PARLIAMENT END OF SESSION

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27441, 30 August 1954, Page 3

PARLIAMENT END OF SESSION

Government’s Election Time-Table

EFFORT TO FIND BUSINESS FOR HOUSE (From Out Parliamentary Reporter)

WELLINGTON, August 29. The Prime Minister (Mr Holland) and his Government want a short election campaign of about a month, but it may be difficult to keep the House of Representatives sitting, until the end of September. On the few occasions

when the House has had an opportunity of considering legislation, very rapid progress has oeen made. - Numerically, items on the Order Paper look formidable.- There are 52 Government measures and 13 local bills. However, of the Government bills, 16 are ready for passing, and each will occupy the House only momentarily. Of those awaiting a second reading debate or the committee stages, few are likely to provoke long argument. This Gowemment bids fair to achieve note in Parliamentary history for the amount of legislation it has put through. Among the measures passed since the Government assumed office in 1949, there are more consolidating measures than passed previously, and the Government has departed from the policy of its Labour predecessor by making separate bills of minor matters which would earlier have been included in a Statutes Amendment Bill towards the end of a session.

In its first year in office —1950 —the Government put 101 Government bills on the Statute Book and occupied 1215 printed pages. Both figures are records.

, In 1951, there were two sessions of ] Parliament, for the Government went • to the country on the waterfront strike ’ issue. In the first session that year, there was no opportunity to discuss legislation. In the later part of the 1 year, the House met for a compara- , tively short term, yet passed 84 bills which occupied 693 pages. • Two volumes were necessary for the 1 printing of the 1952 legislation, when 1347 pages contained 83 measures; and it was the only time in New Zealand history, except for 1948, when such a course had been necessary. Mammoth Acts Then last year the Government broke its own record by passing 122 bills, which occupied 1751 pages. Two mammoth acts, the Maori Affairs Act and the Shipping and Seamen Act, each of 300-odd pages, have helped to swell the Government’s legislative achievement. It is likely that when the .present session ends, the Government will have passed more legislation since 1949 than did the Labour Government in its 14 years of office. During the war years, the legislative programme was light—only 20 bills were passed in 1942 —but even in the early years of the Labour regime, when far-reaching changes were being made in the country’s laws, the number of acts passed was only about half that of the present Parliament. In 1936, the first year of the Labour Government, 59 acts were put on the Statute Book. They occupied 674 pages. In 1937, there were 39 acts in 354 pages; in 1938, 24 in 421 pages; and in 1939, 43 in 578 pages. AU the work has been done by five law draftsmen since 1948, when one was added to the staff. They have drafted as much if not more legislation in a session as would be passed by the House of Commons. To the list of retiring members which was mentioned a fortnight ago must be added the name of Mr W. A. Sheat, who returned to the House recently as an unendorsed National Party > member. Mr Sheat brings the number !of those leaving—some voluntarily, ! three because they have not received I nomination—at the end of the session ; to 11. Mr Sheat has had 11 years in • the House and will qualify for super- • annuation of £3OO a year. Youngest Superannuitant • Mr Sheat, who is 55, will be /the ■ youngest of the retiring group. Mr P. Kearins (Opposition, Waimarino) is one of several Parliamentarians who keep their ages secret from the readers of “Who’s Who in New Zealand,” but he is several years older than Mr Sheat. Mr R. Semple (Opposition, Miramar), at 81, is the oldest, but there are five

septuagenarians —the Minister of in- ; ternal Affairs, Sir William Bodkin (71): the Postmaster-General, Mr W. J. Broadfoot (73); Mr A. J. Murdoch (77); ’ Mr C. H. Chapman (78); and Mr R. : McKeen (70). Mr E. B. K. Gordon is 69: and the Associate-Minister of Finance, Mr C. M. Bowden, is 68. The Chief Government .Whip, Mr A. S. Sutherland, is another who prefers not to disclose his age. However, 'he is a veteran of the South African War, and this puts him in his middle 60’s. Mr Kearins will leave Parliament Buildings before the dthers. Early next month he will make a holiday trip to Australia. , . 41 _ Good progress has been made with consideration of the Estimates. When the House resumes on Tuesday, the Police Department estimates will be put forward, and there will probably follow those administered by,the Minister of Works (Mr W. S. Goosman). Keen interest is usually taken in consideration of the Estimates, for it affords members a chance to raise local matters as well as those of general national importance. On Friday, however, interest dwindled as the time for members to catch planes and trains drew near; arid at 4.30 p.m. there were only six Opposition and 20 Government members in the House. Mr W. H. Gillespie (Government, Hurunui) was given a pat on the back by the Junior Government Whip (Mr R. G. Gerard) when the vote for the Department of Agriculture was discussed. Mr Gillespie was talking about small seeds when Mr Gerard interjected: “If they buy yours, they’ll be good.” Mr Gillespie returned the compliment by telling the House that Mr Gerard and another Government farming member, Mr J. J. Maher (Otaki) were growing small seeds. 4