FOUR NEW BILLS

Taranaki Daily News, 15 October 1934, Page 7

FOUR NEW BILLS

DAIRY REPORT AWAITED PRESENTATION THIS WEEK ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE UNEMPLOYMENT CHANGES (By Wire—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Last Night. Another variation in the Government’s plans for completing the work of the session appears to be inevitable in view of the programme of legislation and accumulation of work outlined by the ■Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, to-day. Mr. Forbes said that at least four new Government Bills would be submitted to the House next week. There would be the Cinematograph Film Amendment Bill, which gave effect to the recommendations of the parliamentary committee, and the Unemployment Amendment Bill, which translated the Budget proposal to extend the wages tax exemption to persons under the age of 20 years and the removal of other anomalies. These included raising the special exemption for women’s unearned income from £2O to £5O and the right to elderly people with incomes not exceeding £2 a week to declare their exemption. Another Government Bill would be an amendment to the Public Works Act. This would deal, among other matters, with the vesting in the Crown of lakes formed as a result of hydro-electrical developments. The fourth measure would be an alteration to counties and river boards legislation governing the powers of those authorities in relation to special rating areas. A further Finance Bill would also be introduced. LENGTH OF THE . SESSION. In reply to questions, Mr. Forbes said it seemed impracticable with the legislation ahead and the reports of the dairy, native affairs and company commissions in view, to hope to complete the work of the session by the end of the month. No decision had yet been reached about the date of the adjournment, and none could be made until the full effect of the recommendations of the Dairy Commission was known.. Probably it would be found advisable to ask the House to pass urgent legislation and then to adjourn until early next year. The issues involved were of such great importance that the Government could not consider rushing them -through, the House. It was essential that the country should have time to consider and deliberate upon the proposals so that the best arrangement' could be made to assist the dairy industry. The report of the Dairy Commission will be presented to Parliament next week. It is now in the hands of the Government printer, whose staff is working overtime to complete the printing of the document, which it is understood is voluminous. The final report of the Companies Commission is also in the hands of the Government printer and will be presented to tire House shortly. It is a document of considerable length and contains, it is stated, recommendations for amendments to the existing law. No word has yet been received by the Government concerning the report of the Native Affairs Commission, which under the terms of the warrant should be in the hands of the Government on October 20. '

“We have been waiting for these reports for months,” said Mr. Forbes this afternoon. “We expected we would have the Dairy Commission’s report before we dealt with the Budget, but it has taken until now to get it. For more than half the session we have been Waiting for something in the nature of an avalanche of legislation, but we could not do anything without these reports.”