HOUSE IN SESSION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22399, 22 October 1934, Page 8

HOUSE IN SESSION

SHAPING TOWARDS ADJOURNMENT DAIRV LEGISLATION AWAITED (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, October 21. Chief interest in the session now seems to centre on the approaching date of the adjournment, which is still somewhat indefinite. It will not be possible to extend the number of sitting hours during the coming week, as to-morrow is a holiday and as most of the members will" be attending the opening ceremony at the Waitaki hydro-electric works next week-end; but it is expected that longer hours, including a sitting on Monay, will be necessary for the following week to ensure the disposal of urgent work. DAIRY LEGISLATION. Although last week's progress was not as great as it might have been, it should still be possible for the Government to take an adjournment at the end of the month, but much depends on the decision of Tuesday's caucus of the Government Party regarding the dairy legislation. The Ministry is in a position to give a direct lead to the caucus on this subject because legislation embodying some of the principal recommendations of the commission, relating particularly to the reorganisation of the industry, has already been drafted. It is likely that the establishment of a body co-ordinating the operations of the produce boards and the reconstitution of the Dairy Board will be included in this legislation, but it is expected that other recommendations, including the setting up of the Rural Mortgage Corporation, will be held over for fuller consideration when the House resumes early next year. REPORTS OF COMMISSIONS.

The reports of the Company Promotion Commission and the Native Affairs Commission should be tabled within a few days. The former will require certain legislation, but the Government has made no decision as to action on the report of the latter commission for the simple reason that it has no idea what the nature of its recommendations will be. The Prime Minister, Mr Forbes, said last week that he had been told nothing of the commission's conclusions, which had been kept a very close secret by every member of the commission. THIS WEEK'S BUSINESS.

The Supplementary Estimates will be tabled early this week, while on the legislative side, apart from the ''Dairying and Company Bills, the most important measures will be the Unemployment Amendment Bill and a Finance Bill of miscellaneous application. There are still several routine tasks to complete, but a couple of sittings should suffice for that purpose. It is likely that the Minister of Finance (Mr Coates) and the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr Masters) will wish to leave for Australia on October 30, but Mr Coates wants to see the dairying legislation dealt with before then. It is expected that Mr Macmillan, the Minister of Agriculture, will have charge of the measure in the House, but Mr Coates has been the one chiefly concerned with the problem so far, and his help and advice will be of undoubted value to his colleague when the Bill comes before Parliament, SPEED LIMIT IN BOROUGHS. It is also possible that Mr Coates, as Minister of Transport, will have a Traffic Control Bill to bring down before the adjournment. The main feature of this Bill is expected to be the prescription of a speed limit for motor vehicles of 30 miles an hour in boroughs, with modifications for localities where special caution is necessary. It seems possible, however, that this Bill, with several others of secondary importance now on tlurOrdpr Paper, may be held over until next year.