VIRTUAL END OF SESSION

Southland Times, Issue 23379, 10 December 1937, Page 6

VIRTUAL END OF SESSION

Remaining Measures

Passed

URGENCY TAKEN FOR BILLS FINAL MEETING OF HOUSE TODAY (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, December 10. The first part of the present. session of Parliament virtually came to a close yesterday. The four remaining Government Bills which were regarded as urgent by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) were all passed during a fairly long sitting and the House will only have to meet tomorrow to receive these after they have been passed by the Legislative Council. When the House met this morning some time was spent in considering the • reports of select committees and then urgency was taken for the passing of the Petroleum Bill, the Dog Registration Amendment Bill, the Agricultural Workers Amendment Bill and the State Advances Corporation Amendment Bill. An interesting situation arose over the Petroleum Bill when the Minister of Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb) announced the terms of what was virtually a truce between the Opposition and the Government. In the previous discussion on the Bill something of a deadlock had arisen over the question of royalty payments and the rights of property owners to share in the proceeds. However,

Mr Webb was able to state that in return for an undertaking by the Opposition not to contest the passage of the Bill, he had agreed to bring up the payment of royalties for discussion during the second part of the session.

The Minister added that his principal desire was to have the Bill passed so that important overseas interests might begin early an intensive search for oil.

The second readings of the Dog Registration Bill and the Agricultural Workers Amendment Bill were quickly disposed of, but then a long argument developed on the Government’s housing scheme, certain aspects of which are covered by the State Advances Corporation Amendment Bill. The main point of the Opposition criticism was that the Government had destroyed private enterprise in the building trade and had been responsible for a marked rise in building costs.

After the debate, the four Bills were put through committee, read a third time and passed. The House rose at 12.8 o’clock this morning.