THE SESSION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1479, 29 June 1912, Page 6

THE SESSION.

! DEBATE ON THE IMPREST SUPPLY BILL. .'.'■ CLOAK.OF SECRECY. MORE ABOUT THE FOUR MILUIN LOAN. •f EFFECTIVE CRITICISM."

The Houso of Representatives occupied Itself for the ivholo of tho first working day of the session with a debate on an Imprest Supply Bill for .£7U,900. Members on both sides of tho Houso apparently : Tecognised that Supply had to lie granted, and. the ' tight was a series of skirmishes, instead of a pitched battle. Before tho debato opened Mr. Massoy (Leader of tho Opposition) took occasion to: criticise tho Prime Minister for having, by. his failure to summon Parliament until the latest.possible day, forced Parliament into tho position of being compelled to pass Supply in one day. Tho only reply that the Prime -Minister 'deemed it "necessary to make was that tho ordinary course had been followed. Mr. James Allen pointed out that the eircumstinces. wero not ordinary. Tho first question to be submitted to tho - House about which there was any speculation was as to who should act as .Chairman, when , tho Houso went into Committee. It was whispered, and afterwards learned with, certainty, that Mr. T. H. Davev, who had first claim on tho position, had declined the office under tho .present, stop-gap Ministry, and there was speculation as to. what the Government would do. It turned out that Mr. J. C. Thompson accepted the position for the day, Mr. Masscy. and his party offering aio opposition. Mr. Massey Qpened- the debate by calling for-facts and ''figures.' relating to the Tecently-floatcd .iV million loan.. AH he asked for. was such information'as .must Jiave been contained in English ; financial papers several Weeks ago, and (he hoped that there would, be no more of tho old time'secrecy. The Minister for Fmanco,(Mr. A.. M. Myers) delivered a long ..speech in .reply, making frequent reference to the gravity of- his responsibilities, and to the delicate nature of financial operations, but, telling practically nothing. It was only when he was ■literally bombarded with questions that ho vouchsafed'one or two items of information. Probably the Bill would have been, allowed to pass through all its stages in the afternoon had "not Sir Joseph Ward risen to defend hi'm'self and the loan operations of his Government. The speech provoked.muchtammjent, and tho debate dragged on until 9.46 p.on., when the Bill was allowed to pass, all its stages. , Sir. W: Fraser was particularly effective in exposing tho folly of issuing short-dated debentures. Somo trenchant criticisms were offered of the. Government's borrowing and spending policy, and of the Debt Extinction Bill. Two features of the discussion were references by Mr. G. V. PeaTce to the advancing of Advances to Settlers money on suburban lands at boom values, and some statements of tho' Hon. G. "W. Kussell regarding\his ideas of how the Government might derive benefit from its sinking funds.