PARLIAMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19594, 25 September 1925, Page 8

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY*® PROCEEDIN GS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (Abridged from Frees Associaticm Telegram^ WELLINGTON, September 24. The Legislative Codicil met at 2.30 pun. fo-day. bills dealt with. The Bating Bill was reported without amendments from the Statutes Revision Committee. The Main Highways Amendment Bill, the Stone Quarries Amendment Bill, the Apprentices Amendment Bill, and the Canterbury College and the Canterbury Agricultural College Amendment Bill were received from the House of Representatives .and read a first time. The Coal Mines Bill, the Napier Harbour Board, the Rating Regulation Bill, the Whangarei Harbour Board V csting and Empowering Bill, and the Whangarei Harbour Board Empowering Bill were put through their final stages and passed. The Council adjourned at 5.20 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. to-morrow. HOUSE. OF REPRESENTATIVES The House met at 2.30 p.m. STATE MINES. The MINISTER OF LABOUR (the Hon. G, J, Anderson) laid on the table the report on the State mines. MEAT WORKS COMMISSION. The Hon. W. NOSWORTHY moved that the report of the Royal Commission <m Veatoya* purchase of the Poverty Bay Freezing Works be referred to the Government for consideration. IHio discussion was interrupted by the 5.30 pm. adjournment. Wheat the House resumed at 7.30 p.m,, the interrupted debate was continued, in the course, of which the Hon. Mr M'LEOD (Minister of Lands) traced the history of the American meat trusts, which were gaining a strangle-hold on the British markets. Vesteys waa Britain’s reply to the American trust. It might be possible that capital subscribed for a virtuous purpose would become vicious, but it was at least British capital fighting American trusts. It was because tine Government saw the effects of trusts that it sot xip a Meat Board, the formation of which was fought at every step by members of the Opposition simply because it was a Government measure. Apart from party influences in the House everyone in the Dominion vas satisfied the Minister had come out of the inquiry with dean hands, and on the evidence no impartial person could have come to any other conclusion. , After the debate bad been carried on to a late hoar the Minister of Agriculture made a lengthy reply to criticism. The motion that the report of the commission be referred to the Government waa then put and carried. VALUATION OF LAND The Hon. Mr NOSWORTHY then moved the second reading of the Valuation of Land Bill, which, he explained, was purely a consolidating Bill. Mr YOUNG urged that the constitution of the Valuation Court should be amended bo that a protesting owner should be represented on the court and that a Supreme Court interpretation should be chained to decide what was meant by the term “unimproved value” of land. After a brief debate the Bill was read a second time. LOCAL ELECTIONS AND POLLS BILL The Local Elections and Polls Bill was also read a second time without debate, and the House went into committee on both'Bills, which passed the committee stage without amendment, and were road a third time and passed, MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE. The Mutual Fire Insurance Amendment Bill was further considered in committee and; passed its final stages. The House rose at 1.5 a.m. till 2.30 p.m. to-morrow.