LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Grey River Argus, 13 September 1946, Page 5

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

NEW MEMBERS Appointments Questioned • P.A. WELLINGTON, Sept. 12. The swearing in took place this afternoon of Hon. P. J. O’Regan and Hon. J. T. Paul as members of the Legislative Council. The strength of the Legislative Council has now reached 37, including the speaker and the leader of the Council. The swearing in ceremony was brief. Both new members took their seats immediately, they being the recipients of congratulations from other members, after the Council adjourned. Congratulations to Hon. T. Bloodworth for his discovery of a possible anomaly in the Marriage Amendment Bill were extended by Hon. W. Perry in the Council. He said Mr Bloodworth was always industrious in his study of Bills, and it was not the first occasion on which he had drawn attention to need for amendment to Bills before the Council, which was performing its function as a supervising and revising chamber. Hon. A. McLagan, in moving an amendment which removes grounds for objections raised by Mr Bloodworth, said the position was.now entirely safeguarded, and there was no possibility of injustices being done to entirely innocent people. In the House of Representatives, Mr W. Sullivan (Nat., Bay of Plenty) gave notice to as’x the Prime Minister: What explanation he had to offer in regard to the recent appointments made’ to the Legislative Council. He asked should not anything in the nature of political patronage be excluded when making such appointments, and should not such appointments have been held over until after the forthcoming election? Opposition members: Hear! Hear! Mr A. S. Sutherland (Nat'., Hauraki): A very good question.