CAN CARRY ON

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22199, 9 December 1946, Page 8

CAN CARRY ON

FUTURE SUFFICIENT MARGIN LESSONS FROM HISTORY (S.R ) WELLINGTON. Dec. 9. With a pledged majority in the House of Representatives, the Prime Minister. Mr. P. Fraser, is in a position to carry on the administration without .the need tor an extraordinary session of Parliament. . , . , There is nothing in doubt because there arc only two parties, and no possibilities of varying decision of tiie electorates. The majority is lour with the necessity for taking one from the party to occupy tiie Speaker’s chair. It‘is a situation completely different from that facing the Reform Government in 1923. when the election showed tiie Government in a minority compared with three hostile groups m the House. On that occasion the Liberals, ns the official Opposition, held 24 scats. Labour coming into prominence as a political force held 16 scats, and Inert were two Independents.

Appointment of Independent The problem of a Speaker was settled without any reduction in the attenuated ranks of the Government. The Independent member for Dunedin Central", Mr. Charles Statham, later Sir Charles Statham, who had deleated Labour and Independent-Liberal candidates. accepted Hie speakership and held it for manv years with distinction. The Prime Minister, Mr. Massev, v.as obliged to submit the party position to the test of .the division lobbies, arid he won the no-confidence motion with a majority of three, thanks to three Liberals who preferred a continuation of the existing regime to a coalition of the Liberals' and Labour.

Mr. Massey who carried on successfully, with a working majority of three, was not in as good a position as the present Prime Minister whose majority comprises members pledged and elected to support him. It is interesting to recall that among the Labour members who tried with the Liberals to defeat the Reform Government in 1926 were the present Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, two of his Minister, Messrs. W. E. Parry and J. O’Brien, and the present chairman of committees. Mr. R. McKeen.

If during the term of this Parliament Mr. Fraser is faced with difficulties which cause him to consider his resignation, he will find that the Governor-General carried a responsibility to exhaust all possibilities of the present Parliament to find an administration before he would permit another appeal to the electorate. Such a crisis arose in 1872, when Mr. Stafford, a defeated Premier, advised the Governor that the successive defeats of the Government made it unmistakamly manifest that no party in the House was strong enough to command a reliable working majority. Reminder by Governor.

The Governor, in refusing a dissolution, reminded the defeated Premier that a new Parliament had been elected for five years. “It appears probable.” stated the Governor, “that the country is as much divided as the Legislature which represents it.” Mr. Stafford resigned. There were two other unsuccessful efforts to form and maintain an administration before Sir Julius Vogel headed a Cabinet which settled down in comparative stability. Experience, therefore, shows that the Government of to-day has no need to take extraordinary steps. It may call Parliament a little earlier only because the promised reduction of sixpence in the present joint social and national security taxes of 2s in the £ is to operate on May 11, and legislation may be needed before that time. The rest is a maatter of skilful control of the Government's majority, though by-election accidents might have fatal consequence.'',.