HOUSE SITS ALL NIGHT

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 83, 7 April 1936, Page 12

HOUSE SITS ALL NIGHT

RESERVE BANK BILL

GOVERNMENT MEMBERS SILENT

The first "stonewall to be encountered by the Labour Government in its effort to give legislative effect to its election pledges took place last night and during the early hours of this morning during the passage through the House of Representatives of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Amendment Bill. The House sat continuously from 2.30 p.m. yesterday till 12.15 p.m. today, a period of just on 22 hours.

Although the total strength of the Opposition numbers only 19, and its ranks depleted last night by absentees, members took every opportunity of showing their disapproval of the Bill. The first division was taken just on midnight, when the second reading was agreed to by 51 votes to 16. In spite of the Government's overwhelming majority, the Opposition challenged the Bill clause by clause in the Committee stage, which was not completed till 7.40 o'clock this morning, when, in response to many requests, the Prime Minister (the Hon M. J. Savage) agreed to an adjournment till 9 o'clock for breakfast. The third reading speeches were begun when the House resumed, and it was not till after 11.30 a.m. that the Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Nash) rose to reply. The final division on the Bill was taken at ten minutes past noon, and a tired and weary House adjourned at 12.15 p.m. to seek a few hours' sleep before reassembling at 7.30 o'clock this evening. - NO EXTENSIONS. Although the majority of the members of the Opposition exercised their right to speak on the second reading, the Leader of the Opposition (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) was the only member to be granted an extension of time yesterday. It was made clear early in the-evening that the Government was not inclined to prolong the discussion, and, accordingly, the Opposition was strictly limited to half-hour speeches. In the Committee stage of the Bill, however, the full force of the attack was felt, and the Minister of Finance was bombarded for very nearly eight hours with requests for further details of the measure. Those prominent in the attack were the Hon. A. Hamilton (Awarua), and Messrs. W. J. Broadfoot (Waitomo), W. J. Poison (Stratford), H G Dickie (Patea), J. Hargest (Invercargill), and R. A. Wright (Wellington Suburbs). This band had assistance from the Rt. Hon J. G. Coates (Kaipara) on certain clauses. The Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Nash) was the only Government member to speak. Throughout the night Government members sat (or slept) in This'evening, the House will continue with the second reading of the Government Railways Amendment Bill.

The report of the discussion on the Reserve Bank Amendment Bill appears on pages 16 ana 17.