THE DAY IN PARLIAMENT

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 150, 28 June 1930, Page 8

THE DAY IN PARLIAMENT

If niombors of the House of Representatives are to be expected by the Goyrnment to sit 'longer hours than arc usual at the cdmmencemeht of a session in order to enable the legislative'programme to be expedited, they had a good initiation to that order of procedure at yesterday's sitting. After devoting nearly two hours in the afternoon to the passing of motions recording Appreciation of the services of four ex-members of tho Legislature, the House adjourned until tho evening out of respect to their memory. Tho election of the Chairman, of Committees provided an unexpected event when the House resumed. Not satisfied with the nomination of Mr. W. A. Bodkin from the Government benches, the Reform Opposition proposed "Mr. W A. Maepherson, whom they regarded as a more I impartial candidate for the office. It \ was then that tho Prime Minister Bur- \ prised the Houso by announcing that' he regarded the amendment as a. chal-'| lengo and a want of confidence motion. After about an' hour's discussion, Mr. Macpherson straightened out the diffi-. culty by declining to accept nomination, and the Government's nominee was thereupon elected. For five hours the House then discussed the unemployment problem on the introductory stages of the Imprest Supply Bill. Little new light was shed on the subject, though some of the Ministers gave somo interesting fresh information bearing on the efforts made to afford relief. Anticipations that the Arapuni trouble would be well threshed ont were not realised, only the barest reference' being made to the power breakdown as it affoctcd the unemployment situation. A tired House rose at 3.10 a.m. after passing the Imprest' Bill ■ and a measure extending the borrowing authority of local bodies for unemployment relief purposes.