THREAT BY MR MENZIES

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27675, 3 June 1955, Page 13

THREAT BY MR MENZIES

Dispute Over Private Member’s Bill (Rec. 9.30 p.m.) CANBERRA, June 2. In a bitter scene at a meeting of the joint Government parties today, the Prime Minister, Mr Menzies, threatened to convert a move by a Liberal back-bencher, Mr W. C. Wentworth,. into a motion of confidence. This motion, if lost, would mean the downfall of the Government, Mr M nzies said.. Mr Wentworth was accused by colleagues of having canvassed support from the Opposition, as well as among Government back-benchers, for a private member’s bill on civil defence which he had sponsored. Mr Menzies told the meeting that if the House .of Representatives carried an adverse vote on the bill, which was opposed to Government policy, he would regard it as a censure of .the Government. He then declared dramatically: “If that happens I will resign and submit the Government’s resignation, too. An election will follow. The Government will not tolerate private members running around and canvassing votes in the Government parties and, in effect, combining with the Opposition to force such measures through the House. “I am not going to govern this country by the grace of Bill Wentworth,” he said. Mr Wentworth’s bill aims to establish a civil defence council to deal with the threat of atomic attack. The bill has been virtually thrown into discard at the bottom of the list of Government business.