PARLIAMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19844, 17 July 1926, Page 12

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY'S PROCEEDINGS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. CPub United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, July 16. THE ESTIMATES. When tho House met this afternoon the PRIME MINISTER intimated that ho desired to go on with further consideration of the Estimates, and he moved that the House go into Committee of Supply, this was done, and discussion on the first item— Legislative Department. £85,540. was resumed by Sir JOSEPH WARD, who drew attention to tho need for more adequate shipping services in the South Island, one * subsidised passenger steamer arrived in the South Island. The requirements of the South Island were being ignored, anti he had complaints from fruit merchants and others in Dunedin about the unjust treatment received by the people in the south. It was not fair for the Government, just because it had a big majority consisting largely of North Island members to •"’loro the interests of the South Island. In the minds of many people there were only two cities in New Zealand. Mr G W. FORBES (Hurunui) urged more consideration for the needs of education in country districts, and said that country children should have the opportunity of attending central schools. Wherever possible tho consolidated school system should be brought into operation. The Hon. D. BUDDO (Kaiapoi) complained that so little had been done to the main highways after two years operation. Tho main highways were never in a more deplorable condition than they were in at present. , , , „ T Mr M. J. SAVAGE (Auckland West) questioned the provision on the Estimates in respect to the travelling expenses of Dr MacEachern and commented on the attitude taken up by the Minister of Health towards him, . Sir JOHN LUKE (Wellington North) urged that the sole teacher should be done away with, and he supported a suggestion by Sir George Hunter for country children as far as possible to bo enabled to attend consolidated schools. Mr A. M. SAMUEL (Ofunemun) put in a plea for the widows and the dependents of deceased - minors, and urged upon the Government its legal duty in regard to tho payment of a burial allowance and the occretions of pensions. ~ Replying to the Hon. Mr Buddo, the Hon. K. S. 'WILLIAMS (Minister of Public Works) said we had still a great deal to learn in respect to the maintenance o’* roads. _ , Mr V. H. POTTER (Mount Roskill) considered that the police were considerably underpaid. Having regard to the services rendered 14s a day was totally inadequate. Mr E. J. HOWARD (Christchurch South) complained of the wireless broadcasting service in Now Zealand which, ho said, was the poorest-served country in the world in that respect, especially having regard t® the listening-in charges. A great injustice was being done by charging 30s for receiving sets, and also by the poorness of the service. Four proposed broadcasting stations were to be run on 500 volts, which would be all right for the towns, but not for the country districts. At present New Zealand was pirating the services provided from Australia, and he believed lestenersIn were only taking out licenses because of those services. Mr D. JONES (Ellesmere) said there would probably have been plenty of wheat in New Zealand this year if the season had been a good one. The result of tho fixed duty would be a plentiful supply next season. He hoped the Minister would give a further assurance that the duty would remain. Tho discission was stili proceeding when the House adjourned at 5.3’0 p.m. EVENING SESSION. On resuming at 7.30 p.m., Mr M. J. SAVAGE continued the debate on the first item of the Estimates by urging on the Minister of Mines more generous treatment in the matter of funeral expenses of widows whose husbands had lied of miner’s P Replying to Mr Ransom, who asked tho Minister of Lands why ho had not taken o-reater advantage of the Empire settlement scheme, the Hon. A. D. M’LEOD said that before they launched cn extensive schemes of settlement they had to be sure that the settlers could make a competency from the land, and he thought there were some districts' in New Zealand in which' they would have to treat laud settlement on the same basis as a struggling secondary industry, and subsidise it. Mr R FRASER (Wellington Central) submitted that the Library Committee should have been consulted about the appointment of the new Parliamentary Librarian, and said the position should have been kept open until Parliamcl met. He demanded that the applications should be laid on the table of the House so that members could judge whether the best qualified applicant had been appointed. Replying to a question, the Hon. O. J. HAWKEN (Minister of Agriculture) said tho Government was still of the opinion they should not interfere in the wheatgrowing question. They were convinced that the ordinary rules of supply and demand should apply to this branch of our agricultural industry. He believed that a sufficient area had been sown to grow enough wheat for the Dominion’s needs, and, given a favourable season, fie was of the opinion that this would be so. In the meantime the Government had no intention whatever of changing its policy on the subject of wheat-growing. Sir JOSEPH WARD, commenting on the remarks of the Minister of Lands, said ho was satisfied the question of close settlement of our lands could not be indefinitely put off without piling up trouble, not only for the present Government but for their successors. Ho was also satisfied that this country could not hold its own unless it had a great deal more close settlement. One of the Minister’s greatest difficulties was that he was facing the aftermath of the land boom. The great hulk of the land originally purchased under the Lands for Settlement Act was bought up at £6 per acre, and at that price settlers could make a living. Since then a boom in land values had taken place, and many people could neither make a living on their land nor sell it, because its price was too high. The remedy was to be found in a general revision of values. . The first 'item on the Estimates was passed at 11.20 p.m. Treasury (£36,144) and _ Land and Income Tax Department (£39,612), and Stamp Duties Department (£97,983) were then passed without discussion, and the House rose at 11.30 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.