PROPOSALS ABOUT PARLIAMENT NOT ENTERTAINED

Grey River Argus, 7 May 1948, Page 5

PROPOSALS ABOUT PARLIAMENT NOT ENTERTAINED

By Labour Party Conference P.A. DUNEDIN, May 6.. After a very brief discussion in which some speakers contended tnal New Zealand should have onlv one elective chamber, a remit that was presented at to-day’s session of the Labour Partv Conference, by a com mittee presided over by Hon C. F. Skinner, with a recommendation was agreed to. The committee explained that, in view of the fact that the Select Committee of the House is considering the question of the future of the Legislative Council, the matter should be deferred until the next Conference, when it was hoped, the findings of the committee would be known. At the same time the Conference referred to the Government a suggestion that disabled ex-servicemen should be appointed to the Legislative Council. Amongst the remits which received little hearing, and on which the committee made made no recommendations were as follows: — That there should be an age limit for the Members of Parliament. That there should be a medical examination of Parliamentary candidates before each election. That there be an election of Cabinet members by a majority vote of the members of the Parliamentary Labour Party. That there be a deputy fo r each member. . . That there be a revision of the Members’ superannuation. T'hat there be an increase of Members salaries to £2OOO a year. These remits have in previous years, been hiehly controversial, but the committee’s recommendation today was unanimously endorsed m the matter of minutes.