NOTES FROM THE GALLERY.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 15112, 22 December 1921, Page 5

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY.

"EXPIRING LAWS(From Our Correspondent.) PARLIAMENT BLDGS. Dec. 21. The. Expiring Laws Continuance Bill was produced and passed to-, day. It extends last year's Act until February 28 next. The effect of this is to allow time for rent re strictions and other matters, to be discussed by Parliament after the holidays. , CUSTOMS. Unimportant amendments to Customs Bill and Death Duties Bill were made by Governor-General s message. Tho Minister for . Customs told the House that negotiations wero proceeding between the New Zealand and Australian Governments regarding tariff, matters. Finality had not been leached, and he proposed, in itihe meantime, io keep Australia on tho general or foreign tariff. It was not correct that New Zealand was offering,Australia the British preference in return for similar NewZealand's preferential tariff Was much lower than tho corresponding tariff in Australia, and. the Government was seeking a fair arranger ment between the tJwo countries. LOCAL BODY FINANCE.

Small but important alterations were made to the Local Bodies Finance Bill, which was reported to the House to-day by the Public Accounts Committee. The bill, as introduced, placed a definite limit upon the .temporary borrowing powers of local bodies after March 31, 1922. It required the amount obtained on overdraft to be strictly in proportion to the revenue for the preceding financial year. The committee has deferred the operation of'the limitation to March 31, 1923. A similar postponement has been made in the case of the requirements that local bodies shall ascertain the extent of their indebtedness, report to the Minister for Internal Affairs, determine what is termed their "antecedent liability" and Inake arrangements for financing their obligations. New clauses introduced by the committee specifically remove the limitation-and, restrictions from occasions where a local body requires money to an exceptional amount, beyond its estimates, to repair damage done'by earthquakes, fire ! or other accidents. ADJOURNMENT. The Council and the House had both to wait at intervals while bills passed from' one chamber to the other. Late in the evening they reached the. end of- their work and soon after midnight the House adjourned until January 11.