"QUESTION DAY"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22401, 23 April 1936, Page 13

"QUESTION DAY"

FIRST OF THE SESSION industrial legislation MINISTER'S HEAVY DUTIES [by TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER J WELLINGTON, Wednesday A comparatively quiet day was experienced in the Housa of Representatives to-day. The whole afternoon was spent in consideration of Ministerial replies to questions of which notice had been given by members since the start of tho session. It was the first "question day" of the new Parliament and two "supplementary order papers kept the House busily engaged until the dinner adjournment. Proceedings were enlivened in the evening by the opening of the second reading debate on the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill, which was reported back to tho House with amendments yesterday by the Labour Bills Committee. The novelty of broadcasting was extended to the evening's sitting and the length of speeches was curtailed in consequence, the first two speakers speaking for three-quarters of an hour each and the remaining three for half an hour. Extensions of time were offered as a matter of courtesy, but were notaccepted. The debate again revealed the exacting nature of the Parliamentary duties of the Minister of Labour, Hon. H. T. Armstrong. So many matters come within the''scope of his activities that lie appears to have an invariable first call on the attention of the House. His speech in movjng tho second reading of the bill, was hardly as vigorous as his reply to the debata on the Employment Promotion Bill last night, and he confined himself chiefly to generalities. Mr. Armstrong was followed by the Hon. (Opposition—Wallace), who was Minister of Labour in the National Government, and who is also a member of the committee which heard evidence from interested parties on the provisions of the bill. Mr. Hamilton's speech was in his best style of critical, analysis. Other speakers were Mr. R. McKeen (Government —Wellington South), Mr. W. J. Poison (Opposition—Stratford), and Mr. R. A. Wright (IndependentWellington Suburbs). The debate was interrupted by the adjournment and the House rose at 10.30 p.m.

RIPARIAN RIGHTS STATE ACTION POSSIBLE INVESTIGATION PROPOSED [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] "WELLINGTON, Wednesday Consideration is to be given by the Government .to the desirability of taking over all riparian rights of beaches, foreshores, lakesides and riverbanks, according to a statement made in the House of Representatives today by the Minister of Marine., Hon. P. Fraser', in reply to a question by Mr. W. J. Lyon (Government —Waitemata). "The Government views with grave concern the exercise in certain directions of riparian rights of some owners of land adjacent to lakes, rivers and beaches, whereby the public interest is detrimentally affected," the Minister said. "It proposes to take the whole question into consideration with the intention,' where practicable, of vesting in or bringing under the control of the State such rip'arian rights as will make it possible to make accessible to the people of the Dominion all places of scenic beauty and recreational value from which they are at present excluded. Of course, there will be necessary safeguards for the protection of forest and other areas which might m certain circumstances be endangered. " Before anything effective can be done throughout the Dominion, there will have to be an extensive survej' of the j>osition in respect to existing rights and the area affected by them. Provision is made in the Lands Act, 1924, for creating, where Crown land bounded by the sea or by rivers, streams or lakes, is subdivided, reserves not less than 66ft. in width along the margins of lakes exceeding 50 acres in area and along the banks of all rivers and streams of a width not less than 33ft., and, in the discretion of the Commissioner of Crown Lands, along the bank of any river or stream of less width than 33ft."

DAIRY MARKETING SALES IN ENGLAND NEGOTIATIONS PROCEEDING [by TELEGRAPH —SPICIAL reporter] WBLLINGTON, Wednesday The possibility of the sale in England of some of the Dominion's dairy exports through the Co-operative Wholesale Society was mentioned in the House of Representatives to-day by the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. W. Lee Martin, in reply to a question by Mr. W. P. Endean (Opposition —ParEndean had asked whether a:i y agreement had been made to sell to the society from 10,000 to 15,000 tons of New Zealand butter, and, if so, whether consideration had been given to the possible effect on the brlance of dairy exports. 'Negotiations are proceeding in London," the Minister said, "to determine the best method to be followed in connection with the marketing policy associated with guaranteed prices for the dairy industry. The negotiations have not vet been finalised. The Government has met representatives of the Co-opera-tive Wholesale Society and hojjes to extend sales to the society through the usual channels." THE "KELLY GANG" PERSONALITIES AVOIDED [by TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] v j WELLINGTON, Wednesday Personalities were neatly avoided by the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, in replying in the House of Representatives to-day to a question asked by Mr. H. S. S. Kyle (Opposition—liiccarton) regarding the identity of the ■ Kelly Gang." " It is not necessary to mention the names of persons referred to," tho Prime Minister said. " AH that need be done to protect the public interest ■will be carried out by the Government.",