HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 September 1920, Page 5

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

NEW BILLS. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. Replying to Mr. W. T Jennings (Waitomo), the Hon. W. Nosworthy said that the Pure Seeds Bill would be brought down this session. The delay had been due to the fact that the Bill was extremely difficult to draw, and the law draughtsman was extremely busy. SOLDIERS' AND HOUSES. , Replying to Mr. G. Mitchell (Wellington South), the Hon. D. H. Guthrie said the policy of the Government was to discourage the purchase of houses by soldiers, as that would not solve the housing problem. What tliey did encourage wu3 the purchase of sections and the building of houses. PRISONERS WHO EARN. Replying to Mr. A. Hamilton (Wallace), the Hon. Sir William Herries said the position of old age pensioners earning money in addition to their pension would be considered when the Pensions Bill was before the House. It was all a question of how much they could take out of the Consolidated Fund.

THE ESTIMATES. FURTHER VOTES CONSIDERED.' The House then went into committee of supply to further consider the Estimates. On the voto for State Forests ( £142,044), the Minister said the new director was getting acquainted with details and his work promised to be valuable to the country. The department had two prime duties in front of it—to look after existing forests, which were more extensive than peoplo realised, and to set apart land for forestry purposes. At least .two million acres ought to be utilised for afforestation. The Minister said the question of the site for the School of Forestry had not yet been decided. The vote was passed. The State Coal Mines (£282,192); Land for Settlements (£11,331); Public Trustee ( £190,557); State Fire Insurance ( £81,770); State Advances ( £579,175); Native Land Settlement (£4182); and Discharged Soldiers' Settlement ( £25,000), were all passed in a few minutes. The next class was the War Expenses Account (£3,416,700. The Hon. Sir William Herries said that with the exception of some accounts which were in dispute with the Imperial authorities this was the last amount that would require to be voted. The vote was passed. The Housing Vote (£709,117) was passed. The Nauru and Ocean Island Account ( £600,000) was the next vote considered, the Labor Party protesting against the mode of taking the Island over. The vote was passed. The Scenery Preservation Account (£14,111) was passed without discussion. This completed the .passing of the Estimates, and the House rose at 12.23 a.m. till 7.30 p.m. on Monday.