OPENING OF NEW PARLIAMENT

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27593, 25 February 1955, Page 12

OPENING OF NEW PARLIAMENT

House To Meet On March 22 SHORT SESSION TO BE HELD

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, February 24. The early session of the new Parliament will open on Tuesday, March 22. This was announced by the ActingPrime Minister (Mr K. J. Holyoake) after he had told the date to a caucus of Government members today. tie did not say how long the session would

Mr Holyoake said he could not at present indicate the programme for the short session. However, he -expected that external affairs would be prominent, as the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) would report on the London conference of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers, and the Minister of External Affairs (Mr T. L. Macdonald) on the Bangkok conference of the S.E.A.T.O. Powers. The Speech from the Throne would be given by the Governor-General (Sir Willoughby Norrie) on March 23' The Government had already announced that it would bring down validating legislation for the appointment of the Police Commission, and for the appointment of the Minister of Works (Mr W. S. Goosman) as chairman of the National Roads Board. As this will be the first meeting of the Parliament elected at the last General Election, the opening on March 22 will be performed by a commission appointed by the Governor-General to act for him in relation to Parliament until members have been sworn and have elected a Speaker. The commission is expected to consist of the Chief Justice (Sir Harold Barrowclough) and other Supreme Court Judges The commission attends Parliament House and informs the House that the Governor-General will attend the next day to declare the reasons why it has been called together. It requests the House to elect a Speaker, to be presented to his Excellency the following morning, and then withdraws. After the withdrawal of the commission, the members are sworn in by the Clerk of the House and elect the Speaker.