PARLIAMENTARY NOTES

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18407, 14 August 1931, Page 6

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF. RELIEVING the POSITION. GOVERNMENT CONSIDERING. (Special to Times.) WELLINGTON. Thursday. “As already announced, the expenditure out of the Unemployment Fund is at the rate of £50.000 per week, which is the anticipated revenue derivable under the Amending Act of this year." said the Minister of Labour (the Hon. S. G. Smith), in the House of Representatives to-day tn replying to a question. "The money Is being allotted to tie various centres on the basis of registrations." continued the Minister, "but unfortunately the amount available to the board Is Insufficient, to enable work to be provided for all unemployed, even on the rationing sche.-'*. The various local committees, however, have been requested to arrange for the most necessitous cases to !-• given preference In the matter of work. Other proposals for relieving the position are now under consideration by the Government and the Unemployment Board." UNEMPLOYMENT BOARD. POSITION OF OLD BODY. (Special to Times.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. The Hon. W. Downle Stewirt (Deform—Dunedin West) gave notice In the House of Representatives to day to ask tile Minister of Labour wether it is a lact that the members of the old Unemployment Hoard were appointed for three years, and f so does the Government propose to compensate them for loss of fees if. v.'w of the fact that the members of the board made arrangements o.i assuming office. The Minister of Labour (the Hon. S. G. Smith): "They have no claim."

SPEECH BY RADIO. POLITICAL MATTERS BROADCAST. ATTITUDE OF GOVERNMENT. (Special to Times.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. The Leader of the Labour Party (Mr H. E. Holland) asked the Post-master-General In the House of Representatives to-day, whether the Government had taken any action In regard to the broadcasting of a speech by Mr A. C. Cameron, president of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, In which an attack was made on the British Government and the Australian and New Zealand Labour Parties. Mr Holland asked If the Government would give Instructions that political matter was not to be broadcasted, and that special privileges were not granted to political groups. The Postmaster-General (the Hon. .1. B. Donald) said an liquify was being made Into the whole matter. The Government had no Intention of grant* Ing special privileges.

A RAILWAY ANOMALY. FREIGHT ON BRIQUETTES. (Special to Times.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. Mr W. Lee Martin (LabourRaglan) in the House of Representatives this evening mentioned the coal carbonisation industry In the Waikato and said that while as far he knew the company which had established this valuable Industry was not seekinc assistance, the Government might very well look Into the question of railway rates. Briquettes manufactured by the company were made from coal slack, but because they were a manufactured article, the railway freight was much higher than upon coal. This was an anomaly which it was hard to understand and one that did not give much encouragement to the Industry.

This statement was supported by Mr W. E. Barnard (Labour—. Napier), who stated that the freight on briquettes from the Waikato to Napier was 14s a ton higher than th* freight on coal.