STONEWALL

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 70, 24 March 1931, Page 9

STONEWALL

LABOUR'S GRIM BATTLE.

WAGE-REDUCTION PROPOSALS

SLEEPY ALL-NIGHT SETTING.

MR. THUNDERBOLT,

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON,- this day.

Labour's spectacular stonewall against the Finance Bill, which seeks to give effect to the Government's wage-reduction proposals, is in full swing in the House of Representatives. So well .organised is the opposition, as last night's sitting clearly revealed, that the progress of the measure in committee bids fair to be held up for days, and the House is threatened with a continuous sitting that may last until midnight on Saturday. Members had .breakfast at -Bellamy's this morning with the debate on the Short Title uncompleted and the possibilities of sustaining it furth'er by way of amendments untouched.

It was 2.35 a:m. before the House went into' committee, the previous twelve hours having been devoted to the disposal of a motion by Mr. Fraser that the committee be instructed that it had power to ensure that the cost of living be lowered simultaneously with and in proportion to the amount of wages reductions.

The first stage of the stonewall was entered upon after formal business had been disposed of, and Mr. Speaker's ruling had been given- on theadmissibility of a notice of an instruction to the Committee of the Whole on the bill by Mr. P. (Labour, Wellington Central). By 45 votes -to 22 the House had accorded urgency to the. committee stage of the Finance" Bill, and the point as to -whether the instruction was in order had been raised by the Hon. W. Downie Stewart (Reform, Dunedin West)V wlio suggested; that it would be unwise "for "the House' to' spend many hours in debating the motion if it were in conflict with the ruling of many authorities on procedure. . ' ■• ." "A Thunderbolt." After other members had spoken to the point of order, sfr. Speaker gave his ruling in favour of the instruction. He commented , that the position wae a rare, difficult and intricate one, and confessed to having spent hours over, the weekend consulting rulings on the subject by Speakers of the House of Commons; In the Xew Zealand Parliament instructions of the nature had been rare, not more than a dozen having been given in the last 30 years, and the proposal of Mr. Fra«er had come somewhat as a thunderbolt. Mr. Speaker held that the subject matter of the instruction was not irrelevent or foreign "to..the.bill and was not subversive of the scheme the measure proposed. In ruling the instruction in order, Mr, Speaker indicated that debate must be confined to the question a<s.to whether the committee should have the power sought. :, ; : . ~ "Sound one," interjected Mr. W.-E. Parry (Labour, Auckland Central). .';'■■.' ?■ Mr. Forbes' Hopes. ;.,".,-"••' The preliminaries of the. afternoon had given * fair indication of the stomt of opposition that was ,to come, "You are very optimistic," remarked Mr. Parry, when the Prime Minister indicated that the earthquake relief legislation would be introduced on Thursday night, by which time he expected the Finance Bill to have been passed. The , Prime Minister's reply to the interjection was that the matter was in the hands of the Labour party,- "No," replied Mr. W. E. Barnard (Labour. Xapier), "the responsibility is yours." Following the Upholding of Mr. Fraser's motion, Labour members settled down to a "steady" - discussion on reasons why the .committee should give effect to the instruction contained in the notice. ■ The narrow confines into which Mr. Speaker had.restricted the discussion of Mr. Fraser's proposal gave the debate a monotonous I;urn, the most alert figure being the Speaker, who. throughout the and early evening constantly : pulled, up Labourites for referring to .the"general provisions of the bill. After midnight the House settled down to. the conditions of a long stonewall.'..Faced witlj the responsibility of .maintaining a quorum, Government members were in a majority, and with the aid .0: cushions and rugs preserved a dogged though sleepy watch. Relays of Labour. : The Labour forces were divided on a "roster basis," but .Reformers showed little - interest in the proceedings, ihk only ■occupant of the opposition;benches at "' one stage being Mr. W. >H. Field (Reform, Otaki), upon whose slumbers the 'drone .of. verbal repetition .had'no apparent effect. - , . ■ , The first.definite development, occurred at'ia.m. with the announcement by Mr. E/; J. Howard (Labour, Christchurch South),, that-.he would be : the" final speaker oh Mr. Fraser's amendrneht. It had, he said, required 19 speakers to impress the Government-with the-necessity of widening the powers of the committee. There would have been 20, but.for the indisposition of Mr.' W. Lee,; Martin (Labour/Raglan). : On . the : .diyision "Mr. Fraser's motion was negatived/by 46 votes.to 22,; the minority--'comprising Labour iriembers, with Messrs. Black (Independent, :M6tueka) and H; M. Rush/worth; (Independent', Bay 'of -Islands)."-" . " : : ;' :The. House -went'-into-committee - at ■2;35.'a.m., Mr.' Fraser'inaugurating the discussion ori;the' Short r title. :

SnbreV'nijngled Avith oratory."as the iou re'dragged on,\ even, the ■weightiest quotation s/jro.m' the -Year Book'-.failing , to. cbfnpete J with; ecme of the musical. accompariinifeats : from one ; Ministerial bench;- ; ■':.'. •" ' "■ ' .' ■' " ' ; . •

>■''At 4.45 ;a-m;Mr. G. C. Munns, Chief "Gpverniii'erit .Whip, counted the heads, and ; that a. quorum wai; present settled jdown for "forty winks." There was no 'change in the state of the debate a,bil' a.m;,- ■w'hen Labour;.,secured an, unexpected .'respite, 'the; Prime':"'Minister', the Kt. H6n. Gl W. Ferbfes, agreeing to adiburn.until,"2.3o p.m. to ettablea meeting of tne Earthquake Coinnijtiee to beheld.