PARLIAMENT House Rejects Opposition Motion Of No Confidence

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27641, 23 April 1955, Page 8

PARLIAMENT House Rejects Opposition Motion Of No Confidence

JFrom Our Parliamentary Reporter)

WELLINGTON, April 22.

When the Address-in-Reply debate was continued today, the House of Representatives rejected by 38 votes to 30 the Opposition amendment expressing no confidence in the Government. The division was taken soon after mid-day.

The debate continued wearily till 4.15 p.m., when the motion that a respectful reply be made to the Speech from the Throne,' was carried without, another division. Friday-morning debates are usually dull, but Mr J. J. Maher (Government, Otaki) contributed a bright half-hour speech, using phrases all his own and waving his glasses in ridicule of the Opposition. Advocacy of proportional representation by Mr D. M, Rae (Government, Eden) was a fresh contribution to the debate. He said 12,000 persqps nad been disfranchised at the last elections. Under proportional representation, he believed 90 per cent- of them would have voted for the National Party. He believed proportional representation was democratic, and he asked that the Government should investigate that system of voting. It would settle a lot of arguments, he said. After 60 members had spoken in the debate since it began on April 6, Mr C. F. Skinner, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, who was listed as the next speaker, failed to take a call, and

at 12.15 p.m. the division bells rang for the first time in the 31st Parliament. Only half an hour before, 44 seats in the House were vacant, but 68 members assembled when the lobby doors were locked for the counting of the votes.

The Opposition did not put up a speaker when the debate was resumed, and the Junior Government Whip (Mr E. P. Aderman) continued the debate. He was followed by two more Government speakers before Mr A. H. Nordmeyer (Opposition, Island Bay) spoke.

With 4 p.m. approaching, Mr R. E. ; Jack .(Government, Patea), who had moved the original motion, began a brief reply. The debate had extended over nine sitting days, with 34 Government and 30 Opposition speakers. The Prime Minister (Mr Holland) and Miss M. B, Upward (Opposition, Sydenham), who has rarely been away fiiom her seat in the House this, week, were thd only two members from Canterbury not to take part in it. Notice of an Imprest Supply Bill' being introduced when the House assembles again next Wednesday—t lie hour will be later than 2.30 p.m., because members will be attending a State luncheon to the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (Mr C. D. Howe) —was given by the Prime Minister. Answers to questions will then be discussed, and in the evening, the sec 4 ond reading debate on the National Roads Amendment Bill will begin.