LENGTH OF THE SESSION

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21413, 4 March 1935, Page 12

LENGTH OF THE SESSION

Better Progress Last Week IMPORTANT BILL NOT YET READY [.-":•'::. Our Parliamentary Peporter.l WELLINGTON, March 2. '!"..• icnr.ih of the present session ; ■-..!; upon to speculation, but the ;.:.; re.-.-:'in is deepening that Par- ; ..:r.e:.*. .ill have to sit almost until \ , <-,(.; , f ihe month to complete <j ■.'.. •.■:•.•.ii:cp.t's legislative pro- ;-..;:,...-. Fit more than a fortnight *'.r :.:• Corporation Bill has ;.«■■ ~:.-'iir M/rutiny in the House c: fh pre: ematives. I:. the initial stages the House ■ ...... >;'-•:■;:.:l'.cd to sit normal hours, hai more recently, by securing ur-•„-r:-.'-y ami hv extending the sitting mmrs .-lightly, the Government has :ec.;.-vd better progress. Nevertheless, the Government has not been t >o anxious to force the pace, for the Pairal Mortgagors and Tenants Final Adjustment Bill, companion to the Mortgage Corporation Bill, is :-■:!! not ready for presentation. The ■;,tter measure was drafted by an . h.-uje expert, while the staff of the frown Lav.- Drafting Office was coni r-!.trat;:i;; r,n the Companies Bill and ioe Mortgage Corporation Bill, and . r,.AY being .subjected to the scrut;:.v of official experts. It is under- :•./(! that the bill vet to come is mere complicated than the Mort.liatte Corporation Bill, and that it coals with a series of complex problems. When it will be introduced in "he House is not yet known, for it may be necessary to add further < lauses. It has even been suggested thai Parliament should be adjourned :oi- a lev/ days if necessary rather "han be obliged to mark time pending the appearance of the new bill. However, that course is not likely to be adopted. Broadcasting Bill If Ike second bill is not ready v. hen the Mortgage Corporation Bill has been passed, the Government will probably arrange for the Broadcasting Bill "to |be debated. '[ hat measure has been read a first t:rne. but the Government was not ; ; ..>:ious to proceed with it in the ab- .• once in Australia of the Postmaster- j General, the Hon. Adam Hamilton.

As Mr Hamilton will return to Wellington on Monday it will probably t,r; convenient for the Government i.. bring forward the bill for the ; jcond 'reading debate at the first favourable opportunity. Apart from" one clause, that dealing'with the effect on local body finance of the immunity of the corporation from rates and taxes on State mortgages transferred to it, ;::'.- Mortgage' Corporation Bill has i .Ti'-rgec almost unmodified from its most gruelling stages. The rating clause has yet to be discussed in (.-r.mittee. Quicker Progress The fight against the bill, which •.-.!.- j-.-onsified early in the week. :;.'.o: lost some of its vigour, and !•:• !■": :day many clauses were passed -..':il:<. ut a division being taken. ""!:"-■/_. brmging down amendments vo:e also content to accept a Vermel taken on the voices. It is pos- : iblc. then, that one more day will he aJi that is necessary for the comii'otion of the committee stages, but t= r>ro may be several third reading : : uteres "made with a view to plac- ':: g acleauately on record the.nature • ■""the changes it was sought to i. ■■'.:•■ to the bill. In :.s:.es-mg the remaining length <■: the .session, account has to be i.-.-.cn hi the promise given by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. J-"'.-rbe.') a lew days ago that an I'l-rjortunitv will be given to the liJu.se to 'discuss the British proposals for a long-term agreement on meat imported into the United Kingdom. It *vas expected that a White Paper, setting out the British proposals, would have been issued in London last week. It is known 'bat such action was contemplated, ;:• d the non-appearance of the Paper j.--. ascribed to the nature of New Zealand's reply, which stated plainly ihe Dominion's objections to the Ir-w .scheme as inimical to the best interest of the New Zealand farm-

*-,g indium-. Until the texts of the iJri'ish proposals and the New Zea-jo-id replv have been published, it v ill be di'flicult and even dangerous : .r any public discussion to be held ":. the issues involved, and it is as-:-i;::icd that the Government will not T'-.-mh. the Question to be debated i" the House until the way has been properly cleared. Moat Negotiations Of c.ur.-:e, the nature of the prine.r/K-; involved has been revealed in' press cablcm'ams, but it is felt by the' Government that the full trend < i" the month:; of long negotiation : '",cu!d be revealed before the House <:-/l;ate< the subject. In the meantime, it is expected that it v.'jll be desirable for the Min--■.'.'.■r for Finance (the Rt. Hon J. G. Coatrs) to visit London within the ? ex* month or so if a decision is 2;.-: de to h<>kl a round table conference on tiie future meat policy. He ;: the; Minister best equipped through ability and knowledge to fii.cuss. the scheme for a long-term which must necessarily 1"- put into force as soon as the l-in'it-ter.m agreement expires in the Twiddle of the year. It will probably ::<-\ be possible to hold such a con-:>-:t:■]<■< until after the celebrations : o'jrf ctrd with the King's silver -•ih::er m Mav have been completed,

::.'] fc:- ti:;;t reason it is not cx-Tx-'-f-d that Mr Coates will need to .-••nve in London until June. A t nference before the jubilee ; -nctions lu..s been mooted, but Mr <';,":tes is handling so much import- : m legislation m the House that it ■v i::'i 'bo difficult to free him in time : ;■'■. Ap'-il enference. Even after i-> H"U'e riles. l;e is likely to be i •: .- lnaugwraiin;; the Mortgage f'r !:' ; .<>n scheme.

live members of the Mount y.dfrrt Borough Council attended a demonstration of a flame-throwing type of weed-removing device, ar-gc-d in one of the borough streets by a city firm a few mornings ago, Ji was discovered that neither the demonstrator nor any of the councillors could produce a match with v.Lich to light the device, all of them being non-smokers. "In these days it was remarkable to find six non-smokers together," remarked Mr S. E. Chappell, one of the party, •when reporting on the demonstration at a meeting of the council.