LONG SITTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 August 1940, Page 7

LONG SITTING

ON STATUTES AMENDMENT BILL HOUSE RISES AT 2.30 A.M. FAIR RENTS ACT DISCUSSED. ißy Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day. Most of yesterday's sitting of the House of Representatives was occupied with discussion on the Statutes Amendment Bill. Subjects of public interest were raised by the Opposition in a number of urgent questions asked at the beginning, of the sitting. Replying to Mr Jull (Waipawa). who appealed for some relaxation in the petrol restrictions, the Minister of Finance. Mr Nash. said advice had been been received from the United Kingdom Government that the need for restriction was greater man ever because of the increased munition purchases from the United States of America.

A Finance- Bill No 2 was introduced, and. will be dealt with today. A summary of its provisions is given in another column.

Urgency was taken for the Statutes Amendment Bill, several clauses of which were criticised by the Leader of the Opposition. Mr Hamilton. Referring to the clause extending the operation of the Fair Rents Act, he said that this legislation had caused many difficulties. It was, he said, the greates hindrance to the building of homes. The Attorney-General (Mr Mason) claimed that, the report of the Labour Department for the current year clearly indicated the necessity for the extension of the period of operation of the Fair Rents Act. Some 6000 applications. including 1720 in Wellington, had been dealt with by the department’s inspectors. That showed the need for the Act and was a sufficient answer to those who said the country would be better without it. When the House went into committee the Opposition called for a division on the clause, but it was retained by 34 votes to 17.

The House spent considerable time late last night and early this morning discussing a clause in the Statutes Amendment Bill giving the Court of Arbitration power to fix the opening and closing hours of shops on anyworking day. The clause was eventually withdrawn, on Mr Fraser’s suggestion, for reintroduction at a later dale in a Shops and Offices Amendment Bill.

Two more clauses were forced to a division at a later stage. These clauses dealt with town-planning and transport licensing, but both were passed. The Bill finally was put through all its stages at 2.30 a.m. and the House rose until 10.30 a.m. today.