Leader Frustrated By His Party’s Persistence

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30470, 18 June 1964, Page 1

Leader Frustrated By His Party’s Persistence

(From Our Parltomenlarv Reporter? WELLINGTON, June 17. It was ironical that the motion by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nordmeyer), calling for a Parliamentary session long enough to give full consideration to matters requiring the attention of the House, should have been curtailed to 65 minutes today.

Mr Nordmeyer's own attempt . to abbreviate an Opposition attempt to introduce discussion of the Railway tradesmen’s dispute into introduction of the Government Railways Amendment Bill failed.

The attempt resulted in a 30-minute delay on a point of order raised by the Prime Minister (Mr who said he doubtec.whether the matter could be debated as it could be sub judice.

So, by the time this and five other bills had been dealt with and half an hour had been devoted to questions, the time available for Mr Nordmeyer’s motion was severely limited.

Mr M. Moohan (Opp., Petone) introduced the issue

of tradesmen's rates. Mr Nordmeyer said the chairman of committees should rule first on its relevance and would then probably find he would not have to decide on the further question of whether the matter was sub judice.

The Deputy-Prime Minister (Mr Marshall) held that as the Railways Department had lodged a claim with the Railways Tribunal, the matter was sub judice. The Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) said he would welcome discussion on the question of the application of the ruling rates survey to railway workers.

But Opposition members did not take the hint of their leader and the issue dragged on until the chairman (Mr Jack) ruled that discussion should be limited to the contents of the bill and not extended unduly to matters which might have been in the bill.

Mr Nordmeyer’s motion was talked out when the House adjourned for dinner and, with the amendment proposed by Mr Shand, will now become the fifty-sixth motion among the notices on the Order Paper. Thus it is unlikely to be brought to the attention of the House again this session.