National Party Wish- to Have Finger in The Pie

Grey River Argus, 21 March 1947, Page 5

National Party Wish- to Have Finger in The Pie

P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, March 20.

A suggestion that a special committee of the House of Representatives should be set up to consider the North Island electric power situation was made to the Government to-day by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr S. G. Holland, in a telegram to the senior Minister pt present .in Wellington, Hon. D. G. Sullivan. Mr Holland said, that, had Parliament been sitting, he would have taken steps to ■ ensure that the matter was fully discussed. His telegram stated: “I am informed that the Prime Minister is - visiting centres of the Maori population,. and that the Minister of Works is also absent from Wellington, so I desire to make the following representations to the Government - through you, as senior Minister in Wellington. From many parts* of ' New Zealand, but particularly from the North Island, I have received strong representations concerning the grave crisis existing in connection " with the supply of electricity. Representations are that gravest inter‘ference with smooth and efficient running of both primary,qpd manu- ; facturing industries is being experienced,’ and serious reduction in output is inevitable, especially in those industries where continuous supplies of power are essential. I have also received representations to say that many thousands of housewives are being hindered and handicapped by irregularity and low power of the electric supply. Had Parliament been in session, as it should be, I should have taken steps to ensure that the whole question was fully thrashed out on the floor of the House, so that the public would have known the facts of the situation. In the absence of an opportunity for public discussion in Parliament, I therefore urge that a committee of equal representation— I suggest six from both sides of the ■< House—be convened immediately to meet in Wellington to consider the whole facts associated with the crisis, and to decide what is best to do to remedy matters and to avoid a repetition in future”.