PARLIAMENT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21359, 7 December 1932, Page 13

PARLIAMENT

- THREE bills passed

/ MUNICIPAL affairs CONSIDERATION DEFERRED j poUII NEW MEASURES | jiUSII IN LAST FEW DAYS | * [ TBY telegraph—SPECTAT. TiF.rOTtTET? ] L> -WELLINGTON, Tuesday | . irn (he House resumed after the supI ' cr adjournment this evening there seemed S verv prospect />T the sitting extending into | ' cav iy hours of to-morrow morning, | , t a sU flden change in the situation re1/ sultccl in the House rising barely half-an-i hour later. 'The chief bone 'of contention to-day was whether the Municipal Corporations Bill 1 should be finally disposed of before Par- [ - ]iam cnt. adjourns on Thursday. Owing to [ misunderstanding, the Prime Minister, the Hon. G. W. Forbes, intimated | tl>e bill would either have to be | passed now or dropped, but after a pro- [ tracteJ discussion on the bill in Committee it wns stnte<:i b >' tlls Hon - ITainil ' ton, who had charge of the bill, that furi " 4 | ier consideration would be deferred, in f idw o f. the widely-formed impression that a n undertaking to that effect had been

givenThe result was that the House found itself with very little other contentious business, so the adjournment was taken at 10.30- / Third readings were accorded the Fire -privities Amendment Bill, the Native Lands Amendment Bill, and the Cook Islands Amendment Bill, so that the House had a good result to show for the dav's work. However, members will require to work .'even harder during the [ / n ext two days if (lie programme outlined j,y Jlr. Forbes is to be completed by Thursday night. Four bills were introduced to-day, ' namely, the Xew Zealand Loans Bill, the • Waitangi National Trust Board Bill, the | Property Law Amendment- Bill and the j Reformatory Institutions Amendment Bill. Jlr. Forbes intimated that these measures j would be dealt with to-morrow—an indication that the legislative rush usually asso- ; ciafced with" the, ciwl of a session will develop on this occasion, although the session is merely being adjourned, and not ended. ! In addition, Mr. Forbes said the Government proposed to introduce the Finance Bill and bring 41 own the Supplementary Estimates to-morrow. The plan is to meet j on Thursday morning, which will be the final day before the vacation, in order to deal with local bills. The afternoon and evening, if necessary, will be devoted to the consideration of the remaining business to be disposed of before the adjournment.

CITY BLOCK LEASES /. DATES OF, EXPIRY GIVEN NO RIGHT OF RENEWAL [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Tuesday Information' as to the date of the expiry oT the lease of the educational reserve block, bounded by Victoria, Queen and Darby Streets, ; Auckland, was sought in an urgent question put to the Prime Minister, Mr. Forbes, by Mr. W. E. Parry (Labour —Auckland Central) in the House to-day. Mr. Parry also asked if the land and buildings would become the property of the Crown without compensation, according to the terms of the lease.

"It is assumecl tliat the reference is to the education reserve, known as the old Supreme Court site, Queen Street, .Auckland," replied Mr. Forbes. "This property is administered by the Public Trustee under Auckland Education Reserves Act, 1912. All the leases, with one exception, expire in 1941, the exception being that held by M'acky, Logan, Caldwell, Ltd., which expires in 1975. There is no right of renewal and no provision for compensation for improvements in any of these'* leases." REFORMATORY HOMES MAINTENANCE OF INMATES POWERS TO RECOVER FEES [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Tuesday Additional powers for the recovery of fees for the maintenance of inmates in inebriates' homes and reformatory institutions are conferred by the Reformatory Institutions Amendment Bill, introduced in the House of Representatives to-day. On a complaint being made that an inmate, or his relatives, haye failed or intend to fail to make adequate provision for the cost of maintenance, a justice of the peace may issue a summons to the inmate or his relatives requiring cause to be shown why an order for the cost of maintenance should not be made.

Upon a complaint being heard before a magistrate, the latter may make an order against the defendant requiring him to pity toward the cost of future maintenance a reasonable sum not exceeding 22s 6d weekly. The magistrate may also order a sum not exceeding £SO to be paid on account of past maintenance. An order may be made whether the inmate or relative is resident in New Zealand or elsewhere. It was explained by the Minister of Justice, the Hon. J. G. Cobbe, that the Government at present paid £1 a week for .each inmate to the Salvation Army toward the cost of maintaining inmates of inebriates' homes. This involved a payment of £I7OO last year. Some inmates Were in a position to pay for, their maintenance, but there was no effective power to compel them to do so. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TWO MEASURES PASSED URBAN FARM LANDS BILL [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLING TON, Tuesday JP moving the second reading of the Li ban Farm Lands * Rating Bill in tho Legislative Council to-day, the Leader, Sir James Parr, said the question ot rates paid by sniali farmers within boroughs had been the , subject of a commission, ;nid the proposals in the bill were on the lines of the recommendations ot* the commission. It bad the approval of the Municipal Association. The Hon. I). Buddo (Canterbury) said the bill did not go any further than previous legislation, and. did not deal adequately With the claims of small urban farmers for relief from rates. ihe bill was read a second time, put through the remaining stages without discussion, and passed. Tho Municipal Association Bill was passed through all stages in a few minutes.