Country Party Saves Liberals From Defeat On Supply Bill

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22817, 11 December 1948, Page 5

Country Party Saves Liberals From Defeat On Supply Bill

MELBOURNE, Dec. 10,

The Victorian Country Party saved the new Liberal Government from defeat in the Legislative Assembly when Country Party members crossed the House from the Opposition benches to vote with tlie Government on its Supply Bill.

This action secured supply until July and averted any possibility of a Slate election before then. The move resulted from the introduction by the Labour Party of an amendment to the Supply Bill.' It is believed that this decision was carried in the Labour Party by a small majority with the Labour leader, Mr. J. Cain, dissenting. One Labour faction believed that the introduction of, an amendment on supply would bring matters to a head by forcing the Country Party to declare itself. Mr Cain was afraid that such a crisis would force the former Coalition parties together again, which in this instance, proved to be correct. The Premier, Mr. T. T. Hollway. said he would regard the carrying of the amendment as a motion of no confidence and would go to the country. The Country Party crossed the Mouse in a body to vote with the Government against the amendment, which was to reduce the period of supply. The amendment was lost by 43 votes to 14. As the Country Party members took their places on the Government’s side a Labour member chanted: “You can have them, we don’t want them. They're too lough for us.”

The leader of the Country Party, Mr. J. McDonald, was not in the House. The deputy-leader, Mr. Dodgshun. said that the party would support the Government on State development legislation and would decide its stand on contentious issues as they arose.