Commons Uproar On Migration

Press, Volume C, Issue 29691, 8 December 1961, Page 17

Commons Uproar On Migration

(N.Z.P.A.-Reut«r— Copyright) LONDON, December 6. The stonny Parliamentary debate on the important Commonwealth Immigration bill had to be adjourned last night—because the gilt mace had been under the table during discussion instead of on it.

The mace is the symbol of authority of the Speaker and of the House. What had been a heated debate on the bill became bogged down on the technical point of whether the DeputySpeaker (Sir Gordon Touche) had had the right to suspend the House while the mace was not on the table. Sir Gordon Touche tried to brush the objection aside as unimportant, but Labour members would not allow him to do so. Some of them said that because the mace had been under the table the House had not been in session, and therefore it could not be called back from suspension, But another Labour member then argued that if the suspension was thus invalidated, then the sitting had never been suspended at all, and could continue normally. Members suggested that the Speaker be consulted, and it was then discovered that because of Parliamentary rules, the only way his opinion could be sought was to adjourn the sitting for the night. The debate was therefore adjourned. During the debate, one Labour speaker suggested that because the mace had been under the table instead of on it, everything done during the sitting might be illegal. The half-hour suspension which provoked the row was ordered by Sir Gordon Touche because of the terrific uproar in Parliament as one point of order was raised after another in rapid succession for about 45 minutes. Earlier, a Labour move to have Ghana and other independent members of the Commonwealth exempted from the bill had been defeated. Labour members became angered when Sir Gordon Touche refused to allow a number of similar amendments to the bill to be voted

upon separately. They had been debated together. The suspension was the first since the Suez crisis in 1956. and only the fifth this century. One of the amendments suggested exempting Australians from the bill. Referring to this, the Labour member, Mr Denis Powell, said during the debate that the most important political point affecting the Commonwealth was the problem of population. "I think Australia is one of the countries that is not facing up to its responsibility,” he said. “Australia is not giving any thought as to how it could make its contribution to this tremendous problem. Australia could make a much greater contribution to solving this problem of population dispersal than almost any other country.’’ Mr Powell said that Britain would only be in a position to get Australia to make a contribution to the population problem if she treated Australia and Australians with generosity. ■‘Cut Its Dirty Throat” Lady Megan Lloyd Geopge, daughter of Britain’s World War I Prime Minister, said that in two world wars there were no immigration officers at the ports to interrogate Canadians, . Australians and New Zealanders. Sir Winston Churchill had said during

World War II: "We might have to trust the keepinc of British civilisation alive in the future to the countries of the Commonwealth,” Now the Conservative Gov. ernment, the party of Commonwealth and Empire as they would have everyone believe, was introducing for the first time immigration restrictions on these Commonwealth members, Icdy Megan Lloyd George said. She hoped the Government would withdraw the bill She said she would give the Government the same advice as Sir Winston Churchill gave to another Government on a previous occasion: "Take it away and cut its dirty throat.” The Home Secretary. Mr Butler, said: “We feel deeply Stbout the need to impose immigration control on those great countries. Australia. New Zealand. Canada and others “The fact that we have thought it necessary to include them is the most striking answer to what has been perpetually said by Opposition members, that this is a colour-bar bill,” he added. “We have decided that with the exception of Ireland, there must be no discrimination as between the different members of the Commonwealth, on grounds of colour bar or for any other reason.” (Earlier report, page 9.)