HOUSE SUBDUED

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 September 1946, Page 2

HOUSE SUBDUED

SHADOW OF ELECTION the prime minister was EMBARRASSED OPENING DATE OF CAMPAIGN [SPECIAL TO STAR.] WELLINGTON, Sept. 15. With the announcement that the session will end about October 10 and that Mr. Fraser will address his first big public meeting at Auckland bn October 15, Parliament has shown a definite quickening of ihterest in the forthcoming election campaign. The Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) appears to have been genuinely embarrassed by the f3ct that the first news of his Auckland meeting was published unofficially in a trade union paper, as he and Mr. Holland had arranged to have a private discussion on the length of the election campaign before the final arrangements were made. . Among other matters which will have to be discussed between the two leaders is the broadcasting of the major meetings. This, while having bbi-tain advantages, was found in 1943 to have some drawbacks, arising principally from the fact that the broadcast speeches are a. counterattraction to public meetings and tend to keep people away from the meetings of their local candidates. It is not improbable, therefore, . that broadcasting during the forthcoming campaign may be on a reduced scale. House Marking Time.

The general attitude of the House these days is one of marking time, and the air of studied moderation on both sides is in pronounced contrast to the continued bickering which marked last year’s session. Obviously there is no desire to give provocation to critics, inside or outside the House.

Mr. Fraser in particular preserves an impenetrable good humour, and the Opposition charges, which in other sessions would have caused him to bridle indignantly, are nowadays answered in a jocular or conciliatory manner.

Last week, when the discussion was opened on the Estimates, there were some barbed references to the Moscow Legation or “the house of mystery,” as Mr. F. W. Doidge (Oppn., Tauranga) termed it, and also to the mounting cost of the Prime Minster’s Department. Though this criticism at times had a somewhat personal note, Mr. Fraser remained serene and unruffled. In addition to the Estimates, the House dealt with the various items of legislation, including the Land Sales Amendment Bill, which had had its teeth drawn by the Statutes Revision Committee, but which, nevertheless, was subject to trenchant Opposition criticism before finally being allowed to pass without a division. After the Minister of Lands (Mr. Skinner) had admitted that no one had liked the regulations which the original amending legislation was intended to validate and that “we all shrank from the step which we actually took,” Opposition members joined in contending that the evils arose from the Act itself and were inseparable from legislation of that kind. Mr. Nash’s Claim. The claim of the Minister of Finance (Mr. Nash) that the Land Sales Act had effectively stabilised the price of land was scouted by Opposition interjectors and this led him into' familiar reminiscences on the subject of speculative land transactions which he hdd observed while residing in Taranaki after the First World War.

As usual, a sound, reasoned speech was heard from Mr. T. C. Webb (Oppn., Kaipara), who was less critical Ilian some- of his colleagues, but condemned the Government’s use ol War Emergency Regulations ter 1 amend the original Act. Mr. Jones, deputising for the At-torney-General, had no need to inform the House that he was rather out of his depth in handling the Trustee Amendment Bill. There was nothing of contentious nature in the measure, which was described as a simplification of the law. Referring to this, Mr. R. M. Algie (Oppn., Remucra) said that from the point of view of his legal friends he doubted if the simplification of the law was greatly to be desired. “As an Irishman once remarked, he said, “it is equivalent to cutting the bread and butter from under one’s feet.” Government Cornered. On Friday, Mr. T. L. Macdonald (Oppn., Mataura), returned to the attack on the subject of disparity between the prices paid by the New Zealand and Australian wheatgroweis and although Mr. Nash warmly defended Mr. D. G. Sullivan and explained that any statement just now might be interpreted as an intervention in the Australian election campaign there Was more than a suspicion that Mr. Macdonald, who was supported by several other South Island members, inducing Messis. R. G. Gerard, D. C. Kidd, W. A. Bodkin, and W. H. Gillespie, had the Government in an awkward corner. No Parliamentary observer this session could fail to be impressed by the increasing political stature of Mi. Macdonald, who now appears certain of being allotted an important portfolio if there is a change of Government in November. No less impressive than. Ml . Me Donald is Mr. W. SulJ x Y an , ( G p . Bay of Plenty), who claimed attenUon on Friday afternoon when he alleged that the Goveinment, foi political purposes, was di eitmg 11 ber supplies to the Aucld; al jd meti politan area from count y the Auckland province. O'ne esult, he tu rVeNod'Sd tii; the drift of population io the main centres was intensified. . , titu _ Two noted P arh^ m S E had tions Hansard a^ d plo B the the attention ol the handweek. Mr Doidge 1 hand_ some tribute to tne t _ porters, said that in a underat ood word speech, althou S-L fn the House, he only had rS Wt a db ? n °r alterations in his Hansaid p '■ References to were The references m Bm.. e y the echo of the iiregu of ered last year, and wei J Mr . w _ a less favourable made a J, Polson (Oppn, Strati J re frank but by no means, p SU mh y pc e Webb’s announcement c - ” in + en d to tand again that he does not inienu , . • has left the field to Jenner m the Buller electorate. jew pf Mr. Webb’s obvious reluctaneeuo retire,

Labour members are happy that this particular situation has been clarified. They are not so happy over the retirement of Mr. Roberts, for this means that the Wairarapa seat, already in jeopardy, will almost certainly be Jost. There are now five Labour members and two Opposition members who will not be returning to the House, but there will also be other new faces and at this stage there is much quiet speculation as to what the House will look like after the election. Friendships which have sprung up despite party Rivalries may be broken by reverses at the hustings. On Friday, while Mr. Speaker was temporarily out of the chamber, a Labour member who is noted for his bellicose interjections, was heard to call out, “How’s your finger, Fred,” to Mr. A. J. Murdoch, it is in these little asides that- Parliament is seen £S an essentially human institution.

Sale of Butter to America. The American 1 refrigerated ship Abangarez, which is to load 5,500,000 lb. of butter for the United Sta'tbs Government, is expected to . reach Auckland, between October 10 and Octoßdr 16. The butter His been Mid

on behalf of the British Government, to which the proceeds will go. It is not yet known what arrangements are' being made for the shipment to America of the rest of the 10,000,0001 b. contract, but.it.is; understood that it will be carried put soon. ,