MEMBERS QUESTIONS

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 227, 30 August 1939, Page 4

MEMBERS QUESTIONS

• m, ''“‘• MINISTER’S REPLIES COMMEINTS BY MR. HUJLTQIJLST Mr. A. G. Hultquist, member for Bay of Plenty, asked a number of question, and the Ifiinist- ■ fits’ replies, with Mr. Hultquist’s, comments to the House of Representatives, have been forwarded to the Opotiki-News for publication:— Universal Benzine Price In reply to Mr. ", Hultquist’s suggestion that a committee, be immediately set .up to investigate and advise the Minister of Industries and Commerce, on the question, o l'a universal freightpaid price, for petrol, the Hon. Mr. Sullivan stated: I would advise the honourable inejnbor that the question he has asked formed the subject-matter of. an investigation by my Department towards the end of last year. While 1 appreciate the points raised by the honourable member, I wot\ldi point out that to effect a scheme such as is suggested would mean an increase in the price of petrol in the main centres of something in the vicinity of 2d. per gallon. The Government lias given careful consideration to the whole problem, hut does not intend to effect an amendment to the regulations determining the price of petrol which would be necessary to, give ef-

fect to tlic honourabe member’s request. ' ■ A

With reference to the reply, Mr. Hultquist said that according to the Minister the effect of such a scheme would mean an increase -of 2d. per gallon iu the price of petrol in tlie main centres. He (Mr. Hultquist) saw no reason why that should - constitute a valid dbjection. At present/ the price of petrol in the four main* centres is' 2s 3xll and 2s Id per gallon for Ist. and -2nd. grade petrol respec-. tively. .ft New Plymouth the prices are 2s 5d and 2s Gd. It was e>nly fair to state fliat there is a prospect of a reduction in the price taking place in that-town as a result of the fact that two companies are now importing petroUtlirecfc from overseas, notably America and the Dutch East Indies, whereas previously the petrol had all been brought from Wellington by rail. If the cost of petrol in the cities was to be increased- by 2d. then the city people would then only be paying as much as is at present being paid in New Plymouth, which is a large secondary town, and! the centre of a very large, dairying district. But such an arrangement would allow substantial reductions to be made in other places as for instance a reduction of lj.d per gallon at Whakatane, 2.)d per gallon at Edgecumbe, 4d per gallon at -Mata wai/ and at Tolaga Bay, od. per gallon at Hicks Bay, and Gd. per gallon at Tikitiki. The ijolicy of tbo ’Government,, surely was one of encouraging people to stay; oil; the land in isolated- places, but; for many reasons they had always

found it'rvefy difficult to do so. In such' places, they are without the usual facilities of easy access to places of amusement, they have many nfiJes to send their children to school, and other problems such as a higher cost for most comjnodities, including manure, have to be faced up to. Air. he believed in the philosophy of, ; ‘Bear ye; one another’s burdens” and that it ’would be good Socialist policy to make the price of petrol uniform throughout the Dominion. As he was speaking he held in his hand three foolscap sheets of goods of many kinds, from cosmetics to motor -cars and motor car parts that are sold at the same .price all over .New Zealand ; and he asked why therefore the same principle should not obtain in regard to the price of petrol and fertilisers. In spite, of the unsatisfactory' and, in fact, discouraging reply, lie would pursue the matter " further, and lie. again appealed to other members of the House to assist him in his advocacy for a fixed Universal price. In conclusion, lie pointed out that people in backblocks could, not, in this machine age, do without petrol ; while they did not object to paying their share towards the defence of the country by means of the increased petrol tax, they did, like himself, strongly object to having the tax tacked on to a price which was already, in some places, Bd. per gallon more than the price indhe cities. Incapacitation Help. In reply; to Mr. Hultquist's question. asking whether the Minister of Social Security would during the session make provision by way of amendment to the Social Security Act with ‘the object of making it possible for a daughter of an elderly or incapacitated person to receive a payment out of the Social Security Fund in those cases where the daughter must remain at home in attendance on her parent, tiie'Hon. Air. Parry replied as follows :

Under section 58 of the Social Security Act there is ample authority to assist cases of this nature, and amending legislation is therefore unnecessary. The amount of assistance which may ho granted is at the discretion of the Commission, which considers each ease'on its merits, having regard to the whole of the family circumstances.

Flat Freight-Paid Fertiliser Prices.

In reply to Mr. Hultquist’s question to the Minister of Agriculture, asking him if he would fully investigate the possibility of instituting a fiat freightpaid price for the purpose of making superphosphate, lime, and other topdressihg available to settlers in the more isolated areas at a much-reduced price, the Hon. Air. Lee Alartiu replied a,s follows: Thei matter raised by the honourable member will, it is understood, he fully investigated by the Sheep Industry Commission. The honourable member may rest assured that any recommendation in the Committee’s report will receive the Government’s full and careful consideration. Sheep Industry Commission. The Hon. Air. Lee Alartiu, Minister of Agriculture, in reply to a question by Air. Hultquist, asking him whether he would arrange for the complete itinerary of the Sheep Industry Commission to he published at an early date, and whether he would include in' the itinerary arrangements for the Commission to visit the Hast Coast north of Gisborne and the inland country between , Gisborne and Gpotiki. stated:

The Commission itself arranges ‘its itinerary, and will notify intending witnesses of the places and dates for hearing their evidence. The Commission has arranged to visit the areas referred to, and also the district hetweenc Gisborne and Wairoa. It proposes to hold sittings at Whakatane and Gisborne.

Referring to the Alinister’s reply in regard to Al'r. Hultquist’s appeal for t.he fixing of a flat freight paid price for fertilisers. Air. Hultquist stated that fie was not very jubilant concerning same. The Alinister had stated in reply, .saidl Air. Hultquist, that tlie matter was to be fully investigated by the Sheep Industry Commission, and that any recommendation made; by the Commission would receive the 'Government’s lull and careful consideration. 'i'lie matter was an important one to liis Electorate, as, according to the sheep returns of 19-38, oneseventh of all the sheep in "the North Island are in the seven Countie.s in lvis (Air. Hultquist’s) Hflectorate, the figures being as follows:

Whakatane County (34,551, an increase of 4,433 over 1937; Opotiki County, 105,000, increase 8,970; WniJkohn County, 078,840, increase 31,700; Uawa County, 244,922, increase %490 - Cook County, increase 31,-

711; Wuhipii County, 405,331, increase 1,300 ;V Aiatakaoa County, 115,v 873, decrease LOSS under 1937.

The total number of sheep in 1938 was 2,-189,035. In every county there had been an increase over 1937 : figures with one exception, and that exception was Aiatakaoa County, where u decline had. taken place and' in his cpinion, that decline was almost sole-ly-due to the inability of the settlers to get fertilisers at yn economic price. Alter visiting the district over two ■years ago, the Minister had written him (Mr. Hultquist), stating that he agreed that the difference in the price ol fertilisers at Hicks ls.ry and Te Haiti, tor instance, sOemed too great, and that the matter liad been'.referred! to tjic Bureau of Industry,, which was going into the whole position, and the question of the supply generally of fertilisers and the price charged funnels in outlying districts. That was two years ago. and now the.,'Minister in his ieply says that the matter is one for the Sheep Iml ustry" l"Commission to investigate. Surely the Aljnister knew enough about the problemalready. As a result of his public utterances on the occasion of bis visit- to his (Mv. H ultqjlist’s)-' ..electorate two vears ago, the Gisborne Times at the time publishes a leading article expressing appreciation of the fact that the Ai mister appeared to be fully seized with the need for an improvement in the facilities for procuring fertilisers at a cheaper rate, and said; 'that there was nothing of greater moment to the farmers of the district than the exorbitant prices lot lime l and fertilisers. The article also stated that bound up with the question was tiro matter of inadequate transport which always tended to force up costs. How true that was lie was hot prepared to say except that carriers were bound to pass on their charges which were determined by road conditions, distances, and petrol prices. But nothing appeared to have developed since the ■ Minister statements of two. years ago. it was good to learn in. answer to another question he had that the Sheep Industry Commission was going to visit - Gisborne and AY ha kat a lie. He had been informed that the commission would vjsit tlio East Coast ‘and Afatawai as well. Personally lie thought that the Lime Investigation Commission’s order of reference should! have been widened in scone so as to permit that Commission to make- inquiries into. the problem lie was referring to. He hoped that tiie Sheep Industry Commission would not he hamstrung in any way, but that it would he able to go into the question fully. There had'been a large increase in the amount of fertiliser used in New Zealand as between the years 1935 and 1937. The use of New Zealand superphosphate had increased by 9' per cent, or 30,000 tons, and the quantity of imported phosphate had increased! in the -same period by 58 per cent., from 275,000 tons to 428,000 tons. He~was sure however, that that increase had not been shared on a pro rata basis by the district's he represented, owing to the high prices charged for the deliverv of the fertiliser to the farm.