THE WEEK IN THE HOUSE

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25289, 15 September 1947, Page 6

THE WEEK IN THE HOUSE

QUIET DEBATE ON THE BUDGET

INTEREST IN MOUNT ALBERT BY-ELECTION (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON. September 14. The continuation of the Budget debate, mostly by back-benchers, in the House of Representatives last week did not make for much excitement or interest. In fact, at times, the members themselves showed so little interest in the debate that the pttendance was often just at the quorum mark. Besides the Budget debate, the week produced some minor legislation and the usual crop of questions. The most persistent questioner is a Government member, Dr. A. M. Finlay (North Shore), with Mr E. P. Aderman (Opposition, New Plymouth) probably a fairly close second. The most popular question of the week, judged by the reception a jaded House accorded it, was that asked by Mr J. B. F. Cotterill (Government. Wanganui), who sought to elicit information on the Government’s intentions about the future of “New Zealand’s spivs,” spivs being defined as those who neither toiled nor spun. More questions on the same lines are believed likely, since the present shortage of labour in essential industries is known to be worrying the Government as much as it is irking the Opposition. Health Department’s Report ' Of the reports presented during the week, the most important were that from the Health Department which, 1 presented by a new Minister. Miss Mabel Howard, was unusually frank about the defects in the present medical benefits scheme, and the annual report of the Railways Department—a document in which Mr G. H. Mackley (Opposition. Wairarapa) is expected to take the keenest interest. Not much legislation is expected during the coming week, nor, in fact, is it likely that any controversial legislation. if any be planned, will make its appearance before the result of the Mount Albert by-election. It is expected, too, that the Budget debate, in which so far there have been only 36 speakers, will continue unabated in length if not in interest until after September 24, the by-election date. The time allotted speakers for broadcasts, especially in the evening, is considered to be too valuable to be used on anything but Budget speeches until the by-election, in which both sides are taking the keenest interest, is over and done with. Thera is certain to be. before the session ends, a spirited debate on the new waterfront commission to be appointed, but the Minister of Labour. Mr A. McLagan, was singularly quiet when members from Onoosition benches, notably Mr W. A. Sheat (Patea), asked for further details at question time. Length of Session The House will resume at 2.30 p.m on Tuesday. No final guess can yet be made about the (late of the session’s ending, but many Parliamentary observers put it at the first week in November, or possibly a few days earlier Opposition members have made several references in debates to their view that as in some previous sessions, the Government will hive a lot of lastminute legislation to bring down, and late sittines in the dying days of the session are considered not a remote possibility. Tn the meantime, the most important sail on the political horizon is the Mount Albert by-election, and both sides are anxious to see from which quarter the wind is blowing.