WORK OF SESSION

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 142, 12 March 1941, Page 6

WORK OF SESSION

Opening’ Of Parliamem Today SECRET DISCUSSION TOMORROW

Urgent Legislation Only

Little in the way of legislation is expected to be dealt with during the session of Parliament which is to be opened today by the GovernorGeneral, Sir Cyril Newall. If the general election for the House of Representatives is held at the normal time at the end of the present, year this will be the third and final session of the present Parliament. The indications are that the House will be in session continuously till shortly before Easter, when an adjournment will be taken till the Financial Statement is ready for presentation, probably some time in June.

Legislation in the immediate future is likely to be restricted to urgent measures only, though it may be necessary to bring down a few amending Bills affecting existing laws. An butline of the legislative programme will no doubt appear in the Speech from the Throne to be read by the GovernorGeneral at today’s opening. If members desire an opportunity to hear and discuss the latest developments in connexion with the international situation and New Zealand’s war effort, a secret session is to be held tomorrow. The last occasion on which the House of Representatives met in secret was on December 5, the day before the end of last year’s session of Parliament, and in view of the important events that , have occurred since then it is thought that it will wish to discuss the situation in the light of any additional information the Government is able to give. Should one day be sufficient for this 'discussion tributes will be taken on Friday to legislators who have died during the recess. These are: Mr.. C. E. Macmillan, a former Minister of the Crown; Sir John Sinclair, a former member of the Legislative Council; and Messrs. A. E. Ansell, T. Forsyth, and C. H. Poole, former members of the House of Representatives. Address-in-Reply Debate.

The Address-in-Reply debate is likely to begin next Tuesday night. The opening speakers will be Mr. Lowry (Otaki). and/Mr. Tirikatene (Southern Maori). It is known that many members on both sides of the Houseare anxious to take part in the subsequent discussion, and the indications are that the debate will take much longer than it did last year, when it lasted only a few days. His Excellency,- accompanied by Lady Newall, will leave Government House at 2.15 p.m. for Parliament House. The route they will take from Government House and also on the return journey after the opening ceremony will be via Cambridge Terrace, Wakefield Street, Jervois Quay, Ballance Street, Lambton Quay and Molesworth Street. A guard of honour will be provided by the Royal New Zealand Air Force and by a unit from Trentham camp, with Captain McCuiloch, Army School, Trentham, in command. X. .