THE WEEK IN THE HOUSE

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26220, 18 September 1950, Page 6

THE WEEK IN THE HOUSE

Budget Debate To End This Week ,

MIDNIGHT SITTINGS IN PROSPECT

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 17.

Once the House of Representatives has disposed of the Budget debate, which has lasted three weeks, it is expected to start sitting until midnight each night instead of 10.30 p.m. Last week the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) indicated that the House could not continue at its present leisurely pace, and it will have to work longer hours it the session is not to be prolonged. There are already some highly controversial measures to be dealt with, and others are likely to be included in the large number of bills which are ready for presentation and should be introduced in the next few weeks. With the session nearly three months old there is already speculation about the date when it will end. Mr Holland .s known to have hopes that the House will finish the business to come before it by November 20, which would avoid the need for a short adjournment when the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association meets in Wellington irom November 24 to December 2. But the number of bills still to come, and the certainty that some will be opposed as strongly as the Tenancy Amendment Bill and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Amendment Bill, suggests that the session may not end until early in December.

Mr Holland will wind up the debate on his Financial Statement on Wednesday or Thursday at the latest. He said blandly last week that 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday would suit him, knowing, of course, that the time would not suit the Opposition, as his radio audience would be larger then than later in the evening. Towards the end of the debate, therefore, there may be some juggling for times on the air, with the Opposition trying to keep Mr Holland away from the microphone until as late in the evening as possible. Most Speeches Uninspiring

So far 45 members have spoken in the Budget debate, which began on August 29. With only a few exceptions the speeches have not been inspiring. There have been 23 Government speakers and 22 from the Opposition, and most of them have taken advantage of the latitude afforded by a debate in which they can speak for an hour on any subject. The Government still has 20 speakers to put up, and the Opposition 12, but some will not get their chance to take part. The parish pump has been worked fairly hard in the Budget debate. It is likely to be worked much harder when the House starts discussing the Estimates. If the usual procedure is followed, the Estimates will be taken on two days each week, probably Tuesday and Friday, and bills on the order paper and Ministerial replies to members’ questions will occupy the other two days. Usually the Estimates give local members an opportunity to xollow up local issues, and not likely to neglect it when departmental votes concerning their electorates are considered. In the discussion on the first item m the Estimates any subject can be raised, but after that :he votes are discussed department by department. When the Government was in opposition its usual practice was to pick out one or two major issues—expenditure on the New Zealand Legation in Moscow and the information section of the Prime Minister’s Department were typical—and hammer them as hard as possible. If the present Opposition follows the same practice it is almost sure to have more to say about the curtailment of the National Film Unit’s activities, which has been discussed several times in the session. Legislative Council Issue When the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Fraser) told Mr Holland by letter that the Labour members had decided -not to take part in the work of the ,>oint committee of both Houses to consider possible alternatives to the Legislative Council, the decision did not come entirely as a surprise. It had been known in the lobbies tor some time that some members of the Opposition were against having anything to do with Mr Holland’s proposal. Government members’ reactions to the Opposition’s decision were aptly summarised by the Senior Whip (Mr A. S. Sutherland) in the interjection: "It’s a real win for the Left Wing.” His remark was obviously directed at Mr P. Kearins (Opposition, Waimarino), who smiled broadly and winked. There is little left of the Left Wing o f the Labour Party as it was known in the last Parliament, but Mr Kearins is regarded as one of the surviviors. There is some doubt whether Mr Fraset concurs with the Opposition's decision, ffi which Mr Kearins, as an abolitionist who does not want anything to replace the Legislative Council, is reported to have played a part. The belief that Mr Fraser had had to Dow to the wishes of the majority is supported by the objections to a singlechamber system which he voiced during the debate on the Legisative Council Abolition Bill, and his advocacy of a revisory chamber. More surprising than the Oppositions decision was the appointment of three new Government members to the Lower House committee to consider an alternative to the Uoper House. They are Messrs E. H. Halstead. T L. Hayman, and W. B. Tennent. There are two lawyers on the committee, Messrs J. R. Marshal] and J R “5 na £« J? e . Mini ster of Education (Mr R. M. Algie) was once a professpr of law. Mr. D. M. Rae and Mr Halstead are school teachers, Mr Hayman is a potato grower, and Mr Tennent is a dentist. Since five of the members of the Upper House committee have all spoken strongly in favour of the bicameral system, the sittings of the two committees should be unusually interesting.