Question Time

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26841, 4 August 1948, Page 5

Question Time

P.A. WELLINGTON, Aug. 3. Mr M. H. Oram (Oppn., Manawatu) gave notice in the House of Representatives to-day to ask the Minister of Works, Mr Semple, if the importation of prefabricated houses from Finland to relieve the present shortage had been considered. Mr Oram said that, according to newspaper reports, Australia had ordered 10,000 such houses. URANIUM EXTRACTION

Dr A. M. Finlay (Govt., North Shore) gave notice to ask the Minister in charge of scientific and industrial research, Mr Nordmeyer, whether the possibility of extracting uranium from the oil-shale deposits of the Dominion had been considered. He said that uranium, vanadium and molybdenum were formerly regarded as relatively worthless by-products in the extraction of oil from shale, but the association of uranium with atomic research had greatly enhanced its importance. It had been reported from Sweden that some shales were yielding over 200 grammes of uranium oxide per ton, and large sums had been spent in the development of this aspect of the extraction process.

EXCHANGE INCOME Seven Government members —Messrs F. Langstone (Roskill), W. T. Anderton (Auckland Central), W. Freer (Mt. Albert), T. E. Skinner (Tamaki), P. Kearins (Waimarino), G. H. O. Wilson (Palmerston North), and Dr A. M. Finlay (North Shore)—gave notice to ask the Prime Minister if the Government would consider deducting from the new scale of prices for primary products sold to the United Kingdom an equivalent amount of money, the value of which is represented bv the operation of the existing exchange rate between New Zealand and Britain. The questioners asked further whether the amount of money value so deducted would be paid into a special account to be used for: First, repayment of a portion of the internal national debt; secondly, to subsidise the following commodities on tbe local market:—Coal, wheat, flour, bread, meat, sugar, and children's clothing (including children’s footwear) »