LITTLE ACTIVITY IN PARLIAMENT

Southland Times, Issue 23599, 29 August 1938, Page 8

LITTLE ACTIVITY IN PARLIAMENT

Estimates Approved By House

DEBATE ON SOCIAL SECURITY BILL

MR NASH TO REPLY ON WEDNESDAY

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, August 27.

No political events have arisen during the past week to disturb the tranquillity of Parliament. The House of Representatives has gone on its unhurried way, approving the expenditure of millions of pounds on the departmental estimates and giving further consideration to the Social Security Bill. In general, the week has been just another period of marking time, but everything points toward a sudden acceleration in the proceedings of the House if the work of the session is to be completed by the middle of next month.

The Social Security Bill, of course, has continued to monopolize the attention of members, but the second reading debate on this measure has now virtually come to an end. It was continued on Tuesday but by the following day the number of Opposition speakers had been reduced to three. The final critical surveys of the Bill were accordingly made by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (Nat., Kaipara), Mr K. J. Holyoake (Nat., Motueka) and Mr S. G. Holland (Nat., Christchurch North). Two Government members followed Mr Holland, who was the last Opposition speaker, and it is expected that the Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Nash) will reply to the debate on Wednesday evening. ANALYSIS OF FINANCE Interest in the Minister’s reply will be chiefly in the possibility that he may give a more detailed analysis of his proposals for financing the proposed national health and superannua-. tion services. Throughout the debate there has been no dispute over the desirability of the projected benefits, but the Opposition has been able to launch a determined attack on the financial aspects of the scheme. This attack was best summarized by Mr Coates toward the end of the debate. He stated that the Minister had arbitrarily reduced the estimate by an expert actuary of the cost of the scheme and just as arbitrarily had increased the actuary’s estimate of the total amount of income liable to the wages tax of 1/- in the £l. No reasons for these departures from expert advice had been offered by the Minister, said Mr Coates, and no information had been given as to whether the Government’s proposals were supported by its financial advisers at the Treasury.

ELECTION ISSUE As the Bill, even when it is passed, will not become operative until April 1 next year, the Government seems determined on making the provision of social security a vital issue in this year’s election. It parades the benefits • which it proposes to offer, but the Opposition, on the other hand, counts the cost to the people, while offering to provide alternative legislation which will cover the needs of those most urgently requiring assistance without the necessity for extortionate demands on taxpayers. This is the case which Mr Nash will be called on to answer when he replies to the debate. Opposition members, of course, have been pressing for financial information, but they make no secret of the fact that they expect the Minister again to wax enthusiastic over the benefits and again to keep comparatively silent on the question of costs. Satisfactory progress was made with the passing of estimates on two days during the week, and at the moment 31 classes involving an aggregate expenditure of £22,652,570 have been approved. Only about 20 more votes remain to be considered and in normal circumstances these should not occupy more than four sitting days. However, in keeping with well-established custom, some of the more controversial items are being kept to the end and considerable discussion can be expected on such items as broadcasting, the dairy industry and internal marketing, the State Advances Account, transport, industries and commerce and the maintenance of public works and services.

No definite plans have yet been prepared for the final business to come before the House during the last few weeks of the session. Because the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) has been indisposed in Auckland, there has been no meeting of the Cabinet for more than a week and in consequence the balance of the sessional programme has not yet been definitely arranged.

Local Bills are to be taken on Tuesday afternoon when the House resumes after the week-end recess and the second Imprest Supply Bill of the session will come before the House in the evening, with the almost certain prospect of a late sitting. Assuming that Mr Nash will reply to the second reading of the Social Security Bill on Wednesday evening, good progress should be made with the committee stages of the Bill before the end of the week. Once this measure is passed, of course, the path will be clear for dealing with departmental legislation and the various “washing-up” Bills which are inevitably associated with the close of a session.