PARLIAMENT.

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

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY’S PROCEEDINGS. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. (Peb United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, October 6. The Council met at 2.30 p-m. to-day. SIR WILLIAM HALL-JONES REAPPOINTED. The resignation of Sir William HallJones by the effluxion of time and his reappointment for a further term were notified by Governor-General’s message, and he was formally sworn in. RENEAVAL CREDIT SYSTEM. Sir Thomas Mackenzie gave notice to ask whether the question of time payments and the renewal credit system had been brought under the notice of the Government, and, if so, had it been able to give the subject serious consideration in order that some remedy might be proposed for the protection of the trading community and the public. BILLS PASSED. The Lands for Settlement Amendment Bill, the Fungicides and Insecticides Bill, the Dangerous Drugs Bill, the Peel Forest Amendment Bill, and the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture Bill were put through the committee stage and passed without amendment. The Council adjourned at 4.40 p.m. till to-morrow. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. MINING AMENDMENT BILL. The Minister of Mines (Air G. J. Anderson) gave notice of his intention to introduce the Mining Amendment Bill. GUARDIAN OF INFANTS BILL. The Minister of Justice (Mr F. J. ,Rolleston) gave notice of his intention to introduce the Guardian of Infants Amendment Bill. PLANTS BILL. The Minister of Agriculture. (Mr 0. J. Hawken) gave notice of his intention to introduce the Plants Bill. THE TARIFF. Replying to the Leader of the Opposition (Air H. E. Holland), the Prime Minister (Air J. G. Coates) said the Government would be actuated by sweet reasonableness in putting the Tariff Bill through. the committee stage. It realised that there must be a full discussion, but at the same time it looked for reasonable progress. The committee proceedings would be reported at some length. STOCK AMENDMENT BILL. The Stock Amendment Bill was introduced by Governor-General’s message, The Minister of Agriculture (Air O. J. Hawken) said the Bill extended the power in respect to the compulsory dipping of sheep. Hitherto the compulsory dipping applied only to long wool and crossbred sheep and to merino sheep on high country. Merinos could be dipped in December if necessary. The measure also contained provisions relating to mustering for the purpose of recovering sheep thau had strayed or had* been removed from their owners’ land,, and it provided for the registration of standard marks by breeders’ societies. There was another clause regarding the trespassing of persons with dog or gun on to private land. The dipping of merino sheep would be made compulsory and by a permit from a stock inspector these sheep could be dipped in December, which was earlier than usual. The provision regarding trespassing would be found to he an improvement on the present law. The Bill was read a second time pro forma and referred to the Stock Committee CUSTOMS AMENDMENT BILL. At 3.15 p.m. the House went into committee to consider the Customs Amendment Bill. Mr W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) drew attention to the duty on wrought iron pipes. He considered the Minister had not given sufficient reasons for declining to include the lower sizes in the duty. If the Customs tariff was to be dependent on the Government yielding to pressure, then God help New Zealand so far as the development of industries was concerned. It was not the Minister’s busi•ness to calculate the number of votes which would be given for or against the' Government in connection with this measure. The Minister: I am resisting pressure. Air Veitch said the Minister should take a wider and more statesmanlike view of ths whole situation. There was no doubt that the. Minister had had a big task in revising the tariff. He had made a subtle attempt to please everybody and had finished up by pleasing himself by getting more revenue. . Mr A. Harris (Waitemata) opposed the abolition of the duty on galvanised iron sheeting. He said it was hard to understand why this was being done. A firm in Auckland which had a galvanising plant said that it would now have to close down as a result of the abolition of the duty. It was the desire of the Government to keep the cost of housebuilding down, but, even so, he did not think it wise to remove the slight protection on galvanised iron. Mr H. T. Armstrong (Christchurch East) drew attention to the quantity of American soft wood timber brought into this country while a large number of our mills were closed down and men were idle. The Minister proposed to give some protection, but it was not sufficient to do our local industry any real good. America, in like circumstances, would impose a prohibitive embargo, anj we should do the same. Mr V. H. Potter (Roskill) suggested 20 per cent, general tariff all round on glass bottles. The Dominion bottle makers were striving to capture the local market. The Minister remarked that they were doing all right now on large bottles. Mr T. AI. Wilford (Hutt) asked for greater protection on porcelain bottles, which were being made in his district with New Zealand pig iron as their basis. He also urged the admission of motor chassis free as an encouragement to the motor body building industry. Generally speaking, be thought the Minister had made an extremely fair adjustment of the tariff. Mr R- P. Hudson (Motueka) asked for a higher duty on Indian iron as a protection to the Onakaka iron works. Sir Joseph Ward (Invercargill) said representations had been made to him against the increased duty on lemons, which amounted to total prohibition. Lemons were largely an article of food, and wore used freely in hospitals. Why increase the duty from 6s per case to 12s per case when not sufficient lemons were grown in New Zealand to supply local requirements? Mr F. Waite (Clutha) said that the farmers generally were pleased with the revision of the tariff, which, while it was protective, wag not high protection. Mr D. G. Sullivan (Avon) onnosed the new duty on lemons, while Mr H. Atmore (Nelson)’ and Mr f. E, Macmillan (Tauranga) snpnorted it as a protection to a "rowing’industry. The Minister said that they might compromise on the matter by having a duty of 2d per lb during the flush of the season and 3d per Ih during the slack season. Mr E. P. Bee (Oamaru) said the wrong variety of lemon was grown in the north of New Zealand, and when the lemons arrived in the South Island they were not worth consideration. At the same time he would support the tariff on the understanding that New Zealand growers improved their trees and method of curing. Hu was prepared to give them one or two vears to do it, but it must be understood llhl*. fifrf present state of affairs would

not be tolerated indefinitely in the South Island. The discussion was proceeding at the 5.30 p.m. adjournment. EVENING SESSION. When the House at 7.30 p.m. the Prime Minister dealt with lemon duties and the lemon trade. This trade, he said, had more than doubled in five years, and the industry was now assuming proportions whieh warranted the Government doing what it was doing to encour age it. * Mr W. Nosworthy commended the suggestion made by the Minister of Customs to increase the duty during the flush of the season and reduce it again when the local season is over. Mr D. Buddo (Kaiapoi) complained of the lack of support given in the tariff to the woollen industry, which was not in a flourishing condition, though its products were equal to any in the world. Air T. W. Rhodes (Thames) urged greater protection for New Zealand stone. He was afraid that under the tariff Coromandel granite and every other New Zealand stone quarry would have to close down. Up to midnight the debate was carried on by various members whose speeches covered almost every article mentioned in the tariff schedules, and some, such as monkey glands, which were not. The ! general trend of the speeches was to claim i protection for industries or produce originating in their own districts. Air I’. Fraser (Wellington Central) declared that the House was not in a position to judge of the merits of the tariff, because it had not the necessary information before it. The Tariff Commission did not get the opinion of the country, but so far as he could judge the Minister had succeeded in making a fairly acceptable compromise. i The debate was continued till 0.30 a.m., ! when the short title of the Bill was passed, and the Houee rose till 2.30 p.m- to-mor-row.