BUSY WEEK IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 86, 23 August 1950, Page 3

BUSY WEEK IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wellington, August 19. The House of Representatives had its first all-night sitting of the session last week, when the Tenancy Amendment Bill was passed at 10.17 a.m. on Weclnesd.ay after the House had sat continuously since 2.30 p.m. the previous day. The Opposition contested the measure at all stages, but the Government having taken urgency, the Bill was passed. There were 33 divisions, and though the voting fluctuated slightly most of the divisions were carried by the Government by 43 votes to 31. With the Tenancy Bill disposed of, the House turned its attention to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Amendment, the second reading debate on which was in progress when members adjourned for the week-end. The House also put the Potato Growing Industry- Bill through all its stages, and it was passed.

On Friday afternoon more legislation was introduced by the Government five Bills making their appearance. They were the Capital Punishment Bill (which restores capital punishment for murder), the Political Disabilities Removal Amendment Bill (which requires that union funds contributed for political purposes should be approved by a majority of the membership), the Minimum Wage Amendment Bill (which makes the statutory minimum wage conform to the recent interim order issued by the Arbitration Court), the Infants Amendment Bill (which clarifies the legal status of adopted children under obscure provisions of the existing law) and the Property Law Amendment Bill (a technical piece of legislation). The Capital Punishment Bill provides for special exemption from the death penalty in cases of infanticide and where expectant mothers and persons under 18 years of age are involved. The death penalty is not to apply to crimes committed before the passing of the Bill. Persons convicted in these circumstances will be sentenced to life imprisonment in terms of the present law. However, convicted murderers who are now or at any future time undergoing life imprisonment, regardless of whether they were originally sentenced to death, are not to be released on probation or discharged for at least 20 years. The only exception possible is when a shorter period is prescribed by order-in-council. The Opposition challenged the introduction of the Political Disabilities Removal Amendment Bill which reinstates the law that existed from 1936 to 1948.