THE DAY IN PARLIAMENT

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 151, 30 June 1928, Page 8

THE DAY IN PARLIAMENT

Late hours are not usually associated with the beginning of tho work of a session, and in this respect the present session has started off badly. About 3 o 'clock yesterday afternoon the Labour Party opened an attack on the Government in respect to the Tates of pay, and the conditions obtaining on unem» ployed relief works, and the wordy warfare waxed unceasingly until half-past two this morning, when a division was taken on an 'amendment condemning the Government's relief works policy.The amendment .was defeated by 40 votes to 14, but not before most of the Opposition members and not a few of the occupants of the Government beriches had belaboured the subject of unemployment from almost every conceivable aspect. The chief line of criticism was that the releif rates were totally inadequate even as a means of sustenance, but the other side of' the picture was painted by the Prime Minister, who quoted numerous figures to. show that 12s per day for married mea and 9s for single men were by no means the minimum rates earned. The subject being one that has its tragic side; tho debate was not conducted in any spirit of levity, although some remarks' emanating from the Government benches provoked a note of asperity from some of the members of the.Opposition. After the unemployment debate had concluded the House passed the first Imprest Supply Bill of the session, after which urgency was accorded a Govern-. ment measure extending until 30th' June, 1929, the powers of local authorities to raise moneys without polls of the ratepayers for unemployment relief purposes. The Bill increased the aggregate amount of subsidies payable on public works in relief of unemployment from £150,000 to £300,000. The! House rose at 3.35 a.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday. •