LABOUR ASSAILED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22619, 23 April 1948, Page 5

LABOUR ASSAILED

INCREASED SEATS CANBERRA PARLIAMENT MR. MENZIES LASHES OUT CANBERRA. April 22. “Nothing would have heen heard of a larger Parliament if the Labour Party had not realised that it faced defeat at the next election," said the Leader nf the Opposition, Mr. R. G. Menzies, in the House of Representatives. In principle, he added there was a good case for a larger House of Representatives hut the bill should not have been introduced between elections without consulting the people. He described the proposal to elect new Senators by proportional representation as "indecent” and a “racket to ensure a Labour majority in the Senate until 1953.” He was speaking during the debate or. bills to increase the membership of the Senate from 36 to 60, and of the House of Representatives from 75 to 121 and to elect Senators by the proportional representation system. Mr. Menzies said that the first question as to whether the Government had a mandate for the changes could be answered in the negative. Both proposals had been in the Liberal Party platform at the last election, but neither had been mentioned by the Labour leaders. In fact, everything the Government had said and done was calculated to persuade the people that there would be no change in Parliamentary representation.