THE ADDRESS IN REPLY

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27393, 5 July 1954, Page 10

THE ADDRESS IN REPLY

PARLIAMENT

Little Public Interest In Debate (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, July 4. With 25 speeches made in the Ad-dress-in-Repiy debate, the House of Representatives has made good progress with its first formal business of the session. Most of the speeches will be heard again at election meetings later this year. They have not attracted many visitors to the House, and the public galleries have been practically empty since the session opened. When two new members of the House—Mrs E. E. McMillan (Opposition, Dunedin North) and Mr H. Watt (Opposition, Onehunga)—made their maiden speeches, they were more provocative than is usual for new members.

Out of courtesy and by custom, the Kways treats new members id members refrain from inGovernment members found to remain silent when Mrs and Mr Watt spoke on Both sharply attacked /he ent’s ad ministrati on t and .drew murmured protests from the ’Government side of the House. Custom was observed by Messrs J. JL McAlpine (Government, Selwyn) fßind E. H Halstead (Government, Taxnaki), the mover and seconder of the motion that an Address-in-Reply to the Governor-General’s message fchould be presented. Both wore full Vvening dress, a custom which was by the Labour Government, but which was reinstated in 1950 To prevent a rush of legislation late in the session, such as has occurred in the last few years, the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) hopes to introduce an average of three bills a day. Ministers have responded well to meet his desire, and 21 bills have been introduced already. Next Wednesday members will have their first opportunity of discussing Ministers' answers to questions which have been put since the session opened. Mr C. L. Carr (Oppoition, Timaru) seems to have relinquished his title of “quizmaster” in the House, and Dunedin problems have been well to the fore at question time. Mr J. G. Barnes, who holds the St. Kilda seat for the Government by a slender majority, has lost no opportunity of asking questions on his electorate’s problems; and Mrs McMillan has been prominent among questioners.

On Tuesday evening members will have a chance of airing their views on international affairs, and of hearing from the Minister of External Affairs (Mr T. C. Webb) about the part New Zealand has played in international conferences. TSis debate will be the first of three on set subjects which the Prime Minister has promised to arrange. For guidance in future years, a photographic record was made this year of the ceremonial at the opening of Parliament. National Publicity Studio photographers took a series of •bout 50 photographs shoeing each I move that is made in the opening ceremony by the Governor-Genera t both outride inside the Chamber.