STONEWALL EXTENSION

Hawera Star, Volume L, 26 March 1931, Page 9

STONEWALL EXTENSION

NEW PHASE OF TACTIC MOVE TO REPORT PROGRESS

DR AWN OUT DISCUSSION

fRy Telegraph —Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, March 25. The Labour stonewall on the Finance Bill had occupied over 45 sitting hours when the House of Representatives adjourned for breakfast at seven this morning. Mr, W. J. Jordan’s amendment was discussed far into the early hours, the chairman calling members order frequently for “tedious repetitions.”

At 3.50 a.m. the Labour team which has been carrying the debate along exhausted its oppotunities to speak and a division was taken. The amendment was lost by 23 votes to 37, [Messrs. Wright Black and Fletcher voting with Labour. Mr. O’Brien (Westland) then moved that the cut should affect only salaries exceeding £275 a year. A liasty exit of Labour at 4.10 a.m.. deprived the House of a quorum and slumberers in various parts of tlie building were aroused 1 to make up the requisite number. A fresh contingent of Labour speakers arrived and proceeded to occupy the attention of the House till daylight. A new phase of the stonewall was entered upon at 4.12 a.m. when Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon) moved to report progress. Mr. Fraser (Wellington Central!) who seconded suggested: “Let us knock off now and call it a day’s work.” Supporting the motion Mr. Jordan said he had a personal reason for agreeing with the suggestion. “I am tired” he said slowly. “I am very tired.”

The chairman: The lion, gentleman has every‘'riglit to sit down if he is tired. (Laughter). Air. Jordan : “That will rest my body to some extent but I am tired in my mind. Some members may not lie troubled with any mental tiredness for obvious reasons (laughter). The chief Government whip is trying to hold the benches for the Reform opposition and is sitting with the chief Reform whip. Perhaps he is mentally confused. His confusion will probably find expression in the legislation, we pass.” Air. J. AleConibs complained about the atmospelire of the chamber as a fitting reason for the adjournment and suggested that some members would catch cold. “Out of consideration for health and the proper rest of members I think the House should agree to the proposal,” he said. Air. Armstrong, explaining he had not brought a barber’s ishop with him added: “If we. go another 24 hours without going to the barber’s shop the House will look more like a menagerie than anything else.” He remarked that Reform members could not he giving due consideration to the business of the .House because they were conspicious by their absence. Air. Fletcher and several more speakers supported the motion till six a.m. when Air. .Fraser moved: “That the House report progress and ask leave to sit again.” -Discussion of this addendum was not finished when the House adjourned till 9 a.m. The motion to report progress had lapsed when tlie House resumed at nine o’clock and the debate on Air. O’Brien’s amendment was continued by Messrs. Savage, Langstone, AlcCqomhs, Howard, AlcKeen and Semple. The majority of those , who had been carrying on the discussion during the early morning sitting were absent from tlie chamber.

In response to an appeal! from Air. Howard Sir Apirana Ngata, who was temporarily in charge of the Bill, said it was estimated that if the amendment to exclude from the reduction the sum of £275 in all salaries throughout the: civil service were carried, the Government’s saving in consequence of the 10 per cent, cut would amount to something under £200,000. Labour members pointed out that the Prime Alinister had said there would be a saving of £200,000 if the exemption applied to £4OO salaries. Surely there was. some mistake in the figures. Sir Apirana said there had been a misunderstanding when the first calculation was made as to the extent to which it was proposed to apply the exemption. It had'not then been understood that the amendment contemplated. an exemption of £4OO in a'll salaries. Otherwise the figures given by the Prime Minister to represent the estimated saving which would he effected by the amended cut would have been much lower than £200,000. Continuing Sir Apirana said the figures supplied by the Treasury indicated that if there were a general exemption of £275 the saving in civil service salaries would he reduced to something under £200,000. A general exemption of £250 would produce a saving of £220,000; a general exemption of £225 would produce a saving of £300,000 and a general exemption of ,£2OO would produce a saving of £350,000. These sums had to be compared with a saving of : £l,399,000 which would be effected! by the general 10 per cent, cut throughout tho service.

Sir Apirana added that there were 11,296 civil servants whose. salaries were over £205 per annum. Tlieir total salaries amounted to £4,631.930 and if a 10 per cent, cut was applied to them without any exemption /the saving in the Government’s salary bill would amount to £464,000. After Labour members had pressed '.for further information Sir Apirana gave the following details of the •Government’s salary bill. He pointed out that the total number of employees above each sum mentioned extended right to the top of the service and in all cases included the total mentioned with respect to the sum preceding it. The details, were as follow: Salaries Number Total

The Minister added that the total number ofl permanent employees in the service, was 43,696 and their salaries amounted to £11*499,818. Temporary employees totalled 11,621 and their salaries amounted to £2,417,168.

The discussion was continued by Labour members until Air A. Harris (Waiteuiata) rose to explain his attitude. He said he thought that if a man earning £3OO per annum was to be subject to the cut it would not be unreasonable to expect those, receiving £275 to make some sacrifice however small. He wished to state, however, that he would he voting in , favour of the next amendment to be moved which would exempt a man on £250 per annum and would also support subsequent amendments dealing with sums below that figure. Ho suggested that even now it was not too late for the Government to change its plans. He could not conceive that even the Government in its own heart

Ribovp £ e’npioyees Salaries £ 29-3 11,396 4,631,950 230' 21,976 7,586,155 2 no 32,962 10,110,710 173 35,240 10,543,451 130 36.610 10,761.286