WORK OF THE SESSION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17606, 23 October 1931, Page 5

WORK OF THE SESSION

YESTERDAY’S PROGRESS

COUPONS BILL PASSED OTHER MEASURES DISCUSSED (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Some legislative progress was made by the House at yesterday’s sitting. Tlie Trading Coupons Bill, providing for cash redemption only after April 30 next, was put through tho remaining stages and passed after the House had, by a narrow margin, rejected an amendment for the abolition of gift trading schemes, which a substantial body of opinion considered was vital to the successful operation of the Act. Amendments made to the Auckland Harbor Bridge Bill by the Legislative Council were agreed to, and a second reading, pro forma, was given to the Chattels Transfer Amendment Bill, which was; referred to the Statutes Revision Committee. The evening sitting was devoted to a full-dress second reading debate on the Building Construction Bill, which was generally approved in principle, though objections were taken to instituting an additional control authority over the heads of local bodies. It was also suggested that the inspection system and fee would increase the cost of building, to which a reply was made on the authority of the underwriters’ statement to the Select Committee that an improvement in the stability of the buildings should result in decreased insurance premiums more than offsetting the fee. Tho adjournment interrupted the debate. It is intended to commence consideration of the estimates at to-day’s all-day sitting, and for this purpose those submitted with the Forbes’ budget are to be utilised.