PASSED BY THE HOUSE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19993, 9 November 1927, Page 9

PASSED BY THE HOUSE

POST AND TELEGRAPH BILL LONG DISCUSSION IN COMMITTEE (Par Pfmb AMoelation.) WELLINGTON, Nov. 8. The House of Representatives tonight went into committee on the Post and Telegraph Amendment Bilk On clause 16, providing that the Minister of Finance might fix different rates of interest in respect of different amounts deposited by the same or by different depositors, Mr P. Fraser (Wellington Central) raised the question as to how the Minister proposed to use the power he was taking. He maintained that the Minister would drive money away from the Post Office Sav-

ings Bank to the trading banks. The Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Downie Stewart) said it was an unprofitable business for the Savings Bank to hold large deposits at call, and they wanted to be in a position ot control the amounts deposited. That was all there was in the clause.

Sir Joseph Ward (Invercargill) agreed that deposits of £5OOO at call were too large and should never have been taken. After considerable discussion on these lines the clause Ves agreed to.

Exception was taken by Mr E. J. Howard (Christchurch South) to the heavy fines imposed in clause 18, and he also urged that license fees for crystal sets should be reduced to ss.

The Minister said he would go into the question of a reduction of license fees with the Broadcasting Company. The clause was agreed to. Exception was taken by Mr M. J. Savage (Auckland West) to clause 20, which vests in the Governor-General in Council the appointment of certain officers of the Department. There was, he said, some concern in the P. and T. service about it. The Minister said the clause was intended to bring about uniformity in the public service. The Post and Telegraph service was growing rapidly and provision had to be made to meet that extension. Tho head or rne Department should know who should be promoted in the Department. The clause was agreed to. The Bill was then reported without amendment, read a third time and passed.