PARLIAMENT AT WORK

Taranaki Daily News, 9 October 1928, Page 11

PARLIAMENT AT WORK

RENT RESTRICTION EXPIRES UNIVERSITY BILL AMENDMENTS. NEW POWERS FOR MINISTER. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last 7' ; <»ht, Replying to Mr. P. Fraser in the House of Representatives to-day, the Hon. R. A. Wright said it was not intended to reenact the Rent Restriction Act that session. Cabinet had carefully considered the matter and had come to the conclusion that if a Bill passed the House it would not pass the Legislative Council. Therefore the introduction of re-enacting legislation would be only a waste of time. Moreover, it was felt that the need for legislation had passed away, but if necessary the matter would be further considered.

By Governor-General’s message further amendments to the New Zealand University Amendment Bill were introduced. The Minister of Education explained that the amendments provided for increased finance to the universities. The finance of the universities had been examined by an expert, and there was no doubt they were in need of assistance. Students had greatly increased in numbers but the staffs had not been increased, and this must be done. Assistance was also to be given special schools. The addition to the grants amounted to between £9OOO and £lO,OOO. This might not be very much, but he felt sure it would be greatly appreciated by the various college councils. The following local Bills were put through their final stages and passed: The Christchurch District Drainage Amendment Bill, the Tumu-Kaituna Drainage Board Empowering Bill, the Motueka Borough Council Library Bill, the Christchurch Hospital Amendment Bill, the Auckland War Memorial Museum Maintenance Bill, the Napier Borough and Napier Harbour Board Enabling Bill, the Wairarapa Electric-Power Board Empowering Bill, the Wellington Citv Empowering Bill and the Papanui Memorial Hall Management Bill. When the House resumed at 7.30 pan. the Finance Bill and the Religious Charitable and Educational Trust Amendment Bill were introduced by Governor-Gen-eral's message and read a first time. THE MEASURE EXPLAINED. The Minister of Education moved the committal of the New Zealand University Amendment Bill. He explained that the Bill fixed the subsidy to be paid on voluntary contributions to a university or to constituent colleges at £25,000. Clause 3 was contentious. It gave to the Minister the right of veto on new chairs proposed to be established. This veto was asked for because chairs might be established which were duplications and of very little use in other respects, and it was to check this waste that this power of veto was asked for. He, however, was prepared to include provision in the Bill that where the State was not called on to pay any part of the salary, etc., the right of veto would not lie with the Minister. It was proposed in future not to fix the sum payable by the State annually for the general purposes of the New Zealand University, the object of the new provision being to leave open the amount to be appropriated each year. At present the sum is fixed at £4OOO. The value of University National Scholarships was to be increased. Instead of £2O a year holders would receive £25 in addition to the amount allowed by the Minister for tuition fees, and £35 instead of £3O when the student is obliged to pursue his studies away from his home town. The qualification of candidates for bursaries was widened to persons who have been resident in New Zealand for three years immediately precedin'- t'..e award of the bursary.

The Bill further provided that professors at Canterbury Agricultural College should be professors of the university. Vice-chancellors were to be eligible for membership of the University Council, and power was to be given the council to appoint a pro-chancellor. The power of the council to grant the degree of bachelor or master of agricultural science is to be abolished, and the degree of architecture is to be substituted. On the recommendation of the academic board, on which representatic. was to be given the professorial staffs of the Massey and Canterbury Agricultural Colleges, the council was to have authority to grant the honorary degree of doctor of laws, doctor of science, detor of literature and doctor of music. “AT MERCY OF MINISTER.” Mr. M. J. Savage said the tendency of the Bill was to bring the university under the control of th© Minister. This was not altogether new, but in this measure it was most pronounced. He was seeking to control the chairs, and instead of giving the university a statutory grant of money they were now to have an annual appropriation, which meant that the university would be at the merey of the Minister. Mr. P. Fraser said the principle of placing the university under the direct control of Parliament was distinctly a bad one and might open the way to serious abuses. It was most important that men in high educational stations should have perfect freedom and independence. The Minister, in reply to the debate, said it was not proposed to interfere with the teaching. All he said was that if the university wanted to establish a new chair and asked the Government to pay for it the Government should at least have a voice in the matter. There were two chairs of forestry in New Zealand and the country could not afford to keep them going, because the country could not absorb more than one forestry expert per year. What, then, was the good of two such chairs 1 Otago had established a chair of ethnology, the use of which he very much doubted, because he did not think there would be many students for the study of “Maori heads.” The subsidy of local bodies to the W.E.A. was not affected by the Bill, but the W.E.A. movement would as a result get an additional subsidy of about £6OO per year. There were many clauses in the Bill useful to the university, and he hoped it would be passed without opposition, NEW PROVISIONS ADDBD. I The House then went into committee on the Bill. On clause 4 Mr. Fraser called for a division, but as a result the clause was retained by 33 to 16. The other clauses were then passed without opposition, and the following new provisions were added on the motion of the Minister: — 6a (1) The Minister of Finance shall, in each year, without further appropriation than this section, pay out of th© ordinary revenue .account of the Con-

solidated Fund to the four constituent colleges, of the university, th© sums named below: — (a) To th© Auckland University College, in addition to th©' sum of £4OOO payable pursuant to the Auckland University College Act, 1882, the sum of £9750, of which a sum of £1250 shall be applied for the purpose of the school of architecture of the college.

(b) To Victoria University College, in addition to the sum of £4OOO payable pursuant to the Victoria College Act, 1905, the sum of £7750. (c) To Canterbury College, the sum of £6OOO, of which £4500 shall be applied for the purposes of the school of engineering of the college. (d) To the University of Otago the sum of £15,350, of which £6OOO shall be applied for the purposes of the medical school of the university, £l5OO for the purposes of the dental school, £lOOO for the purposes of the home science school, and £350 for the purposes of the mining school. (2) This section is in substitution for section 31 of the New Zealand University Amendment Act, 1914, and that section and section 3 of the New Zealand University Amendment Act, 1919, and section 43 of the Finance Act, 1920, are hereby repealed accordingly. (3) This section shall be deemed to have come into force on. April 1, 1928. The Bill was then read a third time and passed. The amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Motor Vehicles Insurance (third party risks) Bill and in the Municipal Corporations Amendment Bill were agreed to. The Prime Minister intimated that there would be brought down later ou a small amendment to the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bill, validating the agreement come to between the sheepowners and shearers. The I.C. and A. Aet provided only for a three years’ agreement, whereas those concerned desired to euter into a five years’ agreement on a sliding scale, i.e., as prices advanced wages would increase, and as prices fell wages would be reduced. The House then went into committee of supply to consider the Supplementary Estimates. :'•■ " ' •: 1 (Left sitting.) -