PARLIAMENT

Wairarapa Daily Times, 10 December 1937, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

ADJOURNMENT TO-DAY TXLL Ist MARCH. Although the House of Representatives will meet to-day to receive Bills from the Legislative Council, the business of the session before the adjourn-. Ament for the mid-summer recess was virtually completed last night. . An announcement that Parliamen would resume on Ist March after t e midsummer recess was made by the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, in the House of Representatives just before the House adjourned at midnight at the conclusion of yesterday s four Bills, the Petroleum Bill, Bog Registration Amendment Bill Agricultural Workers Amendment Bill! and State Advances Corporation Amendment Bill, were accorded second readings, put through the remaining stages and passed. ' When the Petroleum Bill was before the House earlier in the week the Opposition moved an amendment that a proportion of the royalties be paid to owners of land where there was petroleum, but this was withdrawn and the Bill allowed to proceed in its original form, following an assurance by the Minister of Mines, Hon. P. C. Webb, that there would be an opportunity to discuss the whole question of the distribution of royalties during .the second half of the session. The Minister also promised to meet the East Coast Maoris and to hear any representations from other interested parties before prospecting licences were issued. All sections of the House expressed ■approval of the Dog Registration Amendment Bill, which is designed to the spread of hydatids among dogs. The Minister of Health, Hon. P. Eraser, stated that -some striking posters had been prepared as. part of the propaganda campaign against the. disease. Members expressed the opinion that the proposals in the Bill would go a long way toward minimising the incidence of the disease. State housing activities were criticised by members of the Opposition during the debate on the State Advances Corporation Amendment Bill. Moving the second reading, the Minister of Finance, Hon. W. • Nash, said there was nothing the Government would not do to provide houses for rural workers if it could get priority in the case of mortgaged properies. The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Adam Hamilton, said it was doubtful whether the State could do better than private enterprise with proper encouragement. The State, he said, had entered into unfair competition with builders. The House adjourned at midnight. WATERFRONT DIFFICULTIES. fIL The possibility that a suggestion of .Waterfront difficulties might have pre--5 vented Japan from operating at New Zealand wool sales was raised by the Et. Hon. J. G. Coates (Opposition, Kaipara), in an urgent question addressed to the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, in the House of Representatives yesterday. The Prime Minister, in his reply, said there was no reason to fear any difficulty in that direction. Mr Coates said he had received an urgent communication from the South Island asking him to ascertain whether it was true that Japan could not operate at the Dominion wool sales because the Prime Minister was unable to give an assurance that wool for Japan would be loaded at New Zealand ports.

“Until the right honourable gentleman drew attention to this matter this morning,” said Mr Savage, “I had not heard of it. The Government is called on to do many things, but I think we ■will be able to measure up to this. I not in a position to say why Jap▼Jaese buyers are not operating at the New Zealand wool sales, but I see no reason in the wide world why they should have any fear whatever of any difficulty in having their wool loaded at ports. To ask any Government to guarantee the future is too much, but I see no reason at all why buyers should not operate freely.” Mr W. J. Poison (Opposition, Stratford) : The men refused to load tin for Japan. The Prime "Minister: This isn’t tin; this is wool. An Opposition member: They might refuse to load wool, too.