PARLIAMENT

Wairarapa Daily Times, 8 December 1937, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

FIVE NEW BILLS I* ; ESTIMATES DISCUSSION. Five new Bills were introduced by r (Governor-General ’s Message in the [House of Representatives yesterday. * fTliese measures provide for the estab- ' [bshment of a New Zealand School of [Agriculture; the observance of the [Sovereign's Birthday as a public holijday on the first Monday in June during the reign of the present King; the (validation of regulations issued under [the Agriculture (Emergency Powers) „ [Act; the reconstitution of the Greyly ' Harbour Board; and amendments * [to the law relating to public health. An amendment to the Mining Amendment Bill dealt with by the House last [week was brought down under the Conjstitution Act. This reduces from 10 [per cent, to 5 per cent, the amount |Of goldfields revenue to be retained by [the Mines Department for collecting it jpn behalf of local bodies. After the new legislation had been introduced a start was made with the passing of the votes on the Supplementary Estimates, for which urgency iwas taken by the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage. Steady progress was made with these during the aftermoon, but an additional grant to the wheat industry of £30,000 in the Estimates of the Department of Industries jand Commerce gave rise to some discussion early in the evening. Opposition members complained about the price of [bread, and an amendment was moved by Mr S. G. Smith (Opposition, New Plymouth) to reduce the vote by £5 as a protest against the price charged for B - (that commodity. The Minister of In- ™ dustries and Commerce. Hon. D. G. Sullivan, said the vote was to cover the additional costs millers had to meet as [a result of new awards. . The amendment was lost on the voices. For the second time since the commencement of the session the Legislative Council sat at night. Most of the afternoon and all the evening sitting was occupied in discussion on the Primary Products Marketing Amendment Bill. Three divisions were taken, one on the second reading and two in committee, but the Bill was passed without amendment.

LATE SITTING. SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES PASSED BY HOUSE. WELLINGTON, This Day. The House of Representatives continued consideration of the Supplementary Estimates after midnight and, when considering the. Broadcasting Account, Mr H. S. S. Kyle (Riccarton) moved an amendment that the vote be jk reduced by £15,710, which was the on the supplementary estimates !o ' ; for the commercial broadcasting service, as a protest against duplication of the broadcasting service by the existence of the commercial service. The amendment was lost by 35 votes to 16 and the vote was passed. The Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash, was taken to task over the expenses of Mr Nash’s recent trip abroad, the Minister giving a detailed account of those expenses. The Supplementary Estimates were passed at 12.35 o’clock and the Appropriation Bill was introduced at 12.45 o’clock. It provides for a total amount of just over £54,000,000, the chief items being £19,970,848 from the Consolidated Fund, with £2,364,846 credits in aid; Public Works Fund, £10,076,902, with £1,795,410 credits in aid; Separate AccbuintS', £13,172,436, with £1,455,692; credits and accounts outside public funds, £4,923,722, with £246,310 credits. The Bill was put through all stages ■ and passed at 1.55 o’clock. W The State Advances Corporation Amendment Bill, which was introduced and read a first time, gives authority to make housing loans to power boards, lauthorises local bodies to invest sinking funds with corporation, removes the ineome limit governing amounts , of loans for housing, and gives the Minister of Finance authority to fix the rents of State houses. The House rose at 1 a.m. ■

REV. C. G. SCRIMGEOUR.. Attention to a recent broadcast address by the Director of the National Commercial Broadcasting Service, Rev. C. G. Serimgeour, was drawn by the Hon. 'C. J. Carrington (Auckland) in notice of a question to the Leader of the Legislative Council, Hon. a Mark Fagan', given in the Council yesterday. Mr Carrington is to ask: “Whether the Government is aware that on Sunday evening, 20th November, 1937, the Bev. Mr. Serimgeour, in the course of a broadcast address, advised listen- . ers to secure at once a copy of the book ‘The Martyrdom of Man,’ a book * which scoffs at and attacks Christianity, isome evidence of which is furnished by tbo following statement made by its author: ‘I undertake to show that the destruction of Christianity is essential to the interests of civilisation, and: also that man will never attain his full powers as a moral being until he has ceased to believe in a personal god and the immortality of the soul.’ And now that the nature of this book has been brought under the notice of the Government, will it take steps to remove the recent broadcasting ban against Christian clergymen desiring to defend Christianity against the attacks of a public servant or others using the State broadcasting service?” PRICE OF BREAD. A protest against the price of bread was made by members of the Opposition during the debate on the suppleißunentary estimates; of the Department y of Industries and Commerce, Tourist and Publicity in the House of Eepre-

sentatives last night. This took the form of an amendment to reduce the total vote of £39,120, by £5. The amendment was lost on the voices, no division being called for by the mover, 'Mr S. G. Smith (Opposition, New Plymouth). An explanation of an item of £30,000 for the wheat industry was sought by the Rt. Hon. G. W, Forbes (Opposition, Hurunui), and by Mr H. G. Dickie (Opposition, Patea). The latter pointed out that there was £150,000 provided for the wheat industry on the main estimates, and he asked if the additional grant was designed to keep down the price of bread. The Minister of Industries and Commerce, Hon. D. G. Sullivan: Yes. Mr Dickie: If that is the case I hope something is going to be done to keep down the price of fowl wheat. The grant of £30,000, said Mr Sullivan, was to .meet the increased cost to the millers. The sum would have been more properly described as assistance to the flour industry instead of a grant for the development of the wheat industry. The -millers had asked for an increase of 25/- a ton to meet the additional costs they had to meet through new,awards. After an exhaustive investigation the department had decided they were entitled to 5/- a ton, and the grant of £30,000 represented that sum.

keng’s birthday. Legislative provision for the observance of the King’s Birthday as a pub--lie holiday on the first Monday in June, instead of on 14th December, which is the actual date, is made in the Sovereign’s Birthday Observance Bill, which was introduced by GovernorGeneral’s Message in the House of Representatives yesterday. The Bill, also validates the observance of the King’s Birthday as a holiday on 9th June this year. The preamble to the Bill stated that “His Majesty has been graciously pleased to approve of the observance of his birthday on the first Monday in June in every subsequent year of his reign.” The remainder of the Bill merely gives full legal effect to the change, particularly as it applies to industrial legislation, awards and industrial agreements. The Bill was read a first time. SAFETY ON THE ROAD. The determination of the Government to get results from its campaign for road safety was expressed by the Minister of Transport, Hon. R. Semple, during the consideration of the supplementary estimates for the Transport Department in the House of Representatives last night. ' Various items in the departmental vote were queried by the. Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Adam Hamilton. Some proof should be given, he said, that value was being obtained for the money spent. - If expenditure on safety measures really resulted in the promotion of a higher degree of safety, there could be no quarrel with the. votes, even if they were twice as high, but it was only reasonable to examine the results from time to time. “The Leader of the Opposition is quite entitled to ask whether we are getting results,” said Mr Semple. “I can assure him that we are. The Transport Department is compiling complete statistics, and these show a steady improvement in the position as a whole. We are a long way off our goal yet, but we are progressing.”