PARLIAMENTARY DAY

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27735, 12 August 1955, Page 12

PARLIAMENTARY DAY

(From Our ParUamentary Reporter, WELLINGTON, August 11. Election speeches last year and the speech in the Address-in-Reply debate were the basis of the contribution this evening by the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) to the Budget debate. He was accused of having looked over his shoulder instead of looking ahead, as Prime Ministers should, by Mr W. W. Freer (Opposition, Mount Albert), the next speaker. Mr Holland is usually applauded by his party when he speaks in a set debate, but there was not a murmur when he sat down. He spoke mainly on the achievements of his Government, and the House was interested only when he challenged the Labour Party to show its ability to deal with “the scourge of subversion” and communitan. Mr Holland said that as long as his party was on the Treasury benches, the Government would govern. Expectations of a provocative speech by Mr Freer, who recently visited Communist China, were not realised. His speech was a travelogue, and as: such was interesting. He said that the administration in China was completely honest and the Government was deliberately squeezing out foreign capital. ' Forty-nine members have now spoken in the debate.