PARLIAMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 2 December 1932, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

SESSION TO ADJOURN ’ UNTIL 26th JANUARY. (Per Press Association Copyright.) WELLINGTON, December 2. The Mortgagors and Tenants Further Relief Bill was passed by the Legislative Council yesterday. The House of Representatives passed the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions (Amendment jjiil, Urban Farm Land Rating Bill, and Municipal Association Bill. The House rose at 11.40 till this morning. An important announcement was •made in the House by the Prime Minister, Mr Forbes. He said that it had been decided by the Government to iini&h th e work at present in hand, and then to adjourn the session until th e 26th January in order to enable the Government to formulate plans for dealing with the economic position. “I idesir© to make ’brief statements fo r information of the House,” said Mr iForbes. ’“The Government ha.s certain proposals ready for consideration by the House, particularly a bUI

dealing with a Central Bank. It has become dear, however, that further measures dealing with the budgetary and genera! economic position will be necessary, which ifc would not be possible to deal with ’.between mow and Christmas,.The decisions of the Government have been to some extent, delayed owing to the exchange controversy. In the meantime, thi® controversy has ’been set on one side by the decision of the Bank of New Zealand that ’it is not prepared to raise the exchange rate. At the s’nme time the bank has made certain alternative proposals for assisting the farmers. These and other proposals affecting the general economic position will require an amount of consideration by the Government which it ig not possible to give while Ministers are engaged in Parliamentary duties. At the same time, it is desired to avoid' the delay which the formalities attendant on the calling of ‘a special early in the year would entail. It has therefore been considered advisable to finish off the work ifi hand and to adjourn the present sitting till 26th January to enable the general position to be reviewed by the Government ‘and its full policy measures to be brought down when the adjourned meetine re-aasembies.” He continued: “This decision has been concurred in by the Members of Parliament supporting the Government, who met in caucus this morning, a’nd passed tljq^llo^i^tesolution: “It is the opinion of this Caucus of members supportins the Coalition Government that Parliament should be adjourned until 26th January; that the Government, in the interval, should finalise arrangement® rendered necessary owing to a further fall m prices, thereby raising national and budgetary problems; and that measures be submitted immediately upon Parliament re-assembling.’ ” }

A fter the Prime Minister h'ad concluded, several Labour members interjected: “It is a pure confession of failure.” Mr Richnras (LT-b., R-oskiU): “You ought to r e.sign.” Mr M. r J. Savage, jn the absence of the Leader of the Opposition, asked Mr Forbe s when it was proposed to move the adjournment of the House. Mr Fofibes: "When the business ie concluded.” Labour Members ; “What business ? How . much ?” Mr Forbes said that he would be prepared to make a gtatemnt of the 'nature of the business to be taken before the adjournment. Labour members ; “Is it 'matter of day.s or weeks?” Mr Fonbes; “It will not be before next week.” . Mr Mason: “You will deal with local Bills I presume.” Mr Forbes : “Oh yes, we shall take local Bills.”

FRIDAYS (SITTING

WELLINGTON, December 2. The House of Representatives met at 10.30 a.m.

Replying to Mr Chapman, Hon. G. Forbes said the public service classification lists would .be published almost immediately. The question o{ annual increment-*-would be arranged as soon as possible after that. The Public Petitions Committee reporting on a petition from B class broadcastiner stations, recommended that attention to the prayer of the petition should be referred to the 1 Government for favourable consideration. The petitioners asked that they should be given a share of the (revenue fr°m license fees, or alternatively that an unlimited number of sponsored programmes should be allowed. Mr Savage, supporting (the (recommendation, said if the stations were allowed to state that th e programme wa s being broadcasted by say “John Jones, boob manufacturer of Auckland,” it would me'an evervtljiing ‘because it would indicate who was responsible for the programme and would lay the foundation for better programmes-.

Other members supported the recommendation. Some remarked that they ‘would not object to B class stations receiving a i-hare of the license fees. Mr W. Nash expressed the conviction that license fees were larger in sum than they wouJd be ; if there were no B class stat’ons. The discussion is proceeding.