House Continues Debate On Address-in-Reply

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 July 1947, Page 2

House Continues Debate On Address-in-Reply

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. ... Had consideration been given to the use of helicopters. in New Zealand for air-taxi, • .air-rescue . or r airainbulance work? asked Mr T. L; Macdonald, of the Minister of Civil Aviation, Mi’ Jones, when the House of Representatives met today. •' Mr Macdonald inquired if it. was intended to import one or more for experimental purposes. He said that, many outlying districts in New Zealand had no suitable areas for use by conventional aeroplanes and the helicopter, offered a possible solution to the isolation problem. Eight days leave of absence. was granted Mr A ,S. Richards (Goyt., Mount Albert), and three days to the Minister of Marine, Mr O’Brien, both on. account of illness.

Mr R. Walls (Govt., . Dunedin North), resuming the Address-iri-, Reply debate, at the outset offered his congratulations to Princess Elizabeth on her erigagemerit arid wished her and her fiance all happiness in their future life.

Ah Opposition, voice: They will be thrilled. Mr Walls said the Opposition had been trying to discredit the great work of the Minister of Works .arid were doing nothing to,maintain Harmony in industrial relationships. He foresaw Dunedin regaining its position as the first industrial city of New Zealand once the Molyneux river power scheme—the largest in the Southern Hemisphere—began to 'operate. The Government, wanted the farmers to know the Labour Party was behind them. An Opposition voice: A long way behind.

Overseas Trips , Mr J. T. Watts (Opn., St. Albans), replying to the endorsement by Mr Walls of a suggestion previously made by Government speakers that ihe Opposition should not hamper the sending of a Minister overseas to international conferences, said the Opposition was no less, concerned than the Government with, international problems. When the tirne came for a decision on these matters the .country could rely on the Opposition making its decisions in the interests of New Zealand as a whole. Mr Watts added that little new had been said by Government speakers concerning the problems confronting the country and there had been an almost complete silence about what steps the Government proposed . to take to increase production. Socialism itself bore the seeds of destruction for democracy and the progress of Socialism led to Comrnunism. Mr T. H. McCombs (Govt., Lyttelton) said the National Party president Mr W. J. Sim, had declared that’the National Party stood for Western civilisation, as if to say the Labour Party was. opposed to Western civilisation. This claim W. as even riiore preposterous than the National Party’s practice of having its leaders photographed against the background of the Union Jack. Mr C. M. Bowden (Oppn., Karon): At least, nobody ever trod on it. , . Mr McCombs: No, nobody ever trod on it either on this side of the House or yours. The Maori People Mr T. C. Webb (Oppn., Rodney) said references made by the Opposition to the Maori people had been misconstrued by Government, members. He said the Maori Representation Act was originally introduced as a temporary measure, and its life was for five years. The entitlement to vote was on a property basis, but because of peculiarities of land tenure it had been impossible to determine who among the Maori people should vote. That was the only reason why the Act remained today. The House adjourned for lunch at one o’clock.