FINANCE BILL.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20198, 28 March 1931, Page 16

FINANCE BILL.

~ ~ -» ■ LABOUR STONEWALL. ACTIVITIES TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED. NEW MEASURES INTRODUCED. (vßFsa association raiaaa^n.) WELLINGTON, March 2.7. TJnless there is a sudden breakdown in the .labour stonewall on. the Finance Bill in the House of Representatives, it is almost certain that a record will be established; When the House adjourned at 1 o'clock this afternoon for lunch a little over 67 actual sitting hours had passed since the Prime Minister's urgency motion was adopted on Monday. The previous record for a stonewall was set in 1909, when the Et. Hon. W. F. Massey initiated one lasted from a Friday until the following Wednesday.' Continuing the discussion on Mr C. Care's amendment proposing the exemption of £230 from the wages cut at 2 o'clock thia morning, Mr W. E. Barnard (Lab., Napier) referred to the possibility of industrial strife. He said he was 'sure members would regret anything in the nature of a big strike, and while he did not suggest that there would be a strike .as the result of the cuts, it must be realised that it was possible to cause trouble ,if too much pressure were r applied.. ■ ,The division' on Mr Cart's amendment was reached at 2.46 a.m., when it was ' defeated by 39 to 26, Messrs G. C. Black (Ind., Motueka), J. T. Hogan (lad., Bangitikei),A. Harris (8., Waitemata;), H. S, S: Kyle (R., Biecarton), G. P. .Sykes (8., Masterton)," B. A. Wright (B.; Wellington Suburbs),-and J. A. Young „ (Bv Hamilton) voting with .Labour. Labour's next amendment was moved 'by .Mr B. East),,, who, sought to'limit' the application of J tbV cut to sums exceeding £225. . ' As Amusing Interlude. ' Some amusement was caused later by - Mr- F- Langstona's activities' with a dictionary, .Blsing to a point, of order ■While' Mr, ,B..af«Keen, ' (Wellington-, ; South)' wjas-'speakwig.' he 'asked if the , use' of the work' '"cut!' was permissible. I Beading-from the dictionary, he said' the word meant "to steal a purse from a : girdle," and "to wound," etc The chairman: Order! lam prepared ' to rule that the point raised is entirely frivolous. , , - Mr Langstone asked if it would be permissible to discuss reasons why' the 1 cuts' should apply to superannuation,! and referred to a retired Publie Scr-! vanfc who was receiving £IBOO per an- j num. . „ , The Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata: Look at » the clauses., ' ;, & : was nptMnytat ** * : • , % . ~ A member: Financial emulsion. " "■. Consulting the dictionary, Mr Laiigr atone yead: Profits.- arising f*om. exerting oneself to toil* » '< > appear: *£&*" he: obi *lS«alt^ CJ on-I^fn^e«)iL'iW>w , : «ottdj|*tj4# <tjll the breakfast;adjournment, when, it .lapsed. Labour members urged' that . the. business before the House should be Gstponed' »to -enable the earthquake jislatioh t© The : Adjourned ' 'J? Taa|firßt:%f- tse s£«# 4ivJsion >,©£- ' to House. " $» the%B»^i?tW Adjournment J was;Mr (Lab*,, Wellington OentralJ, iriw declared, MWe aje,starting, all over again." jßfe, appealed to tW Government to g».v«'i way ■ t!on,t^^p?e>t'Qnm|We^al^^«. ; ,andsafPH<#eS^^^ > ,aot on; the jSRB, rrk. i»smi*>t:'b> able to artw*: way afford re%*o. men earning the tw»w . ; -l, -..' < "z, The chairinarff Tprhon. member must ' eonfina his. remarks to {the amendment. Mr Nash: I am, sir. He is doing-no-thing about it. \ Appeal-to Mr Coates. Mr Fletcher, drawing attention to tho fact that the House was now dealing with an amendment affecting men on a small wage, appealed to the Bt. Hon. J. G. Coates to lead the official Opposition into the lobby with the , Labonr members. • . m Mr H.T.~ Armstrong (Lab., Christchurch East) described the .promised hardship tribunal as "a snare and a > delusion." A division, taken en Mr Semple'e ■ amendment at 10.15 a.m. resulted in its rejection by 40 votes to 24. Messrs Black, Hogan r Fletcher, H. M. Bush- - worth (Country, Bay of Islands), Wright, and Young voted with Labour. ! .Messrs Sfrkes, Harris, and Kyle, who . had voted for the previous amendment, 1 ~were not in.the chamber at the time r the division was taken. , Mr W. H. Parry ' (Lab t , Auckland .Central) launched the nejct , Labour amendment, which sought t6 limit the application of the reduction to sums exceeding £2lO. He explained that the amendment set out to protect men on the basic wage level. The House would be committing a grave.error if it,did * not agree to this step being taken, and he. appealed to, the Prime Minister (the ' Bt: Hon. G. W. Forbes) and the Leader of the Opposition, as New Zealand- ' bora men, to protect the existing basic ' wage, which he asserted, was the foundation of prosperity,, >.' Mt Fraser said that apy reduction be16w this point would' amount to a de- ' liberate attack on the lowest living standard. ' .' , ' Thtf Prime Minister again drew attention to the fall in the prices of farm ' produce,'and said that there were many f-rmers not making £4 a week at pre-' Mr" Parry's" amendment was still under discussion whew -the House* ad- ' journed .'at'-1 p.m. for lunch* , Debate Adjourned. ] • ■ When the House resumed at 2.30 the " prime Minister moved to report pro'gress, with leave to sit again. He said his reason for doing-so'was for: the pur bote Of enabling the earthquake regis ' fation to be introduced... The'Bill was t . of 7& clauses, and it was only reason , able that it should be circulated. - Mr Forbes also said .he wanted to * take the House into his confidence in h- reference to :an amendment of . the , Stand jrrg Orders, an amendment toat