ORDINARY SESSION

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 145, 15 March 1932, Page 10

ORDINARY SESSION

Much Still to be Done POSTPONEMENT LIKELY Earlier Budget Expected WORK AT OTTAWA There is every likelihood that if the, present session of Parliament runs into May, the ordinary session which is usually in June will be postponed until later in the year. At the present rate of progress it seems likely that the House will not get through the business awaiting its attention until the end of April at the earliest. Much of importance remains to be done, and progress will be interrupted when the Easter adjournment is taken. Although it has not been definitely decided, it is possible that the Prime Minister will arrange for the House to rise on Wednesday, Ma'rch 23, two days before Good Friday, and that he will not ask members to reassemble until about Tuesday or Wednesday of the following week. Ottawa Representation. This will leave little time for work for the rest of this month, and unless much greater headway can be made than at present, a considerable portion of April will be occupied before the end of the session is in sight. In addition, it is pointed out that as the Ottawa Conference will take place some time in July, the absence of the Prime Minister and probably another Minister in Canada would not be altogether desirable if the House were sitting. The New Zealand Government’s representation at Ottawa will have to be strong, and this fact is recognised in official circles, for the questions to be discussed will have a great bearing upon the future trade of the Empire in general and of the Dominion in particular. For this reason the Prime Minister may feel that the Minister of Finance and Customs should also travel to Ottawa. At the' moment, however, this question has not received any detailed consideration by Cabinet as a whole, and nothing definite can be said about the Government’s intention. In any event, it is likely that if a sufficient amount-of work can be done this session, the ordinary June session might be postponed until about. September or October. This was admitted by the Prime Minister in reply to a question on the point yesterday, although he pointed out that the question of postponing the June session had not so far been gone into, and any action in this direction would depend upon what happened before the end of the emergency session.

Important Considerations. There are several important considerations that would enter into a postponement of the J une session. I' or one thing State departments would have to Be ready to submit accounts aud estimates before the present session ended, although this should not be extremely difficult, for with the end of the financial year only about a fortnight away, next year’s financial requirements should be known. The Budget would also probably have to be presented before the end of this session, but there is reason to believe that with the completion of an intense study into the country’s financial position that has been carried out over recent months by the Minister of Finance, Hon. W. Downie Stewart, and the Secretary to the Treasury, Mr. A. D. Park, it will be possible to budget for 1932-33 at an earlier date than usual. In fact, the financial statement which will be tabled in the House in the near future by the Minister is expected to contain not only a survey of present conditions but also an outline of budgetary requirements for next year. There are bound to be certain questions that could not be dealt with during. the present session, and Parliament would 'have to meet later iff the year to consider aspects of the budgetary position relating to taxation that by their nature must be held over. However, if the House were to rise until about October a very short session only would then be necessary to complete arrangements for the rest of the year.