MINISTERS REPLY TO QUESTIONS

Chronicle (Levin), 1 August 1946, Page 6

MINISTERS REPLY TO QUESTIONS

-Press Association

Yesterday In The House

By Telegraph—

WELLINGTON, July 31. A discussion of Ministerial replies to questious! oeeupied tlio llouse of liepre sentatives 'this afternoon after the formal business lmd been disposed of. An iiulieation was given that the House will, toiuorrow, discuss tlie report of the Belect Coiiiinittee ou Loeal Government. Mr. w: Bullivan (Bay of Plenty) aud Mr. A. fc>. Butlierlaiid (Hauraki) gave nolice to ask the Minister iu charge of the War Assets Realisation Board, to take immediate steps to make available to transport operators, returned servicemen aud otliers, the uiotor vehicles uow held for disposal. The questioners saiu the praetice followed was appareutly that Government, departinents liad iirsl t'hoice of a vehiele and it would assist private operators if the Governiueut would speed up its seleetion. ilr. I). C. Kidd (Waitaki) gave notiee to ask the Minist'er of marketing what action lie proposed to take, in view of the large aceuinulations of wool storeJ in New Zealand, reganling the watersiders' refusal to load wool reeently sold to Bpain. Mr. Ividd asked the Minister to indieate " who decides to uhont we sliall seil our wool." llon. W. Nasli, answering AT r. Hulli ; van. said all prefabrieated paris oi j wouden army luits stacked at (Seaview ' I'ark, Petone, whieh could be used to ! make up eouiplete buildings, liad beer; I sold. Of the parts remaining there j w ero praetically no struetural parts toi i rooliug, 'wliile the supplies of doors aua ! windows had been exliausted. Paris | stiil available wero of very liglit con 1 struetiou and of little value in metro politan areas where by-laws would pro1 hibit tlieir use. Arrangenients were ' uow iu hand to ell'ect clearance by olfering suitable quantitics in lots ; eitlier oy teiuler or auctiou. ilr. Nash, repiying to Mr. J. T. Watts (Riccarton) said lliat wlien machinery and appiiances used iu hospitals for tlierepeutic and surgical purposes were not 'available economically from empirc countries, there was power under the Customs Ainendment Act, 1927, to 1 admit such goods for customs purposes : as if tliey w ere of British origin. Thenw as no corresponding power for u re , niission of the saies lax but tlie in cideiice of saies tax upon surgical up : paratus generally, w as at preseui | Under cousideratiou. In the inslaiiee / cited by ilr. Watts, oi' a liospitai j Board paying £215 lis Id in customs | duty and saies lax on apparatus costing j £39*9 19s (id, ilr, Nash said the Boaru would obtai'n a rebate of customs duty. ilr. Nash, answering ,J. 13. L. Colteril! (Wanganui) who had asked a question about ihiancing loeal body loans at nomiual rates of iuterest, said he coula appreciate that there was considerabk loeal support for the suggestiou timi Wanganui \s civie delvt sliould be re iiuanced at oue per cent. Mr. Nash said the' Goveninieut 's policv during tlu j past IU years, had been to reduce iu ; terest rates to a iiiinimuni and lhe\ j were at present lower tliun ever befbre j in tlie Dominion's history. It was p roI posed to coiHinue tliis policy. ! llon. 1). G. Lullivnn, repiying to i iliss Howard (Ghristchurch Last) -sai-1 i the l'rice Trilmnal had no knowledge j tlnit consiuuer goods were being lield up ! in factoiies, wareliouses aud sliops in j expertation of a rise in price. Tlie I Minister said it was not unders'looa •how auv suggestion of price increascs | had arisen as tlie Price Trilmnal hau reeently ordered that all itenis oi clothiug and d ra per v would be subject to price reductions from August. llon. 11. G- H. -Mason, repiying to Mr. W. d. Bloadfoot (Waitomo) said tlu Public (Service ('onimissioner was, in Ihe ue.\t issue of tlie public service oftjcial circular, inviting applicationi; I for the position of controller under the | .Mauri Sociai and Lconomic Advance j nient Act. | ilr. Mason, iu reply to Mr. Gliftou I Webli (Kaipara) said no lines imposed j on boo kina kers during the last l'oui years, had been remitted but two had ! been reduced. Lxtreme hardship, in j cluding illuess, familv responsibilities j lack of linaiicial means, lliat defendain i was operating in a small wuv and tlia: ! he was a lirsl on'ender, were in boih | instances tlie grounds upon whieh tlu Koyal prerogative of mercy was exer cised. llon. ,T. O'Brien, repiying to Mr Glifton Webb, said tlie refusal of sea j meu to take. colliers to sea at Westport, appeared to be a breaidi of tlie Indim , trial Poiiciliation and Arbitration Act. j l)d."), tuiti of tlie Strike arnl Lockou'-. J iMuergeucy Kegulations, ID.'ID. Wliile i the question of appropriate action wa.I being considered, the Government':- | elVorts lmd been devoted to maiutaiu ing tlie active operation of essentiat shipping and tlie cooperation of all con cenied had been given in pusliing m | with the li ealing and lighting of tlu j sliips. 1 Mr. O'Brien, answering Mr. W. if.. (.' ; Penham (Invercargill) said the steame. Maori was not condemiied by tlu Marine Deparlment as a steiuuship hui tlie own.ers decided it was uueeonomic to repair her for tlie inter-Island run The vossel was appareutly to be used for river |iassenger services in ('hina aiul the Marine Departineiit would en sure that the vessel was seaworthy be fore she was allowed to deparl undei her own steaui as was uow intended. " It. is not and never has been Ihe jiolicy of Ihe Goveniinent to 'put up eivil servauts' to make political •speeches, ' ' said Hon. B. Roberts answering Mr. \Vatls. The Jatter had asked wliether the .Minister approved tlu* action of Mr. Ross Lraser, Direclor of Marketing, in attending a nieeting | of cooperative societies at Palmerston North and making a political speech. ilr. Roberts said ilr. Ross Fraser was present at the confereuce in liis .oHicial capacitv and with tlie .Minister 's ap j pr ival spuke on ihe functioi s aud acu vities v.f ihe 1 iii »« •■(! ilaiketing ' Pivision. It v\ as tlie Governnient 's hiolicy to assist in every way ini]jroved 'aud ucW methods of focd. distribution

whether origiuating with tlie prodncers or consuiuers. The statements aitrilmted to ilr. Ross Lraser were part of an explanation of tlie work of tlie division since its iuception in 1S);;7. kir. L- raser repiying to ilr. A. S. Richards (Roskill) said his attention liad been drawn to a proposal that tlie ilritish Governnient sliould liold an iuquiry into the ownership and control oi ihe Press iu the United Kingdom and added ihat the Government would ,consnler whether there was a need to liold an inijuiry into ownership aud control of the Press of New Zealand, siniilar to that suggested for the United Ivingdom. ilr. 1- raser, repiying to ilr. M. II. Jram, said every effort had been made io improve the conditions of service ot .uembers of the Poliee Lorce. Breaches ■ if rationing and price regulations were not tnvial oH'ences aua were not regarded as such by the Courts. These oH'ences were iiivestigated by inspectors of the Departinents concerned but as ihe inspectors were not trained in the iuieliug of evidence and in prosecuting in Court, tlie services of the police were sometimes used for tliese purposes. This did not hiiider tlie ]iolice in the detection and investigation of serious crinie whieh always received priority of atiention. ilr. Lraser, repiying .to ilr. G. G. ilarker ( WaipawiV) said it was not proposed, under pretfeul coiiditions, to reduce the raf.iou scales iu New Zealand. Hon. D. G> Hullivaii, repiying to ilr. \Vatts, said he had, last weok presjded over a conferen.ee of footwear uiauufacturers whieh considered means of stiniulatiug the prodiction of children 's footwear. 'J'he manufacturers had expressed conlideuce that the employnieiit and training of returned servicemen would enaole supplies to be substantial ly incrcased. Iniport licences were alI ready available for children 's footwear in excess of suppl^a Hon. R. tiempie, answering iTr. T. L. ilacdouald (ilataura) said there was the possibility of rationing eleetric power in the idouth Island next year but 1 1' water conditions were good it was likely that any rationing whieh niighl oe necessary would not cause inuch inconvenience. Hon. F. Jones, answering ilr. C. il. Bowden (Wellington West) said it was a fact that an oliicer of a partieulai Army motor transport store 111 Wellington reeently tendered his resigiiation. tustead of bringing under othei&l notice any irregularities or discrepancies he discovered, as was his duty, this uHieer elected to make allegations oi such irregularities and discrepancies in iiis letter of resigiiation. ilr. Bowden had asked whether it was a fact lliat irregularities had been dis .'overod at this Army transport store, ni consequence of whieh au ofKcer had asked to be relieved of his duties. Mr. dones said the oltieer's lesignation lnul been accepted and tlie Cuntroller aud Auditor-General were giving prompt -attention to the muller. Thtgoods concerned were not yet subject to the War Assets liealisation Board 's cont rol. lion. A. II. Norduieyer answering ilr. il. L. Combs ( WeJiington Lubui'bs) said Ihe Government was aware of complaints made from tiine to tiiue regarcling induslrial insuraiice policies aud ihe whole question would receive the Governiueut 's eariy consideration. Mr. Norduieyer, answering ilr. Watts, said, taking all the circunistances into consideration, the present arrangement of priinary schooi terins was considered liiost suitable. Hon. G. L. iSkinner, answering Mr. Oram, said a few housiug sections had already been sold to ex-seivicenien to imild their own homes, in areas where large blocks of land were acquired for State housing. The Minister said this praetice would be exteiuled and where large housiug areas were concerned blocks would be set asiile for sale to cx-servicemon and otliers. Details of the procedure had Jately been arranged iietween the Departnient of Housing (■ onstruction and other departinents. The disposal would be under the Land Act and the Lands Departnient would conduct ballots if necessary. Hon. B. Roberts, answering ilr. Johnstone (Raglan) said control measures liad already been taken against wasps in the Hamilton dislrict and arrangements were in lmuds to consult with intnrested pa'ties in planniug and carrving ou t an intcnsive organised eil'ort foi the eradleation of the post nevt season.