Speaker Rebukes The House

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30561, 2 October 1964, Page 3

Speaker Rebukes The House

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter)

WELLINGTON, October 1.

A week in which members of Parliament applied renewed vigour after a week’s adjournment culminated this evening in a roar of confused interjections and a bitter exchange between the Speaker (Sir Ronald Algie) and Mr W. A. Fox (Opp., Miramar) during the half-hour debate on the adjournment of the House. “This,” said the Speaker, “is becoming a disgrace to what honourable gentlemen sometimes refer to as the highest court in the land.”

The adjournment debate was preceded by a speech on Social Security benefits by Mr R. Macdonald (Opp., New Lynn) during which he was interrupted numerous times by calls for order and interjections, mostly from Sir Leslie Munro (Govt., Waipa). Mr Macdonald described him as “the chirping bird,” but the Speaker demanded that Sir Leslie Munro cease his interjections and Mr Macdonald continued.

Last evening there was an unrelenting and prolonged battle of wills between the Speaker and Opposition members which proved to be an inconclusive war of attrition until the Opposition speakers apparently declined to continue the debate in the Defence Bill. The Speaker was requesting that members relate their general observations on defence and on the nature of modern warfare to the particulars of the bill; several Opposition speakers ignored the opportunity, hinted at by the Speaker, to explain occasionally the relevance of their speeches. When Mr N. E. Kirk (Opp., Lyttelton), drew attention to clauses in the bill which he

asserted made his colleagues'; speeches relevant the Speaker tartly observed he had carefully elucidated what had already been made clear. Today there was contretempts over the length of an

answer by the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Seath), to a question. Mr Seath was attempting to give a long history of the preservation of Maori rock drawings. Upon a point of order from the Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Mr Watt) who referred to frequent requests for ministerial brevity, the Speaker asked Mr Seath for a short, simple answer to the question. After some attempt to revive his review Mr Seath sat down. Tonight, during the numerous interjections by Sir Leslie Munro, the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) at first apparently amused, sat silent and bent over his papers. ■ Then during the adjourn-

■jment debate a lively speech ! by the Under-Secretary for ’ Industry and Commerce (Mr Adam-Schneider), provoked a noisy flow of interjections i from the Opposition and re-

joinders from the Government. The Speaker said that it was becoming a disgrace and later an interjection from Mr Fox caused him to demand an apology and to threaten further action if this were not given. “1 ask the member for Miramar to apologise to the Speaker and to the House for his continued interjections,” said the Speaker. Mr Fox rose, obviously annoyed, and protested: The Minister . . . The Speaker: Order. Wil) the member apologise . . . Mr Fox: Will you tell me why you ask me to apologise? The Speaker: Yes. If the member does not apologise, there is one further course I must take. I told the honourable gentleman that 1 requested him to apologise for disregarding the Speaker’s request that he cease from incessant interjection. Mr Fox: That was the first time I interjected. If that is the reason you ruled . . . The Speaker: Order. If that is the case I must take the honourable member’s word. If that is the case I reverse

i the position and I apologise r to him. P The House, quiet during a . speech by the Leader of the 1 Opposition (Mr Nordmeyer) 5 adjourned a few minutes - later.