PARLIAMENT.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18693, 8 October 1930, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. By Telegraph—Pr^a WELLINGTON, October 7. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. to-day. Relief Works. The Hon. K. McCallum asked the Leader of the Council whether, in engagement of relief workers, the Government would insist that those who could obtain or had given up private employment at fair remuneration, would not be employed by the Government or local bodies. The Hon. R. A. Masters replied that only those urgently in need cf employment were given work on local body relief works subsidised by the Government, and that married men predominated. Nurses Bill. Resuming the debate on the Nurses and Mid wives Registration Act Amendment Bill, the Hon. J. A. Hanan said the Bill would prove a great source of danger to the Medical School at Dunedin. It would open a door that might lead to a lower standard of training. Mr Hanan denied that medical men were unanimously in favour of the Bill and said that the nurses were by no means convinced that the present reciprocal arrangement with Great Britain would be maintained. Sir James Allan resented any suggestion that in supporting the Bill he was doing something that was not in the best interests of the nurses. The position of the nurses was amply safeguarded on the Board. Sir R. H. Rhodes opposed the Bill, on the ground that he did not think it was required. When the Bill was in Committee, he proposed moving an amendment to ensure that the reciprocal arrangement was maintained. The Hon. V. Reed said the nurses had been very badly advised in their opposition to the Bill. They would have dene better to get together in an effort to improve the Bill, rather than set out to kill it. The Hon. J. B. Gow said a great question of public policy was involved in the Bill. The great body of nurses would prefer to see things left as they are. Replying to the debate, the Hon. R. Masters said the nurses took no exception to the Bill, so long as reciprocity was preserved. The Hon. A. S. Malcolm’s amendment that the Bill should be committed six months hence was defeated by 18 to 12. The division list was as follows: For the Amendment (12). Earnshaw Moore Fleming Rhodes Gow Scott Hanan Snodgrass Hawke Stewart Malcolm Thomson Against (18). Masters Lang Allen McGregor Buddo Mclntyre Carrington Reed Clark Smith Fagan Stevenson Garland Trevithick Hall-Jones Triggs Isitt Witty The Council adjourned at 5 p.m., until 8 p.m. EVENING SESSION. When the Legislative Council resumed at 8 p.m., the Hon. J. A. Hanan moved an amendment with the object of providing that before the Bill became operative the Board should make reasonable inquiries in regard to reciprocity. The amendment was defeated by 17 to 10. The Hon. J. B. Gow moved a further amendment, with the object of making it mandatory on the Board to revoke its approval of a private hospital as a training school if the number of beds in the hospital fell below a certain number. The amendment was defeated by 17 votes to 10. The Bill was read a third time and passed. The Council rose at 11 p.m. until to-morrow. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. By Telegraph— A>v^»iatlon WELLINGTON, October 7. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 to-day. Leave of Absence. Mr R. Semple was granted three days’ leave of absence on account of a death in his family. Local Bills. The Local Legislation Bill was reported from the Local Bills Committee without amendment. The same Committee, reporting on the Petone Railway Crossing Ramp Bill, stated that it involved an appropriation, and recommended that it should be held over till next session, to enable the local bodies concerned to negotiate with the Government. Bill Blocked. The Local Bills Committee, reporting on the Western Access Empowering Bill, which had been referred back to it for further consideration, stated that it had taken additional evidence from which it had become apparent that the opposition to the Bill was much more general than the Committee had previously been aware of. The Committee had also been informed that the Wellington City Council was not supporting the Bill. It therefore recommended that the measure should not be allowed to proceed. Mr C. H. Chapman, who originally introduced the Bill, said that while the decision of the Committee would be regretted by many, it would be applauded by an equal number. The effect of the adverse report on the Bill, which would probably result in its being dropped, would be that, instead of reverently transferring five or six hundred coffins from a cemetery, an alternative route for access to the city would have to be taken, which would involve the removal of half a dozen homes. Waimakariri Scheme. The Christchurch Electric Power and Loan Empowering Act Amendment Bill was reported from the Local Bills Committee with amendment. The remainder of the afternoon session was occupied with a discussion of Samoan affairs. The House of Representatives resumed at 7.30. The Estimates. Sir A. T. Ngata moved for urgency for the passage of the remaining clauses of the Estimates. He said the Government would not be unreasonable, and seek to get all the sixteen remaining clauses through, but it desired to make fair progress. Mr H. E. Holland called for a division on the motion, which was adopted by 43 to 19. Consideration of the Estimate of £390,000 for the Department of Agriculture was resumed. Mr A. Hamilton moved that the sum should "be reduced by £5. He said he did so as a protest against the vote

being £66,618 less than last year, whereas the estimates for a number of other departments had been ificreased. He contended that an industry of paramount importance, such as agriculture, should not be treated in this way. Mr W. L. Martin supported the remarks of Mr Hamilton, and added that dissatisfaction was widespread throughout the country concerning the services rendered by the Department. He considered that the Minister would be justified in setting up a committee to inquire into the efficiency of the Department. Mr W. J. Poison also supported the amendment, stating that the industry was more in need of assistance at present than ever before. Mr W. E. Parry appealed for encouragement for the Angora rabbit industry. Mr W. D. Lysnar said he could not join with others in complaining of the reduced vote. The Reform Party had allowed its Minister to underspend the vote to the extent of about £50,000, and now it was complaining because there was an effort to economise. He saw no room to complain so long as essential services were adequately provided for. The Hon. A. J. Murdoch said it was not possible to vote money for expenditure on agriculture, when it was not available. He regretted that it had been necessary to keep the Estimate down, but he hoped that the whole of the amount voted would be spent. Vote Reduced. Mr Hamilton's amendment was carried by 36 to 27, and the vote was reduced to £389,995. Following is the division list:— (For the amendment —36.) Ansell Linklater Barnard McKeen Bitchener MacMillan Burnett Martin Chapman Mason Dickie iJ. A. Nash Endean W. Nash Field Parry Fletcher Poison Hall Rush worth Hamilton Savage Henare Stewart H. E. Holland Sykes Howard Waite Jones Wilkinson Jordan Williams Kyle Wright Langstone Young (Against amendment—27.) Armstrong MacPherson Black Makitanara Broadfoot Munns Clinkard Munro Cobbe Murdoch de la Perrelle Ngata Donald O’Brien Hawke Smith Healy Stallworth? Hogan Sullivan Lysnar Taverner McCombs Vejtch McDonald Ward McDougall Replying to Mr W. E. Parry, the Minister said that the Department was not unsympathetic towards the Angora rabbit industry. There was a certain amount of difficulty in some districts where there were Rabbit Boards, but he thought it would be found that permits had been granted in practically every case in which application had been made. Mr W. J. Poison urged that the Department should take a lead in advancing the interests of the cheese industry. He stated that the whole future of the industry was in the melting pot. Mr H. M. Rushworth asked whether the Minister could lift the veil enshrouding the Supplementary Estimates. Was provision to be made for some of the items that were not fully provided for in the main Estimates? If this were not so, he suggested that the Minister himself might vote for the amendment. Such an action would have a tremendous effect on Cabinet. (Laughter). Mr H. S. S. Kyle submitted that in view of the quarantine regulations at Home and here, it should now be possible to open our ports to stock. Animals would be under supervision for at least three months, and he did not think any trace of foot-and-mouth disease would pass undetected. The embargo had been lifted in Australia, and he could not see why it should not be lifted in New Zealand. It might in that event be advisable to make the regulations a trifle more stringent. There was need for new blood in New Zealand. Mr D. Jones said he hoped the Minister and the Government would take into serious consideration the result of the division on Mr Hamilton’s amendment. It was urgent at the present time that the farmers’ position should be reviewed. The industry should be given every ounce of assistance possible ,and he hoped the vote would be increased. The Hon. A. J. Murdoch: “Where are you going to get the money from?” Mr Jones: “If I were there I would get it.” Continuing, Mr Jones said there were a number of other Departments in which the pruning knife could be applied with less disastrous results than in Agriculture. The amended estimate for the Department of Agriculture was passed at midnight. A sum of £525 for the Nauru and Ocean Islands Account was granted without discussion. When the vote of £IIO,OOO for the Customs Department was under consideration, Mr W. R. Stewart raised the question of duty on band uniforms, and cited the case of Highland dress, which he submitted should be admitted free. The Hon. J. G. Cobbe said the policy of the Department was that New Zealand goods should, in every case, be protected, and there was no reason why the uniforms should not be manufactured locally. The Customs Estimate was passed. p A rr. V ? te of . £17 ’ 10 . 8 for the Department or External Affairs was passed without discussion, and the Estimates of £172,000 for the Department of Lands and Survey £4°, 000 for Discharged Soldiers Settlement Account £14900 for Settlement Account, and £2soo'for Scenery Preservation were rapidly disposed of.

A vote of £55,000 for the Valuation Department was passed; also votes of £393,509 for the State Forests Account and £SBOO for the Crown Law Office The House rose at 1.14 a.m. till 2 30 to-day.