A LENGTHY DEBATE

Southland Times, Issue 22993, 12 September 1936, Page 8

A LENGTHY DEBATE

Problem of Farm

Mortgages

GENERAL PRINCIPLES ACCEPTABLE

DETAILS CRITICIZED w (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, September 11. The problem of farm mortgages was discussed at length in the House of Representatives to-day when the second reading debate on the Mortgagors’ and Lessees’ Rehabilitation Bill was resumed. Actually the debate opened a fortnight ago but the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) promised , that no attempt would be made to rush the measure through the House and that ample time would be given to the interested parties for a full study of the Government’s proposals. As on the occasion of the broadcast opening of the debate, the discussion to-day was fairly involved and in this respect mirrored the complex nature of the legislation. There was very little criticism of the Bill on general principles although several speakers delivered attacks on matters of detail. The Leader of the Opposition (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) seemed to sum up the position fairly adequately when he said that the Government had borrowed many of its ideas from past legislation but had substituted for the testing period of the stay order “sudden death” principles which might prove harmful and unjust. Government members took part freely in the debate throughout the day although the only Ministerial speaker was the Attorney-General (the Hon. H. G. R. Mason). Extensions of time were given without reserve and only eight speakers had taken part in the discussion before the House rose at 5.15 p.m. Earlier in the sitting there was a fairly prolific crop of departmental reports, several papers dealing with land settlement being tabled by the Minister of Lands (the Hon. F. Langstone). The second reading debate on the Mortgage Bill will probably be continued when the House resumes on Tuesday.