PARLIAMENT

Waikato Times, Volume 117, Issue 19545, 6 April 1935, Page 9

PARLIAMENT

YESTERDAY’S SITTING, THE SESSION CONCLUDED. MOTOR VEHICLES BILL PARSED. (By Telesrapn.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Friday. The House of Representatives met at 10.30 a.m. The Minister of Finance, Mr Coates, who moved the second reading of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill, sa}d the whole question of licensing farmers’ vehicles would come up next session. The present situation wa>3 not at all satisfactory. The .Billapplied largely to Christchurch. \ Mr E. J. Howard (Labour—Christchurch South) protested against the Christchurch Tramway Board having to pay petrol tax on its trolley- buses ’which were run by electricity and which ran on only about a quarter of a mile of main highway. In addition the Board paid the heavy vehicle tax, and had to maintain 72 miles of road, hut used no petrol. The position, he claimed, affected all' cities, 1 as they would all. probably ultimately use that form of conveyance. The Christchurch City Council received portion of the petrol tax to maintain roads, but the ■Board received nothing, and he claimed the Board should not have to pay petrol tax. He warned city members that if they wished to improve their formof tramway traction they, would come, under that form of. taxation. The Bill was read-a second time. Mr Howard again made a protest in committee.

Mr Coates said. the petrol tax was Vased on the .mileage, oovered and trackless trams ' were using the highways., •

The Bill was put through the committee stage ; without - amendment, 'arid read a third time and passed. The House then adjourned till the ringing of the hells,.

A RECORD SESSION. LONGEST IN HISTORY. 72 ACTS PASSED. (By Telegraph.—Special to Times.) WELLINGTON, Friday. The session of v Parliament ' which concluded this afternoon -covered the longest period over which any session in the history of New Zealand has lasted, and in addition provided the greatest number of sitting days for any one session since the establishment of the institution. The actual sitting hours, however, do not constitute a record. In statistical terms,-the total length of the session, Which, began on June 28, 1934, and terminated this afternoon, was 282 days, which include -the adjournment 'from 'November 10, 1934, to the resumption on February 13 last. The sitting days totalled 113, and the sitting hours numbered 718, comprising 682 before midnight, and 35 after that hour.

The passage of 53 public acts, .14 local acts and five private acts, comprised- the legislative output of the session, but although numerically the result is not impressive, some ,of the measures included in the programme are among the most important yet passed by a New Zealand Parliament. They include: The Agriculture (Emergency Powers), Act, the Mortgage Corporation of New Zealand Act, the Rural Mortgagors Final Adjustment Act, the Special Companies legislation, the Broadcasting Amendment Act, and legislation providing for the licensing of commercial air services. Taken to the legislative shambles for the annual “ slaughtering of innocents ” were approximately 40 public ■blll-s, including two promoted by the ■Prime Minister, and nine local bills, including the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Act Repeal Bill, and the Auckland Provincial Water Board Bill.