OPPOSITION CRITIC

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 147, 6 June 1936, Page 7

OPPOSITION CRITIC

Bills Amended Time After Time MINISTER EXPLAINS By Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON, June S. The debate on the Fair Rents Bill la the House was interrupted to-night to allow the amendments to the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bill, Factories Amendment BUI and Shops and Offices Amendment Bill to be introduced. The Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong said that the amendments were of a machinery nature and were introduced at the suggestion of the law-drafting office to make the three Bills coincide and to prevent any anomalies arising between them. The Hon. A. Hamilton (Nat., Wai lace) said it was time tho House adiournod so that tho Government could get its legislation written properly. 110 had never before known amendments to be brought down after a Bill had passed both Houses. The Bills had bean amended by the Labour Bills Commit tee; they bad been amended by the House; they had been amended by the Legislative Council; and now they were being amended again, and not only one, but three nf them. It was i> day’s work for the House to deal with. Mr Armstrong said lie could undec stand the Opposition never having experienced such a thing, but they had never experienced a Labour Govern ment in power before. Under the last Government tho Bills would have gone through and would have been sen! nloug to fho Governor-Genera) lor sit’aaburo and would have become law. Hi •’-ought it was the first lime that tlirci Bills so closely related had gone ’hrough one after another, and the Go verament and the law draftsmen con udered that, as they were of such a ‘■‘ar-reachipg nature and dovetailed into me another, they should be held over intil they were gone over by the law Iraftsman to remove anything in them ’hat might conflict, tt was only a bust •ifisslike way of doing things. Tho amendments were agreed to.