WHAT IS THE DATE?

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 105, 30 October 1931, Page 8

WHAT IS THE DATE?

MR. FORBES NON-COMMITTAL

DEPENDS UPON SESSION

Persistent "fishing expeditions" by the Official Opposition in the House of Representatives yesterday again failed to extract from the Prime Minister the date on which the General Election will be held. Mr. Forbes repeated his earlier statement that no decision had yet been reached and indicated that the date of the poll was entirely dependent upon the close of the session.

"I expect the election will be held within three weeks or a month after the closing of the session," said Mr. Forbes. "It is impossible to state at present when the session^ will end. Thero is a good deal of work yet to do, and I cannot say how long it will take."

Mr. W. E. Barnard (Labour, Napier): "About a fortnight!" The Prime Minister: "I should say the election will be held within_ three weeks or a month after the closing of the session, but no date has been fixed yet. The intention is to have an election as soon as possible, but the actual date cannot be fixed until we know when the session will end."

Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Labour, Avon): "What is in your own mind? What date are you aiming at?" The Prime Minister: "I mentioned "the other day that we hoped to close down on Saturday week, but I don't know whether it will be feasible to do that."

Referring to the work still to be disposed of, the Prime Minister listed the Estimates, the Public Works Statement and Estimates, the Broadcasting Bill, the Customs Bill, the Finance Bill, and the "Washing-Up" Bills, and described the measures to be passed as representing a fairly hefty programme. He did not think, however, that the measures would be contentious in any way.