BUSINESS OF PARLIAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 23 August 1930, Page 9

BUSINESS OF PARLIAMENT

DISCUSSION OF .. ESTIMATES CONTRIBUTIONS TO LEAGUE POLICY OF STATE ADVANCES By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. When the House of Representatives met to-day the Crimes Amendment Bill was received .from the Legislative Council and read a first time. The following Bills were introduced and read a first time: The Induetrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill (the Hon. >S. G. Smith); the Destitute Persons Amendment Bill (Mr. W. E. Barnard). Tn introducing the last-named .Bill Mr. Barnard said it was designed to enable needy people to proceed in the Magistrate’s Court for orders with respect to maintenance and alimony. He believed it had originally been intended that magistrates should also have power to make orders, but the phrasing of the statute was such that this could not be done. He added that by reason of their experience magistrates were especially fitted to deal with eases of the kind. The House went into committee of supply to deal with the Estimates. The vote of £13,900 for the Prime Minister’s Department was ‘considered first. Replying to questions, the Hon. G. W. Forbes said the different countries associated in the League of Nations were assessed for a certain proportion of the secretariat expenses. The total number of units was 986, of which New Zealand constituted 10, Australia ,27, the United Kingdom I'4o, Japan 60, Italy GO, and so on. The total budget for the secretariat expenses was roughly £1,000,000 a year, and £lO,lBO was estimated as New Zealand’s share. It might be more next year, as he understood the expenses were slightly larger. Possibly a further vote would have to be made in the Supplementary Estimates to make up the Dominion’s quota. The Prime Minister said in regard to the whaling industry that the threatened extermination of whales had b.l n the subject of a conference and it would be considered at the Imperial Conference. The necessity for some international agreement relating to the discharge of oil refuse from oil-burners would also be mentioned.

The vote wag passed, as were the estimate of £38,900 for the Treasury Department, £25,000 for the National Provident and Friendly Societies Department, and £81,291 for the State Advances Department.

While the State Advances vote was under discussion questions were raised as to the extent to which the Government was prepared to grant loans on properties. The Minister stated the policy of advancing to the extent of 95 per cent, on valuation had not been discontinued. The difficulty was that some applicants confused price with valuation, - and in some instances the valuer was not satisfied with the price that had been paid for the section on which a house was built.

Replying to Mr. Coates, Mr, Forbes said it was no*t the policy of the Government to stipulate that advances must be repaid if the property was sold. So far as he knew there nad been no instances of such stipulations having been made., The Speaker reported the result of the Invercargill by-election and the new member, Mr. Vincent A. Ward, was sworn in, Messrs. G. C. Black and C. H. Clinkard acting as sponsors.