TACTICS OF THE OPPOSITION

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21745, 30 March 1936, Page 12

TACTICS OF THE OPPOSITION

CONJECTURE ON ATTITUDE TO ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

IvEEN speculation in PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

[From Our Parliamentary Reporter.

WELLINGTON, March 29. There is the keenest speculation in Parliament Buildings over the attitude which the Opposition is likely to adopt on the Address-in-Reply debate when the House resumes on Tuesday. How soon the country is to know of the Labour Government’s first legislative measure as it comes before the House depends on the length of this debate, and naturally there is considerable feeling on all sides that talk on the Address-in-Reply should be curtailed to a minimum. There appears to be division of opinion as to what line the Opposition should adopt. The tactics to be followed will probably be discussed at an Opposition caucus which will be held in Parliament Buildings on Tuesday while Cab-

inet is sitting. As already reported, the Leader of the Opposition, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, intends to take part in the debate, supported by several other members of the party. A section of the Opposition, however, believes that there is no necessity whatever to waste valuable time discussing the Speech from the Throne. One prominent member said during the week-end: “If I had my way, the Opposition would not talk at all except for the leader to say that there was no need of a debate. After all, what the country wants is detailed information of the Government’s legislative policy. Anything that any member of Parliament can say about the past must be nothing better than political gas. The whole country wants to know what the Government has in hand for bringing about the promised restoration of full prosperity and guaranteed happiness for everybody.”

Meanwhile it is impossible to say how long the inevitably futile Ad-dress-in-Reply debate will last. If the Opposition decides to limit iVs team of debaters to half a <ibzen members, the Government readily adopt the same maximum, and in such circumstances the/ctebate would collapse before of this week.

The Prime Minister, the Hon. M. J. Savage, hjis already announced that if the.Opposition decided to allow the/Address-in-Reply S° ky he would be ready to introduce immediately by Governor-Gen-eral’s message the most important bill of the session, giving the State control of the credit and currency of the country. The Government is. now in a position to submit its major bills, including the Reserve Bank Amendment Bill, the Railway Amendment Bill, and the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill, so that if the Opposition, like .thousands of persons in New Zealand, wants to know the best of the Government’s legislative programme it is only necessary to lie low and say nothing on the Address-in-Reply. Both Houses on Tuesday afternoon will express tribute to the memories and services of former legislators who died during recess.