had work to go to in the countrv. " I want to ask the Minister where ihH"t work is, and why our own unemploved have not been sent to it V asked" Mr. Howard. The Minister replied that the Prime Minister's statement that immigration restriction had been extended until December 31 next was correct. The total number of passengers for New Zealand on 1 the Mataroa was 297. included in which were 125 assisted immigrants, made up as follows: 70 women. 25 of whom were domestics, 30 children and 25 men. The balance of the so-called immigrants were full-fare passengers and the Government had no responsibility for them. Only 25 men were State-aided. They were nominated by their children, wives or parents s.nd had work to go to. As regards the full-fare passengers the department; had