PARLIAMENT

Wairarapa Daily Times, 5 September 1936, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

STATE EXPENDITURE In the House of Representatives yesterday a full day was devoted to further consideration of the estimates of departmental expenditure. Particular attention was given to the question ot broadcasting. _ T The Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. M. J. ■Savage, as Minister in Charge ot Broadcasting, made it clear that th Government intended to go in for ad: vertising over the air. It was intended to put radio service into every home, he said, but there was no intention to inflict all Parliamentary speeches on radio listeners. The Government would not control programmes, but when politicaAiebates were to be broadcast the broafjisting authority would be consulted. . Good progress was made on the various sections of the Estimates and it L appears that the full list will be disi posed of by the end of next week. The most important outstanding class is the Working Railways Account. This subject contains good talking points for all parties. , The House adjourned at 0.30 until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.

P. AND T. 40-HOUR WEEK. An announcement that the 40-hour week was now in operation in the Post and Telegraph service was made by the Postmaster General (Hon. F, -Jones), when the. Estimates of the department were under discussion m the House of Representatives yester“lt will be some time before. the whole of the staff will be working a 40-hour week,” said the Minister, “because we are having some difficulty m training the additional men required. Those who are working more than 40 hour«a week will be paid overtime, but ■we Vfc going ahead as quickly as possibluwith the training of the additional men, as we want, to cut out overtime work.”

“LIKE A MORGUE.” '“When I came into office Government House, Wellington, was more like a morgue than a vice-regal residence,” said the Minister of Public Works (Hon. R. Semple), during a discussion jon the public works maintenance estimates in the House of Representatives yesterday. GWhen I took over the portfolio of Public Works I was invited by his Excellency the Governor-General, Viscount Galway, to inspect Government House,” said Mr Semple. “I was amazed at what I saw, for it was then in a very, dilapidated condition. Paper was hanging from the walls, some of the curtains were in shreds, the chimneys were dangerous and the heating system was antiquated. “J asked my engineers to go into fheßßhole question of improving the building, ’ ’ added the Minister, and as a result it has been improved by 50 per cent. It is not bad now, and we intend to improve the grounds, in the near future.”

COOK ISLANDS FRUIT j',A number of recommendations to tie l Government with the object of improving the fruit industry in the Cook Islands and the marketing of the fruit in New Zealand are contained in the report of the Parliamentary delegation which recently visited the Cook Group. The more important are as follow: — The whole of the fruit trade of the islands- should be under the personal supervision of a director of agriculture or general manager, who should have full powers to carry out Government policy and general control of the industry. ' . . A citrus expert should be appointed to the staff under the direction of the director of agriculture. A long-term. . citrus planting plan should be inaugurated, to be developed with the growing of crops on afcing trees in order to avoid a disturbance of growers’ incomes. A central packing shed and cool store should be established at Rarotonga to replace the existing seven district native packing sheds. Negotiations should be entered into between the Government and the New Zealand merchants to dispose of the fruit at an "agreed on fair price.’’ The improvement in the quality of fruit exported, together with the improved shipping, should enable merchants to pay a higher price than at present. Such negotiations should include provision for marketing in New Zealand at regulated prices, with provision for adequate payment for all useful services rendered, and should result in a substantial reduction in the New Zea-

land; retail price of fruit to the public, ■jittie report mentioned that in view fact that a commission is at inquiring -into the system of marketing fruit in New Zealand, the delegation took opportunity to confer with the commission. It was proposed, at the conclusion of the inquiry, to separate and a joint report covfor the future disposal of Cook Islands fruit in the New Zealand market.

The disparity in shipping, charges on Cook Islands bananas to southern ports compared with the charges on Samoan and Niue bananas is commended to the Government for investigation. .