PARLIAMENTARY DAY

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26159, 8 July 1950, Page 6

PARLIAMENTARY DAY

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, July 7. Back-benchers had the field almost to themselves when the Address-in-Reply debate was continued in the House of Representatives to-day. Only one Minister was among the 11 speakers—six Opposition and five Government—who took part in the debate. He was the Minister in charge of the Police Department (Mr W. H. Fortune) and he, too, occupies one of the back benches. There was an end-of-the-week atmosphere about the proceedings. and at times members were absent from the Chamber, while Ministers worked on files. Perhaps the best speech of the day was made by Mr J. K. McAlpine (Government. Selwyn), who chose a new field—international affairs—and spoke seriously and sincerely on the Korean situation, which he believed would not develop into a major war. Mr P. G. Connolly (Opposition. Dunedin Central) also concerned himself with externa] affairs, criticising the Minister of External Affairs (Mr F. W. Doidge) for not reporting to the House the results of the Commonwealth conferences in Colombo and Sydney. Most of the other speakers had little effective material to contribute to the debate. Fewer notices of questions were given, but Mr Connolly contributed the most amusing one of the session so far when he asked whether taxpayers who paid tips could claim exemption for the total amount, since tips now had to be declared on income tax returns. Before the debate began, the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) tabled the Public Accounts for the financial year 1949-50, and Mr Fortune tabled the annual report of the Government Insurance Department and the actuary’s report on the National Provident Fund as at December 31, 1947. The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday. A number of Government Ministers and members left for Christchurch this evening to attend the Dominion conference of the National Party. They will return in time for the resumption of the Address-in-Reply debate on Tuesday.