WEATHER CLEARS FOR OPENING

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27010, 9 April 1953, Page 10

WEATHER CLEARS FOR OPENING

WORK ON FIRST DAY TAKES 20 MINUTES SESSION TO FINISH ON MAY 1 (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, April 8. Late this morning the heavy rain stopped and the skies cleared, allowing an open-air ceremony for the opening of the third session of New Zealand’s thirtieth Parliament—the first to be opened by the GovernorGeneral (Sir Willoughby Norrie). While the Governor-General and Lady Norrie were driving from Government House under an escort from the Police Department and the Royal New Zealand Provost Corps, guns from Point Jerningham thundered out a salute of 21 guns.

Their Excellencies were greeted on arrival at the steps of Parliament Buildings by the Chiefs of Staff of the three armed services, and Sir Willoughby Norrie then inspected a guard of honour of three officers and 100 men from the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Royal Marine Band. Trumpeters of the Royal New Zealand Air Force sounded a fanfare as their Excellencies left their car.

About 300 persons, many of them school children, watched the ceremony. After being escorted to the former Legislative Council chamber by Black Rod (Major D. I. C. Bryan), nis Excellency bowed to members of the diplomatic corps and then to the wives of Ministers of the Crown. He then commanded Black Rod to summon members of the House of Representatives. They took their seats, and the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) presented to Sir Willoughby Norrie the Speech from the Throne, which his Excellency read. The first working day of the session lasted only about 20 minutes when formal business was taken after Sir Willoughby Norrie had opened the session.

The Government benches in the House of Representatives were full, and there were only five absentees on the Opposition side. They were Miss M. B. Howard, and Messrs A. McLagan, A. H. Nordmeyer, P. Paikea, and R. Walls. Miss Howard and Mr Walls were granted leave of absence because of illness.

After seven members, all from the Opposition benches, had asked questions of Ministers, the Prime Minister moved the adjournment until 2.30 p.m. tomorrow. The House will then meet briefly to pay its respects to the memory ’of Queen Mary and adjourn until Friday morning.

On Friday there will be an Imprest Supply Bill authorising payment of Public Service salaries, and the House will not resume until 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday, when Mr H. R. Lake (Government, Lyttelton) will move and Mr P. Tait. (Government, Napier) will second a respectful address in reply to be tendered to the Governor-Gen-eral.

. Before the House rose the Prime Minister indicated that the session would end on May 1, and that it was proposed to introduce a number of bills which could be studied by those concerned before they came before the House again when the session continued in August.

CAUCUSES TO BE HELD TODAY (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, April 8. Both the Government and Opposition parties will be holding caucuses tomorrow morning. It is expected that at the Labour caucus subjects will be chosen on which the Opposition will base its first attack on the Government when the Imprest Supply-Bill is debated on Friday.