PARLIAMENT WILL BE BUSY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 50, 22 November 1937, Page 6

PARLIAMENT WILL BE BUSY

Our Own Correspondent.)

Eight Finance Clauses Yet To Be Passed NEW LEGISLATION

(From

WELLINGTON, Last Night. With tlie. inauguration of the Monday sittings in the House of Representatives last week, Parliament has come to grips with the business it . has to transact before adjoining for the midsummer recess.early next month. ThePrime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, has stated that he still hopes to take this adjournment not later than December 10, and, assuming there are rio unexpected developments, he should. not oe dmappointed. Fairly substantial progress was made during the week. Indeed, it would seem that the Monday sitting was liardly justified, for the afternoqn 'of that' day was devoted to nothing more important than consideration of annual rcports previousiy tabled. However, it enabled the Government to introduce some additicnal legislation, and get bills on to the order Paper, Wednesday afierno m was also more or less frittered away, being devoted to a discussion on Ministerial answers lo mcnibers' questions despite the fact that some days proviousi/ Ihe Prirae Minister had had a motion passed for Government business to take precedenee on Wednesday s for the remaihder of the session.

The Prime Minister stated at the conelusion of a Cabinet meeting yesterday that it was highly probable that the second reading debate on the Finance Bill would be taken to-morjow. As there is some particulaTly contenti-. ous matter in the Bill, particulariy with. regard to dairy marketing and the guaranteed price scheme, there is like1)' to be some keen debating On this measure. Authority in the Bill for the raising of loans totalling £8,000,000 for various Publie Works undertakings, and a pioposal to appomi, a special commitfcoe to consider hardship claims in lespect of the paymcnr. cf land tax, will also provide ample debating malcrial.

Oi her Bills on tlie Order Paper inciudo the Coal Mines Amehdment Bill, a consolidating measure; the Eleetornl Amendment Bill. restoring triennial Parliaments, and the Alsatian Dog Bill a measure introduced in the Legislative Couneil and already passed by that chamber. Tho House will also be asked shorly' to consider the Petroleum Bill, which vefts in the State the ownership of all oii resources in the Dominion. In the fiieai time, this measure has been sent to the Mines and Oilfields Committee. During the coming week one day's sitling of the House will be devoted to a discussion on the Publie Works. Statement and the Publie Works Esti: mates, and in view of the large expenditure involved in the present pear's programme, there is every prospect that members of the Opposjtion will ask searching questions about the Government 's Publie Works policv. A day will also be devoted to the Consolidated Fund estimates for the current financial year. There arc eight clauses wet to pass, and the House will be asked to complete these at one sitting. Items not yet passed contain several important v'otes, including those for the Broadcasting Account, Dairy Industry Account, and Internal Mar-' keting Account.