THE ESTIMATES.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 January 1922, Page 5

THE ESTIMATES.

DISCUSSED BY THE HOUSE. f - \ ADMINISTRATION COSTS. MANY ITEMS PASSED. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Estimates were taken in committee by the House to-night. Mr. H. E. Holland (leader of the Labor Party) moved a reduction by £1 in the item Customs Department (£132,190), as a protest against the continuance of the censorship of political literature coming from oversea. He also asked if now that the Irish peace treaty was signed would the Minister permit Irish literature, now ban-' ned, to enter New Zealand. The Minister (Hon. W. D. Stewart) replied that the mere fact 7 that the Irish peace treaty was signed did not warrant the removal of restrictions on doubtful literature.

The amendment was negatived by 51 votes to 9 and the vote passed. On the vote for the Marine Department (£41,010) the Minister (Hon. Sir William Herries), replying to a question, said the question of trawlers had not been lost sight of, but the experience of other countries had not shown such enterprises to be very successful. Mr. H. Atmore (Nelson) asked that better lighting be provided at the French Pass, which master mariners declared to be at present quite inadequate. Mr. M. J. Savage (Auckland West) moved a reduction of £5 as an indication that the committee was dissatisfied with the regulations governing the carriage of petroleum on passenger steamers. The amendment was lost by 34 votes to 22 and the vote was then passed. In the Labor Department vote (£39,446), Mr. W. A. Veitch (Wanganui, wanted to know why salaries were being increased in the housing section of the department when that section was practically out of action just now. The Minister explained that the staff of the department had to be kept together and the increases / were only ordinaqjr statutory increases and bonuses.

Mr. J. A. Young (Waikato) said it was farcical to make these increases when they would be asked to impose a reduction of salaries in a week or two.

Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central) said he had a sheaf of complaints about the manner in which the department neglected to see that awards of the Arbitration Court were carried out.

The Hon. G. J. Anderson contended that the department was doing everything possible to see that awards were carried out.

The vote was passed. The lands and Survey Department (£258,232), the Valuation Department (£62,172) and the Electoral Department (£3477) were passed without discussion. On the Agricultural Department (£303,491) Mr. V. H. Reed (Bay of Islands) asked what steps were being taken to combat fireblight in the North Auckland peninsular.

Mr. Young contended that there was a grave doubt as to whether the blight referred to was fireblight. The experience in the Waikato seemed to impjv it was not. The Hon. W. Nosworthy said the head office was in the closest sympathy with settlers in the north in the efforts to eradicate fireblight. The department was not looking at the question from any parochial point of view, but the question of expenditure had to be considered. They were treating it as fireblight because they were not going to take any chances. If it turned out to be something else well and good, but they believed it safer to treat it as fireblight. Further legislation might be required and if so it would be passed, but he was not going to pass unlimited sums by way of compensation fqr the destruction of hawthorn hedges iri the Waikato, but he could assure the House that everything possible was being done to get rid of the disease. It was rife in other countries and apparently they had as much to learn about it as we in New Zealand had.

At 11.30 p.m. Mr. Kellett moved to report progress. He said he understood the Premier intended to force the estimates through that night and as many members sat up all the previous night he thought the decision most unfair. The motion was lost by 38 votes to 15, apd the vote was passed. I In the Tourist Department (£92,666) the Minister said the fees in connection with the Tourist Department had to be increased. It was either that or abolish the department, because accounts must be made to balance. In further explanation the Minister said if the Tourist Department did not pay its way it would have to be amalgamated with some other department. The vote was passed. The Education Vote (£2,649,742) was passed without discussion. The State Coal Mines (£2,940,000) and State Forests (£119,594) were also passed. The railway estimates were held over, progress being reported at 11.50 p.m. The House rose at 11.55 p.m.