Local Body Report Before House Soon YESTERDAY’S DEBATES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 90, Issue 166, 19 July 1946, Page 5

Local Body Report Before House Soon YESTERDAY’S DEBATES

(Press Association) PAKLIAMENT BLDGS., July 18. The House of Representatives would discuss Ihc Parliamentary Select Committee's report on Local Government within the next few days, the Prime .Minister, Mr. P. Fraser, stated in the House to-day in reply to a question by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. S. G. Holland. A number of questions were asked concerning' reduction of local body costs, and a large part of the afternoon debate centred on the Government’s policy towards primary producers.

In a notice of a question to the Minister of Finance, Mr. J. T. Watts (Opp., Riccarton) asked whether, in view of Mr. Fraser’s recent announcement that the Labour Party’s policy was not to interfere with the present system of hospital rating, the Minister would consider the possibility in lhe forthcoming Budget of removing all sales tax and Customs duty from machinery and appliances imported into New Zealand for hospitals and used in the alleviation of suffering, and so make some attempt to reduce the burden of hospital rating from all ratepayers. Mr. Watts said that he had seen a Bill rendered to a hospital hoard for importing theatre operating lights which showed the cost of the appliance at £399 19s 6d, and duty and sales tax at an additional £215 14s 4d, or 54 per cent, on the cost.

Mr. J. B. F. Cotterill (Govt.., Wanganui) gave notice to ask the Minister of Finance whether, in view of the heavy interest, burden on local body loans, he would give consideration to finding ways and means of financing such loans at nominal rates of interest. Mr. Cotterill said that in a recent referendum conducted by postal ballot by the Wanaganui Electors’ Association 6000 ballot papers were issued. Of the replies 2304 favoured the city debt beina taken over by the Bank of New Zealand at one per cent, and 113 were against, the proposal. Mr. A. J. Murdoch (Opp., Marsden) said that the Governor-General’s speech consisted of 416 lines of nothing but words. It was a pity the Government had handed the GovernorGeneral such a budget of words which gave no indication of the Government's intentions for this session. Nor had the Prime Minister given the House any information concerning his trips abroad, but in his Address-in-Reply speech had dragged up “old grey mares” again. However, at the end of next October the National Party would make an announcement which would give them 100 per cent, support at the polls. Mr. Murdoch, referring to the abolition of the country quota, said it appeared that the members for Thames, Roskill, Eden and Waimarino had been hoist with their own petard, and the chief Government Whip’s intention to go to Mount Albert seemed to indicate that he had not much interest in his present constituency. He considered that the housing problem would be one of the deciding factors at the election and added that there was no foundation in statements by Government. Members that the National Party would sell State houses. The position was that purchase would be optional. CHANGING OF SEATS

Mr. A. G. Osborne (Govt., Onehunga) said that 75 per cent, of the Roskill electorate had gone into Mount Albert electorate, and the member for Roskill was simply moving into the major portion of that electorate. The Opposition had been very silent about the member for Riccarton. Not one acre nor one person from Riccarton would be in the St. Alban’s electorate. The less said by the Opposition about members changing seats the better because the Leader of the Opposition had also made a change. What was going to happen to the member for Wallace? There was a suggestion of compulsory retirement here.

Mr. Thorn, replying, said that Opposition members had quite failed to reply seriously to the statements and arguments of Government speakers. Mr. E. B. Gordon (Opp.. the previous night had tried to make, it appear that the Government had ruined the primary producers who, he claimed, were operating on 1946 costs but receiving only 1938 prices. That allegation was quite incorrect, declared Mr. Thorn.

In 1943 the Government had appointed a Dairy Industry Cost Adjustment Committee, which was given the task of determining how best to take costs back to the 1938-9 level. The committee included three leading representatives of the dairying industry, and it reported unanimous l ” that its recommendations, if given effect to, would provide a complete settlement of dairying industry costs. The Government had accented the report in toto, and put all its recommendations into effect.

The price of dairy produce in August, 1943, was raised as suggested by this committee as necessary to cover all the increased costs which the dairy industry had experienced since 19389. The total additional payment to meet this adjustment was about £1,700,000. Since then there had been another increase so substantial that companies were paying Is 9d for butter-fat.

Opposition voices: Cheese factories. Mr. Thorn: No, that is the payment made by a butter-producing factory. BI LK PAYMENTS

Mr. Thorn said that the Opposition had alleged that the Government had confiscated the United Kingdom Government’s hulk payments to lhe farmers of New Zealand. That allegation was utterly without foundation or fact, and had been repudiated publicly by the loaders of the primary producers. He said that since 1939-40 lhe total of farmers’ subsidies that had been paid from the War Expenses Account and Consolidated Fund had amounted to £17,397,000, of which £6,852,000 had been recouped from the Dairy and Meat Stabilisation Accounts. Th»’ difference of £10.000,000 had been paid from the War Expenses Account and Consolidated Fund. Il was incorrect to suggest that the Meat and Dairy Stabilisation Pools had been called on to meet the bulk of farmers’ subsidies since 1939-10.

Replying to allegations made concerning the wheat, growing industry, Mr. Thorn said that neither lhe Government nor the farmers deseived

abuse being poured on them by the Opposition. He gave the average acreage and yield for the 10 yearly periods since 1900 as: 1901-10, acreage 223,000, yield 7.000,000 bushels; 1911-20, 230,000 and 6.250,000 bushels;

1921-30, 231.000 and 7,250,000 bushels; 1931-40, 243.000 and 7,500,000; and for the five-year period, 1941-46, 241,00" acres and 8.000,000 bushels. Production was higher in lhe wat years and there had been no decline as alleged, said Mr. Thorn, who concluded lhe debate at 4,25 p.m.

( HANGED HOURS FOR HOUSE. An announcement that the House would meet at 2.30 p.m. on Monday, and that alternate long and short silting weeks would be observed until transport facilities enabled a resumption of normal Parliamentary hours was made by Mr. Fraser in the House of Representatives to-night. Other speakers contributed to the second reading debate on the New Zealand Geographic Board Bill. The Minister of Lands, Mr. C. F. Skinner, replying to the debate, said he appreciated the unanimity the House had shown toward the Bill, and agreed that the New Zealand Geographic Society should have lhe right to nominate one member to lhe board. The Bill was amended to give effect to this change, and was then put through all stages and passed. NASSELLA TI’SSOC’K BILL. The Minister of Lands, Mr. Skinner, moved the second reading of the Nassella Tussock Bill. He said it might appear somewhat drastic, but drastic problems required drastic measures. The degree of infestation in Canteibury and Marlborough was very high. Nassella had been in New Zealand for some time, but no clear-cut picture of the steps which should be taken to combat it had been formulated until this Bill was prepared.

One of the most important combat ive measures, said Mr. Skinner, was for every farmer to be able to recognise nassella tussock and destroy it when it occurred on his farm. It was very similar to our native tussock, hut a very poor fodder, which stock would not touch unless forced to.

Several members representing districts most affected, stressed the serious nature of nassella infestation, but Mr. C. M. Williams (Govt.. Kaiapoi) said no good could come of panicky statements suggesting that New Zealand’s farmlands might be ruined by nassella. Nassell tussock was no menace on good agricultural country*. It occurred largely on land of low productive capacity.

Nassella might be Nature’s reply to soil erosion, for it. came first on land which had deteriorated through overstocking or burning.

The debate was interrupted at 10.30 p.m., when the House adjourned until 10.30 a.m. to-morrow.