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New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22247, 23 October 1935, Page 15

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- RUSH OF WORK NINE BILLS PASSED TWO OTHERS INTRODUCED PUBLIC WORKS PROVISIONS fBT TELECB.VPn —SPECIAL REPORTER "| WELLINGTON, Tuesday With the end of the session now in sight the Hcfuse of Representatives was in notable working mood to-dnv when it resumed after the week-end recess. After a preliminary volley of urgent questions to Ministers and an unexpectedly lengthy consideration of report's of select committees the House passed on to a consideration of hills on the order paper and it was here that first-rate progress was made. None of the hills considered during the day was of any great importance and practically all were passed without amendment. The most important alteration concorned the Law Practitioners Amendment 8i11,., one clause of which, as originally drafted, proposed to prohibit any unqualified person, with certain exceptions. from performing any of the duties of a solicitor. These provisions x were made more elastic when the bill was reported back from the Statutes Revision Committee, but according to the Prime Minister, Mr. Forbes, the particular section was still a matter of controversy- As a result he intimated that he proposed the clause should be dropped altogether. Good Progress Made Nine bills wero passed during the day. They were the Coal Mines Amendment Bill, the L'rban Farm Land Rating Amendment Bill, the Immigration Restriction Amendment Bill, the Rent Restriction Bill, the Administration Amendment Bill, the Colonial Light Dues Bill, the Whaling Industry Bill, the Law Practitioners Amendment Bill and the Judicature Amendment Bill. , During the evening two measures, the Public Works Bill and the Laud Laws Amendment Bill, were introduced by Governor-General's Message, while several amendments were also brought forward, including amendments to the War Pensioils Amendment Bill and the War Veterans Allowances Bill, which had been promised by the Minister of Pensions, Hon. J. G. Cobbe. when these measures were first under consideration. Early Adjournment The most notable provisions in the Public Works Bill concern the development of aerodromes and provisions for * irrigation schemes, while the Land Lawn Amendment Bill restores the revaluation provisions of an amended Act, With the two new measures there are now only five Government bill:? on the order paper. Shortly after the supper adjournment the Prime Minister, following a caucus of Government members, announced that the date of the general election had been fixed for November 27. As the remaining bills on the order paper required amendment before they could bo committed, Mr. Forbes suggested that the House might adjourn. Accordingly the House rose at 10.20 p.m. . DELAY IN LIQUIDATION TRUST COMPANY'S ASSETS STATEMENT BY MR. FORBES [BY TELEGBAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER! WELLINGTON, Tuesday The reason for the prolonged delay in distributing the assets of the Investment Executive Trust of New Zealand, Limited, was sought by Mr. It. A. Wright (Independent—Wellington Suburbs) in an urgent question addressed to the Prime Minister, Mr. Forbes, in the House of Representatives to-day. Air. Wright said it was now 17 months since bondholders had had any return from the money invested and in , consequence they were suffering considerable hardships. Mr. Forbes; in reply, said that to ascertain the position of the various companies in the group had been a work of great magnitude. The Public Trustee was /now in a position to proceed with the liquidation, but as a ntitrJ)er of the debenture holders had approached the Supreme Court with a reorganisation scheme it was impossible to proceed with the realisation of thp assets until the proposed action had been dealt with by the Court. CONSERVING SLACK COAL POWERS FOR THE STATE POSSIBLE FUTURE USE [»V TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER "J WELLINGTON. Tuesday The Coal Mines Amendment Bill, designed to conserve coal slack for pos- , sibta future use by the State, was put through its remaining stages and passed in the House of Representatives to-day. The House gave its support to the Minister of Mines, the Hon. C. E. Macmillan, in his effort to avert coal wastage, but several members considered that the Government should have gone further in encouraging the hydrogenation of coal. Mr. P. C. Webb (Labour —Buller) said that 5,000.000 gallons of fuel oil were lost in New Zealand every year through the /waste of coal slack. Tho Post of extracting fuel oil was between eightpence and ninepence a gallon, but new New Zealand companies were forced to pay excise duty on the petrol Produced. In England the industry was Subsidised. Mr W A. Witch (Independent—"'anganui) considered that the coal dealt with by the bill should be treated ®t once and that a potential national should be converted into a real ®s>set. The necessary finance could be Pranged without difficulty. 'The Minister said the process of hydrogenation was in the course of dev < ! lopment and the Government did not y*sh to establish a plant only to find Ml.a few years that it would be a white wsphant. Coal for hydrogenation purPoses couhl lie handled only in a very wge way. Even in Australia it was considered too expensive for private •WCfpriso. .The bill was subsequently put through the Committee stage and passed withifwt amendment.

' J '" empowers the Minister of I , 8 t:o purchase or otherwise acquire . coa '< to store it, to manufacture or any other product and to w« slack or manufactured pro'^e Minister is also to be author' erect or acquire buildings, plant raUT rnac^'nei T and to provide means transport for the slack to be proif'ltt handled. All costs incurred will pti defrayed by appropriatipns by from the Consolidated