ATTITUDE TO GOVERNOR-GENERAL— Mr Speaker At Canberra May Be Censured

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 March 1950, Page 5

ATTITUDE TO GOVERNOR-GENERAL— Mr Speaker At Canberra May Be Censured

CANBERRA, This Day (Rec. 1 p.m.). —Observers suggest that Labour will move a motion of censure against the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr A. G. Cameron, when Parliament reassembles after Easter. If so, a strong section of Government members will urge the Prime Minister, Mr Menzies, to declare the motion a non-party question. In that event enough Government members would vote for the motion to ensure it was carried, leaving Mr Cameron no option but to resign. . Government members said outside the House that Mr Cameron had seriously embarrassed them by making a statement in the House yesterday on his attitude towards the Govern-or-General, Mr W. J. McKell. J Mr Mehzies has previously expressed displeasure at having to support rulings by the Speaker' with which he was not in sympathy.

A War Of Noise

Meanwhile, Labour members conducted a war of noise against Mr Cameron, who ruled that all divisions must be conducted in silence. Opposition noises included mass coughing, high-pitched screeches caused by hands being rubbed along polished woodwork, exaggerated yawns, tapping, squeaking and sawing noises and interference with the microphones. The sallies convulsed the House and even the Prime Minister joined in the laughter when Mr E. J. Ward (Labour) whispered: “Dr Evatt wants his wig back.” (When Dr Evatt stepped down from the High Court bench to enter politics he presented his full-bottomed wig to the Commonwealth Parliament. It is now being worn by Mr Cameron as Speaker). Formalities Only

Members of the House of Representatives were shocked yesterday when the Speaker (Mr A. G. Cameron) bluntly declared he could not accept the hospitality of the Governor-General (Mr W. J.. McKell) and could only treat him with strict formality. Mr Cameron was answering a question asked earlier in the week by Mr A. D. Fraser (Labour), who directed his attention to an article in a Sydney newspaper concerning the Speaker’s conduct at Government House when presenting the Address-in-Re-piy. . . Mr Cameron said he had discussed the article with its author, who had been his publicity officer for some months when he led the Country Party in 1940, at which time the New South Wales Labour-Party was led by Mr McKell. “In March, 1940, Mr McKell made an attack on me at the Labour Party Easter conference,” said Mr Camer-

on. “On June 5, 1940, he made upon me the most personal attack I have ever been subjected to in my life. Each was a prepared statement. and a more offensive one was, I believe, broadcast as well.” Alleged Personal Abuse Mr Cameron gave a long list of samples of alleged personal abuse contained in Mr McKell’s statements. “On assuming the' Speakership,” continued Mr Cameron, “I took a calculated risk. I met the GovernorGeneral for the second time in my life, and I trust my conduct on that day was no disgrace to the House. On February 2, in a reply to an invitation, I called the Governor-General’s attention to his past attitude towards me, and informed him I had no desire to accept the hospitality of those who spoke of me in the terms employed by him. To that letter I have received neither an acknowledgement nor a reply. “If the Governor-General holds the views he publicly expressed concerning myself, he should have informed the House of the fact and asked it to choose another Speaker,” continued Mr Cameron. “If he does not hold these views, a well-known remedy is open to him. His failure to acknowledge my letter leads me to believe he still holds those views. If that assumption is correct, he could hardly expect me to accept hospitality I had already refused, and I, for my part, could do no other than what I did on March 22 —treat His Excellency with the strict formality and respect due to his high office, and remove myself from his presence as soon as. my duties had been discharged.” Angry Scene In House The statement provoked the angriest scene in the House of Representatives for many years. Member after member rose from the Labour benches and declared that the Speaker had committed a gross breach of Standing Orders by referring in such terms in the House to the Governor-General. Many said that last week Mr Cameron as Speaker had ruled that no member in the House could either praise or blame the King’s representative. That ruling was given, during a foreign affairs debate, to Mr W. M. Bourke (Labour). Mr Cameron insisted he had made no attack on the Governor-General, and had committed no breach of Standing Orders. A motion of dissent from this ruling was moved by Mr T. P. Burke (Labour) and after an hour of angry debate the Prime Minister (Mr Mehzies) moved that the question be put. The Speaker’s ruling was then upheld voting being on strict party lines.