DAY IN PARLIAMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 41, 16 August 1941, Page 8

DAY IN PARLIAMENT

SLOW PROGRESS ON ESTIMATES

Although the whole of yesterday was spent in the House of Representatives on further consideration of Departmental Estimates for the current year, only seven classes aggregating £1,989,183 were passed. A great deal of time was spent on the Votes for the Police and Lands and Survey Departments. What has come to be called the Nathan incident was the main topic of discussion on the Police Department Vote during the morning. The Acting Minister in Charge of Police (Mr. Webb) reiterated his previous statement that as a result of the inquiries made by police officers there was not a particle-of evidence to justify the police taking action against the five union secretaries who have been mentioned in the case. Mr. Webb emphasised that it was quite open to Mr. Nathan to seek redress from the Courts and to have the whole matter fully ventilated should he desire to do so, and said that he would like to see him take this action because he did not want the public to feel that an undue influence, as had been inferred, was exerted on the police. A variety of topics, ranging from the prevalence of noxious weeds on some Crown lands to the action taken by the Government to exterminate the rabbit pest in the South Island, were talking points of which full advantage was taken by members of the Opposition during the afternoon. When the House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday the Sundry Products Account was under consideration. * I