PARLIAMENT

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 February 1942, Page 6

PARLIAMENT

YESTERDAY'S PROCEEDINGS

WELLINGTON, February 10. The House met to-day at 2.30 p.m. Six days’ leave of absence was granted the Minister of Internal A Hairs, Mr. Parry, on account of illness. , The first woman member oi trip National Party to be elected 1o the House, Mrs. M. V. C. Grigg (Mid-Canterbury) was sworn in. As she returned to her scat. Mrs. Grigg was given a round of applause by Members on botn the Government and Opposition,benches. Mrs. Grigg, who was seated on _ a bench at the side of an aisle opposite that occupied by Mrs. C. C. S. Stewart (Government, Wellington West), carried a bouquet ol red roses presented bv the Canterbury Women’s Division of the National Party. Iler sponsors were Mr. W. J. Broad fool (Chief Opposition Whip) and Mr. D. C. Kidd (Opposition, Waitaki). In notice of a question, Rev. r. L. Frost (Govt., New Plymouth) asked the Minister of Labour, Mr. Webb, whether he was aware Unit some landlords were adding the cost of war damage insurance to rentals, and that lliis had been allowed by the Labour Department where the tenancy was prior to the 1936 Fair Rents Act. Mr. Frost suggested that the Minister should take steps to prevent this pracPETROL ALLOCATION. The question of the supply ol petrol to members of local bodies was raised in the notice of a question by Mr. D. C. Kidd (Nat., Waitaki) to Ike Minister of Supply, Mr. Sullivan. Mr. Kidd asked if it were a fact that •JiC members of local bodies, such as Counlv Councils and Hospital Boards, who had to travel some distance to meetings, with no other means ol transport than their cars, were not allowed petrol to attend such meetings, while- union secretaries were being .■ applied with petrol. He also gave notice for a return to lie presented I>i th? Hr,use showing th? quantile of octroi supplied to union ... cr<-iari er during January of this year. Mr. Sullivan asked perimwa.m to reply to Mr. Kidd’s question immed.ateiva There was some discussion us to whether an immediate reply could be made. An undertaking was given that such action would not prevent discussion on the matter on a later suitable 'Tension. Permission was given by the Speaker, to Mr. Sullivan. The Minister stated that the innuendo that was contained in Mr. Kidu’. question was entirely without foundation. In fact when Japan declared w<ir, he said, drastic decision.-; in connection with the use of petrol had to be taken, and these were given ciTec: to without consideration for anything other than what was the correct thing to do. The trade union jecretarie. were placed in the same categories at wore -businesses, and they were told that they would have to undergo th. same treatment as thousand.-' of ollie: people. Subsequently, an arrangement was made with one of the country unions, and similar arrangem'.-nt.-were made in a mnpber of other special cases, including, for instance, the newspapers, for sufficient petrol to be obtained for a shore period until, the people concerned were able to instal gas producers on their cars. The Minister also pointed out that arrangements had berm made during ilie past fortnight for the chairmen oi County Councils to be given a quantity of petrol to enable them io carry i.i, their duties. PACIFIC WAR COUNCIL.

Tn a brief statement, Mr. Fraser said that the first meeting of the Fat Eastern Council was to take place-to-day in London. The council, which wcis responsible for co-ordinating the views of the Governments concerned on the higher direction of the war in the Pacific, consisted of representatives of the United Kingdom, the Met!'. ■ crlands, Australia and New Zealand. Pending the appointment of a New Zealand Ministerial representative on the council, these meetings would !>< attended by the High Commissioner, Mi'. W. J. Jordan.

SECRET SESSION. Mr. Fraser then intimated that the House would proceed with the discussion in secret of the memorandum from the Leader of the Opposition, and the galleries were cleared accordingly. The House continued in secret ses--ion all the evening, and rose at liiT.il p.m. Discussion on the inernoi..■.dm -t will be continued in secret to-mor-row. BRITISH WAR CABINET. MR DOWNIE STEWART’S VIEWS. “I hope that before the Parliamentary session closes a full and open debate will take place on New Zealand’s request for a seat on the War Cabinet." said Mr W. Downi? Stewart, interviewed in South Canterbury yesterday. It was clear, Mr Downie Stewart said, that Canada and South AlTic;' did not wan! representation, whereas Australia and New Zealand did. Thi.. would create a most anomalous sit Italian which did not exist in the last war, and some attempt should bo made to gel all the Dominions into step, or trouble was sure to follow. Moreover, it looked as if Mr Churchill and Mr Fraser were talking at cross purposes. "Mr Fraser wants New Zealand to have a seat in the War Cabinet, with apparently the same right as a British Minister to concur in or dissent from any decisions arrived at. But Mr Churchill says the Dominion repre-

cnli’tiv'. has the right to be heard in the formation and direction of policy, which may merely mean the right to be consulted as at present, white the responsibility for deciding the issue still rests with the British War Cabinet. In fact, Mr Churchill was careful not to call it an Imperial War Cabinet and to do so would be a misnomer.

‘•But quite opart from that it is probable that it New Zealand g granted a seal on ihe Wav Cabinet it will not strengthen her pow.' r and influence, but weaken it. For so long as the present position continues, Britain consults' New Zealand as a self-governing Dominion, and. will go to great lengths to meet her views and secure her concurrence. Mr Fraser has frequently borne testimony to Britain’s consideration and goodwill in this respect. But on the oihr.r hand, if New Zealand claims a voice tn Cabinet decisions, her exact representative strength is fixed and merely nominal, and she is of necessity bound by decisions arrived at. Is not her influence as a consultative member far greater than that of an executive member, more especially it at a niter date other Dominions (.-’aim representation according to population as they have (.very right to do?” 'Mr Stewart said he wi. Im’f-.im .-.Uf/ec-stiiig that Mr Fras?? should adopt the pre-war attitude of Canada and refuse even io be consulted, iw no Empire policy was leasable on that basis. Perhaps Mr Fiastr had jurthcr information which had not been made public, but there were many other aspects of the probleni tiiat ought to be discussed by Parliament.