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Evening Star, Issue 22774, 8 October 1937, Page 15

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MR WILKINSON WOULD ACCEPT ELECTION CHALLENGE SOME BAITING OF EGMONT INDEPENDENT [From Our Parliamentary Rei-orter.] WELLINGTON, October 7. There was an expectant air about the members of the House of Representatives when Mr Wilkinson (Egmont) rose from the Opposition benches _ to speak, because a newspaper interview had given full warning that he held critical views about his leader. However, not till the last few moments of his speech did this subject crop up, though Labour members showed by their frequent interjections that they were waiting, for a Jittle explosion. Early in his speech Mr Wilkinson became caustic over the Government’s failure to carry out to its logical extent the 40-hour-week principle. It had failed to fulfil its promise in respect to the police, but it forced the principle on private employers, and he wondered if it intended to over the farming industry and run it on the 40-hour week, though everybody knew that this, the country’s greatest industry, could not possibly operate on such a system; “It was your Government’s. Mr Wilkinson was reminded by a Labour member when he had referred to another legislative anomaly. “ I never had a Government,” retorted the member for Egmont, amid laughter. , T . , Mr Lee: You are a political Irishman and always agin the Government. (More laughter.) . Mr Wilkinson: I am _ always against the Government when it is wrong. Mr Lee: Till they make you leader? “ Are you going to form a new party?” asked a Government member when Mr Wilkinson announced that he wished to deal with a statement of the Prime Minister regarding a general election “ I am not going to form a new party,” replied Mr Wilkinson, but I say that when a serious- challenge is made to the Leader of the Opposition by the responsible head of the Government to name the date for an election that challenge should have been taken notice of. My reaction to that would have been immediate acceptance to see what the people would say.” Mr O’Brien: The hon. member would not need to retire then. (Laughter.) Mr Wilkinson declared that if the challenge had been accepted by the Leader of the Opposition there would be an immediate election, but the challenge was not accepted unfortunately. “ And, in my opinion, the Leader of the Opposition failed in his duty. (Laughter.) He should have called the Prime Minister’s bluff, because, in my opinion, it was only bluff. The Government is not ready.” Mr Armstrong: You are as brave as a bull on the railway line. (Laughter.)

Mr Wilkinson: The Government Party know how weak they are in the country, and that 23 or 24 of their seats are minority seats. Mr Osborne (Government, Manaifcau): How many are yours? You have only six majority members. Mr Wilkinson: Let us accept the challenge and prove that there are 22 minority members of the Government Party, which has a minority of 37,000 votes. I say quite openly there are more “ oncers ” in the Government Party than ever before in the history of the country. Mr Webb: Why not have it,on your own?

Mr Semple; Will the lion, gentleman put the same courage into the Leader of the Opposition? (Laughter.) Mr Wilkinson repeated that he would have accepted the challenge, for he felt sure that if they went to the country there was a 50-50 chance that the Government would bo defeated. Mr Schramm (Government, Auckland East): You did not say that in Sydney or in London. Mr Wilkinson: The hon. gentleman might have some consideration, and realise I might have been misreported. Mr Schramm: I have a soft spot for you. Look how I saved you in Paris. (Laughter.) Mr Wilkinson: I did not require saving. It was 50-50. We were in no danger at all. (Renewed laughter.) The next Labour speaker, Mr Anderton, naturally had some comment on the frank utterance from Egmont. Mr Wilkinson, he said, was a man who had, throughout his life displayed an independent mind. He had not been contaminated by Liberalism, Conservatism, Labourism, or any other “ ism,” but had stood out as an Independent, one of those who served no one but themselves. He had attacked the Budget, the first Budget of its kind ever introduced in a New Zealand Parliament, and had laboured for an hour and aquarter on the same tune that every member of the Opposition had laboured upon since their leader had spoken over a week ago.