PARLIAMENT

Southland Times, Issue 18990, 11 July 1923, Page 7

PARLIAMENT

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. (Per United Press Association). WELLINGTON, July 10. The Legislative Council sat to-day at 2.30 p.m. The Acts Interpretation Bill, received from the Statutes Revision Committee, without amendment, was read a second time. The Animals’ Protection and Game Amendment Bill, which proposes that instead of the Government deciding what birds shall be protected the decision will lie with the Legislature, was read a second time. At 3.45 p.m. the Council adjourned till 2.30 pjn. on Thursday. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. NEW BILLS. The House met at 2.30 p.m. The following Bills were introduced and read a first time: —Local Legislation Bill (Hon. Downie Stewart*, Immigration Restriction Amendment Bill Hon. Downie Stewart), Native Lands Claims Adjustment Bill (Hon. J. G. Coates), Noxious Weeds Amendment Bill (Hon. W. Nosworthy), Companies’ Special Empowering Bill (Hon. W. Nosworthy i, Justice of th? Peace Amendment Bill, No. 2 (Hon. C. J. Parr) and Industrial and Provident Societies’ Amendment Bill (Hon. Bollard). SUGAR. The HON. DOWNIE STEWART, in the course of a Ministerial statement, said sometime ago that the Colonial Sugar Company informed the Government, that unless a protective duty of £1 per ton was placed upon imported refined sugar, they would have to close down the Auckland refinery, as they were unable to compete with the cheaper Java sugar. The matter was referred by the Government to the Industries Committee of the House and, during the pas‘ few days, that committee had taken evidence of merchants, manufacturers and others, who stressed the necessity for maintaining ample supplies of A 1 sugar, which was largely used in some of the Dominion’s most important industries. As the result of the consideration given to the matter, the committee recommended that an import duty should be imposed on refined sugar, amounting to £2 18/4 per ton. and the House would be asked to ratify that proposal. This preference, he said, would enable the Colonial Sugar Company’s refinery at Auckland to continue operations, and that was in itself a matter of some importance, as a large number of hands were employed there. The proposed duty, if imposed, would continue until .September, 1924, when it could be revised. If there was no opportunity of bringing down a Tariff Bill, during the next few weeks, probably the House would be asked to pass a resolution, which would place the matter beyond doubt, and then the merchants and the company would know exactly where they stood. STATE ADVANCES BILL. The adjourned debate on the State Advances Amendment Bill was resumed by MR PERRELLE, who supported the Bill, and hoped the Government would not neglect to have ample money available for farmers, when the moratorium expired. MR FIELD drew attention to the fact that a ’number of the largest lending firms in the Dominion were controlled from Australia, and sometimes Australian directors, without very much notice, called in as much money as possible, from investments in NewZealand, for investment in Australia. This was calculated to place many New Zealand settlers in difficulties and he thought the Government should consider whether some steps could be taken to stop that sort of thing. MR McILVRIDE said that the first step in solving the housing problem, was to house that section of the society who, by the smallness of their wages, were not able to pay down a deposit or pay a high rent. To these people 95 per cent, was of no use, and the Government ought to advance them 100 per cent, of the cost of a home. MR F. J. ROLLESTON (Timaru) said that the solution of the Housing problem rested with the State. Private enterprise •■as hopeless, and local bodies had not been able to provide houses on the scale anticipated. because funds had not been available to them. The Bill would be a success in cases where the State is only mortgager, but in cases where a second mortgagee came into the transaction, he anticipated trouble, because the occupants would enter into engagements with the second mortgagee, which they could never carry out. He wanted to see the Act of 1919 continued, with liberal grants to local bodies for housing purposes, as they could administer the scheme more efficiently than a central authority in Wellington. MR MASTERS said the Liberals would welcome anything done to assist the farming community. The Advances Department, be thought, even if well managed, could never meet all the demands of farmers and an agricultural bank was bound to come. All the same, he wanted to see this Bill get a good run, and he w-anted to see the Government put more “ginger” into its administration. than they did into the Act of 1919. MR NASH supported the Bill, but thought that the Government should not build houses, as private enterprise could beat the Government every time. He recommended the Government to look into W’hat was being done in the Old Country. Regarding housing, he thought a subsidy to private builders, with a fixture of rent, on 20 years, would be the best solution of the housing problem. The HON. J. A. HANAN said that the Bill might do something to relieve the housing difficulty. It would certainly create a boom in land buying and building and, In so doing, might, possibly create a crop of new evils, which would take the place of existing ones. Nothing stabilised things, ao much as a complete revision for the •ystem of land valuation. On the motion of the HON. W. NOSWORTHY , the debate was adjourned, until next sitting day, the Premier stating that he wished to proceed with the financial debate at 7.30 p.m.