PARLIAMENTARY NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21773, 12 October 1932, Page 9

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS

NOTES FROM PRESS GALLERY

(From Ooe Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON. October 11. COMPULSORY ARBITRATION.

A return to the system of compulsory arbitration in industrial disputes in to be sought by tie Labour: Party during the present session of Parliament, and this highly controversial, matter Will probably be reopened in the House of Representatives; during the next few days. Mr J, M'Combs (Lyttelton) has been deputed to introduce a Bill to, amend the Industrial Concilation and Arbitration Act as amended by the I.C. and A. Amendment Act (1932), and he gave notice of this intention in the House to-day._ The Bill will probably be read a first time in The House to-morrow. The exact provisions of the Bill have not yet been framed, but it seeks to restore to the Act those clauses providing for the right of either party , to an industrial dispute to bring the dispute before the Arbitration Court. . * FUTURE OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. There is still no indication of the Government’s plans for the future of the Legislative Council. “We will decide when the* time comes,” said the Prime Minister (Mr G. W. Forbes) this evening, when asked to discuss the position of Sir Heaton Rhodes and Messrs L, M.. Isitt and G. Witty, three Canterbury councillors, whose terms will expire on October 28. “We have given no consideration to the matter,” was Mr Forbes’s reply to a question whether any new appointments to tlie Council were contemplated. - Re- > garding the first question, it is being freely stated that the Government will be very reluctant to lose the services of Sir Heaton Rhodes, who had extensive Ministerial experience during his period in the House of Representatives. There have been no recent - reappointments,, but in view of the Council’s greatly reduced strength it seems likely that early steps will have to be taken to build up the membership, which is at present 23. However, apart from the possible reappointments, it is considered that the Government is not likely to take action to increase the membership of the Council until after the session. r BROWN COALS AS FERTILISER. A suggestion that the Minister of Mine# (Mr C. E. Macmillan) should ascertain whether the brown coals of New Zealand might be used as fertilisers was contained in a question asked in the House M-day by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr H. E. Holland). Mr Holland asked the Minister whether he had seen a report in the Queensland Mining Journal that the use of brown coal or lignite had been investigated in practical trials by German chemists, who had found that the productivity of many plants, such as potatoes and tobacco/was increased by its application ag a fertiliser. ASSISTANCE FOR SPORTS BODIES. The serious financial condition of sports bodies and charitable institutions was brought to the notice of the Governmnet by Mr W. A. Veitch, who asked whether in view of the depleted funds of many ■ of these organisations the Government would relax the restrictions on the number of art unions which had for their purposes the tiding of such bodies oyer the stress of times, and would, also increase the minimum amount specified in the permits. ' •