FOUR BILLS PUT THROUGH

Southland Times, Issue 23375, 6 December 1937, Page 6

FOUR BILLS PUT THROUGH

WORK OF PARLIAMENT LAST WEEK RECESS MAY BEGIN ON FRIDAY (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, December 5. Only a week remains before Parliament adjourns for the Christmas recess and the list of legislation passed during the session to date is steadily becoming longer. Four Government Bills were approved by the House ot Representatives during the week just passed—the Electoral Amendment Bill, the Mining Amendment Bill, the Mortgagors and Lessees Rehabilitation Amendment Bill and, finally, the supremely controversial Primary Products Marketing Amendment Bill. But there are indications that at least three more measures will have to be dealt with by the House this week before the Government is willing to allow members a few weeks’ holiday. In addition to the Bills passed last week the Public Works Statement was debated and the Estimates approved, while the Local Legislation Bill was introduced and referred to the Local Bills Committee. This and the Petroleum Bill are now the only two Government measures remaining on the Order Paper. Last week in Parliament was dominated by the discussions on the Government’s latest proposals for the marketing of foodstuffs. In spite of long sitting hours and a persistent attack on the Government’s policy, the passing of the Bill was remarkably free from political incidents. At one stage on Friday references to the communistic tendencies of the Government’s plans led the Prime Minister to take action which practically amounted to challenging a ruling given by the Speaker (the Hon. W. E. Barnard). It was the second occasion in a little over a week on which the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the House had crossed swords. GOVERNMENT’S POWERS As argument on the Bill developed it could be seen that the Opposition was contesting not so much the actual concrete proposals, but rather the empowering provisions in the Bill, which entitle the Government at its pleasure to fix all prices for all foodstuffs and ultimately to control the whole business of local and overseas marketing. In this the Opposition saw an ominous threat to the established structure of private trade, and although the Government members repeatedly stressed the necessity for orderly and controlled marketing, they gave no real assurance that a threat to private enterprise did not exist.

There is bound to be a rush of lastminute activity in the House during the coming week. The Supplementary Estimates are due to make their appearance tomorrow and special interest will be taken in then, because of fire presence of detailed provisions for increases in Civil Servants’ pay arising from the statement made by the Prime Minister concerning the regrading proposals. „ The Petroleum Bill will be debated tomorrow, and among the new Bills to be introduced during the next few days will be one authorizing the purchase of land in the vicinity of Parliament Buildings for the purposes of a Government administrative centre and another which is understood to make provision for extending the existing lending limits for loans by the State Advances Corporation. The final business to appear before the House will probably be the Appropriation Bill, and Parliament should be able to be r in its short recess somewhere about next Friday evening.