SPICE OF VARIETY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22539, 2 October 1936, Page 13

SPICE OF VARIETY

WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS INDUSTRY BILL DEBATE MINISTER'S MARATHON SPEECH NO SITTING CF HOUSE TO-DAY (BY TELEGRAPH SPECIAL REPORTER] N DLLINGTON, Thursday A liberal spice of variety was administered to tlie business in the House of Representatives to-day. Such varied subjects as liquor licences for tourist resorts, State control of main highways and Government regulation of industry were under discussion, and the sitting was also notable for an oratorical marathon 011 the part of the Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. 1). G. Sullivan. The discussion m the licensing question arose from committee reports 011 petitions request ng the granting of liquor licences at South Island tourist resorts and also at Matamata. Several speakers impressed on the Government the necessity of making provision in this d rection in order to provide for tourists the facilities to which they are iccustomcd overseas. Two new bills w >re introduced during the day,/these being the Main High" •ways Amendment Bill, giving effect to the proposals of Hie Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, for the establishment of a State highways system, and the Railways •Authorisation Bill, giving legislative authority for the completion of the Fordell-Okoia deviation, 011 the Well-ington-New Plymouth railway. Both bills were read a lirst time. The main busin ;ss of the day was the opening of tho second reading debate on the Industrial Efficiency Bill, for which the Prime Minister, Air. Savage, sought urgency to enable the House to sit past 10.30 p.m. In opening the debate Sir, Sullivan spoke for two hours ard 20 minutes and when he resumed his seat there was a burst of applause from the Opposition. It was open to doubt whether the applause was dictated by admiration for a; long-distance effort or by sheer relief at its completion. The case for th» Opposition was opened by Mr. S. 'jr. Holland (Christchurch Korth), wh) criticised the bill on the grounds that it provided for absolute bureaucratic control of industrv. "Altogether six speakers took part in the debate, and when the House rose a few minutes before midnight the Prime Minister moved the adjournment until next Tuesday. He explained that the State luncheon to the Empire Chambers of Commerce delegates would interrupt to a considerable extent the usual Friday sitting:, and that it was felt it would be be;ter if to-morrow's sitting was cancelled.

"A NEW DESPOTISM"

POWERS TAKEN UNDER BILL MR. ..POLSON'S CRITICISM | BY TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL REPORTER] ' WELLINGTON, Thursday The powers contained in the Industrial Efficiency Bill for the making of Orders-in-Council for the enforcement of any industrial plan were strongly criticised by Mr. W. J. Poison (Opposition—Stratford) during the debate on the bill in the House of Representatires to-night. These powers, he said, assumed the full functions of Parliament and in his opinion that was the most objectionable feature of tho bill. Mr. Poison said he realised it was impossible to do without Orders-in-Council in modern government. When in Opposition. mpmbers of the present Government had been very critical of administration through the issue of Orders-in-Council. The powers of making regulations in the bill constituted a new despotism which went to far greater lengths than anyone ever dreamed possible in a democratic country. Every bill brought down by the present Government concentrated power in the Minister. -Levies could be declared and collected from any industry without the approval or knowledge of Parliament. That simply amounted to extra taxation.

Secondary industry had never barpained for legislation of the nature contained in the bill. Licensing might bo all right for those in industry, but it might very well mean monopoly. "No country outside Russia or Germany has taken or attempted to take such powers as those in the bill," added Mr. Poison. "This legislation can strike a great blow at private enterprise and industry generally and it will be administered by a Government that is running in the direction of complete socialisation. It means the establishment of a new tyranny and is a violation of every principle that the Labour Party has stood for. "The bill will creite a considerable amount of chaos if an attempt is made to put it into operation. The elimination of free competition is not goinc to help industry. Tt is nore likely to have a paralysing effect on trade. The bill has all the elements (if State regimentation and control."

RAILWAY DEVIATION .VALIDATING LEGISLATION [by TELfiGRAPH—SI ECIAT, REPORTER] WELL NGTON, Thursday Legislative authority which has been found necessary for the Tura-kina-Okoia deviation, on the Welling-ton-New Plymouth railway line, is proposed in the Riilwavs Authorisation Bill, which was introduced in the House of Representatives to-day by Governor-General's Message. The proposal to c ommence work on the deviation was announced some ' tim.9 ago, .but it avis found that further authority was necessary. In addition to giving that authority the bill provides fop the construction of the deviation out of moneys appropriated by Parliament. The bill was read a first time. DOMINION LIBRARIES OVERHAUL OF SYSTEM [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER J WELLINGTON. Thursday An intimation than it was the intention of the Government to overhaul the library system Df the Dominion and co-ordinate it it such a way that the maximum bene! t would be received from the expenditure of public and private funds, was given by the Minister of KdueatU'ii, the Hon. P. l'Vaser, in a reply in the House ot Representatives to a question asked by Mr. A.' G. Hultquist (Government— Bay of Plenty). "The supply of literature for schools and colleges," said the Minister, "will receive special consideration. It is fully realised that the majority of schools have at the present time insufficient reading material and, further, that such ma .erial as exists is too casually selector and too limited 'ii its circulation to achieve tho best results."