PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20222, 7 October 1927, Page 10

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

NOTES FROM PRESS GALLERY. (From Oue Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, October 6. MUSEUM SHOW CASES. A reply on the lines of that given by the committees of the Auckland War Memorial Museum concerning the acceptance of an outside tender for the show cases for the museum was given in the House to-day by the Acting Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr J. A. Young) in reply to a question by Mr W. E. Parry (Auckland Central), who asked if the promised inquiry had been made. The Minister said that as a result of the department’s inquiries it was found that only one New Zealand tender was received by the committee. This was from a gentleman who had no plant for the i manufacture of the class of case required, and who was not able to give full particulars of the cases which he had undertaken to supply. It wps this tenderer's intention, if he succeeded in securing the contract, to erect a factory and set up the necessary plant. The drawing and small sample supplied by him were of such a standard, continued the Minister, that the committee could not do otherwise than accept the overseas tender, which was supported by the fullest possible information and by samples of very high-grade case work, specially designed to meet museum requirements. SCHOOL SWIMMING. A plea for assistance in maintaining school swimming baths was contained in a question of which Mr W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) gave notice in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr Veitch mentioned that some school committees had difficulty in meeting the maintenance costs of the baths out of the funds at their disposal, and lie asked the Minister of Education (Mr R. A. Wright) if the Governmerit could come to their assistance by granting a £ for £ subsidy of money raised for this purpose. SHIPPING INFORMATION. The decision of the Government to withdraw the posting of telegraphic shipping news at post offices was adversely commented on in the House of Represen- , tatives to-day by Mr C. E. Bellringer (Taranaki), who gave notice of his intention to ask for the reasons ,_;hich have led to the decision which, he said, will dcN prive the public of a valuable service , which it had enjoyed for over 30 years. 1 RECEIPT FORMS. The concern that was caused f land agents throughout the Dominion last week by the non-arrival of the Government receipt forms, the use of whicli it was intended to make compulsory from October 1 -was mentioned in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr W. B. Parry (Auckland Central) gave notice of his intention to ask the Acting Minister of Internal Affairs (Sir Maui Pomarc) why his department issued the regulations making it mandatory for land agents to use only the Government receipt forms in the conduct of their operations, and why the enforcement of the regulation was postponed from October 1 until April of next year. , SHOPPING HOURS. A largely-signed petition from Palmerston North was presented in the House of Representatives to-day protesting against ait extension of the shopping hours beyond those already in force as in the Shops and Offices Act, 1921. GOVERNMENT BILLS. Three new Government Bills, which will be introduced to-morrow, were given notice of in the House of Representatives to-day—namely, the Introduction of Plants Bill, the Mining Act Amendment, Bill, and the Guardianship of Infants Act Amendment Bill. JURIES AMENDMENT BILL. The Statutes Revision Committee to-day reported that it had carefully considered Mr H G. R, Mason’s Juries Act Amendment Bill (No. 2), and recommended that as the subject matter of the Bill, with the exception of clause 3, is not appropriate as an amendment of the Juries Act the Bill be not allowed to proceed in its present form. The report was adopted. SALE OF PROPERTIES. The number, of properties sold by registrars under the Property Law Act, 1908, and the Land Transfer Act, 1925, during 1926 was 841, of a total value of £1,368,374. The largest amount for sales was at Auckland (£359,482). The Christchurch sales were £lOß,lll, Hamilton £170,599, Palmerston North £111,768, Christchurch £lOß,lll, Dunedin £45,900, Invercargill £32,632, Nanier £61,406, Nelson £66,914, New Plymouth £87,349 Timaru £96,204, Wanganui £95,122, Wellington £57,813. MINERS’ RELIEF FUND. On July 1, 1926, the amount of moneys pooled iri the Miners’ Relief Fund was made up as follows:—Sick and accident funds £14,603, coal miners’ relief fund £12,469 total, £27,072. The interest earned on the money for the 12 months ended March 31 last was £ll4O. Th© in com© from the halfpenny per ton levy was £4213, and the expenditure £5584. REFUND OF RACING TAXATION. The amount of taxation refunded to racing and trotting clubs under section 8 of the Finance Act during last financial year was £31,174. BOILERS FROM BRITAIN. The number of boilers for the railways imported from Britain during the past two years was 10. None was imported from America. RAILWAY WORKSHOPS RETIREMENTS. A return presented to Parliament yesterday gives the number of men retired on superannuation, medically unfit or over age, deceased, dismissed, and resigned from the railway workshops during the two years ended June 1927, aa 347. Of these 185 were permanent and 162 were casual employees. The majority of the vacancies wore filled by surplus staff. No boiler makers were dispensed with at the main workshops as the result of the importation of boilers. The return was asked for by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr H. E. Holland). BROADCAST RECEIVING APPARATUS. In an explanatory memorandum in connection with the Customs Bill the following appears: It is proposed that wireless broadcast receiving sets m united in cabinets shall be charged with duty at the rate of 10 per cent, under the British preferential tariff, and at the rate of 30 per cent, under the general tariff; that Ibe electrical components of the sets when imported apart from the cabinets shall be admitted free under the British preferential tariff or charged with duty at 20 ner cent, under the general tariff; and that the cabinet work for the sots shall bo classed as cnhinctwarc, n.c.i., 25 per cent, under the British preferential tariff or 45 per cent, under the general tariff. It is believed that there is considerable scope in New Zealand for the manufacture of cabinets for wireless receiving sets, ns the next few years will undoubtedly provide a considerable increase in he number of sets sold. The encouragement of the building of the cabinets in New Zealand will also tend to encourage the assembly of sets locally whicli will give a certain amount of skilled work to electricians. It is considered that an increase of 10 per cent, in duty on the made-up sets in cabinets as against the rates of duty charged on the components will give amp'e J protection to the cabinetmaking industry. ; ABOLISHING EDUCATION BOARDS. A belated echo of the appointment of a committee of the Reform Party to consider the question of abolishing education hoards was heard in the House to-day, when Mr W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) gave

notice to ask the Prime Minister whether the committee had finished its report, and if so would the report, together with the evidence, be circulated among members of the House irrespective of party.