Urgent Legislation To-night

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 10, 5 October 1937, Page 7

Urgent Legislation To-night

Onr Own Cortespondenl.)

NATURE NOT KNOWN Measure for Protection of Manufacturers? SPECULATION RIFE

(From

WELLINGTON, This Day. There are indications that the first task of Parliament this evening will^jo to put through some urgent legislation, the n a ture of which has not yet been made public. Members of the Legisla-» tive Council have been recalled from their homes to be present in Wellington this evening. This indicates that it ifl| the intention of the Government to havii the Bill put through all its stages without delay by both Houses. Speculation is rife as to the purporll of thiB urgent legislation, It is suggest» ed that the Government might be xnak* ing a sudden move to make the Banlc ot New Zealand completely a State bank* Then it is also thought that the legisla* tion might have some relation to thtf Far Easter^ situation. Far more likely, however, is it that the Government intends to take some action to protecii mnaufacturing indu3tries in New Zea* land from the effect of the flood of im* ports that has developed in recgnll months. Last week the Prime Minister, the Eti Hon. M. J. Savage, indicated that th0 Government had become impressed withi the seriousness of the positioh. as iH affected New Zealand manufacturing in-» dustries. "Diseussions . have taken pla6e b9* tween the Government and representa* tives both of employers and employeef in manufacturing industries,* ' Mr Sav» age said, ''and the steps to be taken ari being worked out in detail. "While ensuring that onr trade and relations with tlie United Kingdom ari being fully and carefully safeguarded, the Government is determined not toi allow men and women employed in tho Domxnion to be thrown out of worE through the importatioh of commodities that should and can be made in tho Dominion. "The Government" realises tho urgency of the matter, and I hope to bo able to make a statement sctting rut the procedure to be followed within fortnight," Undoubtedly the incrsa'ie in imports, ccmbined w th xisiug costs, has created serious problems for those controlling secondary industries. Many hands havo been put off, and several of the factories are at present working with lese than half their staffs. Strong rcpresentations were made to Messrs Savage and Nash immediateljr on their return from Europe, but only; recently have these Ministers been impressed with the urgency of the situation. The Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, has always been a stout champion of th« protection of local industry, and it is belie.ved that he has now impressed upon other members of Cabinet the gravity of the unemployment that has been created through the competition of imported articles.

It is not considered likely that the Government at present contemplates completely nationalising the Bank of New Zealand. Already the Government has a majority representation on the directorate of thc bank, and no advantage can bo seen in immedite nationalisation. Furthermore, Mr Nash's Budget revealed that the State Advauces Corporation should make available funds i'or the financing of local body undertalrings. Even more remote is the possibility that to-night 's legislation relates to the Far Eastern situation. It could not be iraagined that New Zealand would take ' isolated action in the way of trade embargoes against Japan, and Great Britain is alinost certain to delay action until Geneva has reached some decision, and at Geneva delay is likely to be even more protracted.