DAY IN PARLIAMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 24, 28 July 1939, Page 8

DAY IN PARLIAMENT

FINISH OF DEBATE

After extending over four 'weeks and occupying fifteen sitting days, the Address-in-Reply debate ran its course in the House of Representatives last evening, when the no-confidence amendment moved by the Opposition was put and, defeated on a division and the formal resolution carried. The discussion was unusually long even for a debate of this nature, no fewer than 73 members of the House keeping the ball rolling. All the Opposition members spoke, and with the Minister of Finance (the Hon. W..Nash* and the Minister of Lands (the Hon. F. Langstone) out of the country, and the Speaker (the Hon. W. E. Barnard) precluded by his position from participating, there were only four Government members who did not contribute to the argument. They were the Minister oi Labour (the Hon. P.. C. Webb), the Minister of Internal Affairs "(the Hon. W. E. Parry), Mr. A. S. Richards (Roskill), and Mr. F. W. Schramm (Auckland East). If the last Opposition speaker, Mr. H. S. S. Kyle (Riccarton) had not taken so long over his speech. Mr. Parry would have been among those present who spoke, as the Whips nad drawn him as the.lnst speaker. As it was the debate ended at 9.2, p>, the House divided on the no-confldcncc amendment, which was lost by 23 votes to 45, and after the mover of the motion, Mr. R. M. Macfarlano (Christchurch South), had briefly replied, iho House adjourned at 9.50 p.m. Earlier in the day the AttorneyGeneral (the Hon. H. G. R. Mason) introduced a sheaf of Bills of considerable importance in their particular categories. They were the Hirepurchase Agreements Bill, the Property Law Amendment Bill, and the Legitimation Bill, and all were read a first time. These will Rive the House something to go on with should occasion require it.