STATE IN INDUSTRY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 40, 10 November 1937, Page 3

STATE IN INDUSTRY

Preaa Aasociation .) "

Competing with Sawmiliers OPPOSITION PROTEST

(By Telenraph—

WELLINGTON, This Day. A protest against 'the entry of the State • into the sawmilling industry .was made by several Opposition speakers during discussion on the estimates of the State Porest Account in t'he House of . -Bepresentatives " last night. The protest took the form of an amendment to reduce the amount of the vote by £92,000, the amount -which it -is.

proposed to. spend ron, -direct.' State activities in 'sav/miHihg. " ."* ' " ' "We ■ consider it unwise - that1 "rthe State should enter intoia- competitiv.e business ;of this nature," said 'the. Leader' of tlie - Opposition, tfiio- Hon.' Adam Hamilton.* " We do not mind-the ' State eng'aging in a • monopoly ' enter-." prise like the ; Post,. and' Telegraph Department, but it is. a different matterwhen it invades the sphere 'of "industrial' enterprise;" ' . Mr W. A. Bodkin ,;(Opposition, Cen- - tral Otago) said' there was no justifict.tion for the" State entering into competition'': with the - sawmilling -.industry, which had'giyen great service. to N.ew , Zealand without making • undue -profits. 'The new- proposals. would 'result in substantial inipositions on -the "tax--payers, and .consumers '.would have to . pay more for. their timber. , Sir . Alfred Barisom (Oppositipn, Paihia t ua) asked if.it* was -the inten- ' tion of the-Go.vernment to. exercise -f ullState _■ control . over the whole of.the sawmilling and timber industry. The Commissioner * of State Forests, : t'he Hon. F. -Langstone: ■ Tes, absolute-: iy* •' . , • - > The amendment to .reduce ./the. vote- [ by £92,000 -was moved 'by 'Mr:Ham'il-'' ton,1 and .after some further-? discussion was put'to a„division. -..It was lost by 32 votes to 11. The d'epirtmental - vote of £399,522, representing an ni- ' crease of £171,679 oyer .--last * year's expenditure, was subsequently passed.