PARLIAMENT’S LIFE

Kaikoura Star, Volume LIV, Issue 53, 9 July 1934, Page 4

PARLIAMENT’S LIFE

LABOUR CRITICISM. The opinion that there should be a General Election at the end of the present year was expressed by members of the Labour Party in the House of Representatives during the debate on the Imprest Supply Bill. A wide range of subjects was covered during the debate, but the Bill was passed without any division being called for. ‘ ‘ This House was elected for three years and for no longer,” said Air P. Fraser (Labour, Wellington Central), in initiating the debate. “The question of extending the rife of Parliament has never been considered by the electors. Neither the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, nor any other member of the Coalition has asked the electors to give them power to extend the life of Parliament.” Air Fraser said that the question of whether the extension of the rife of Parliament was constitutional or not was a matter for lawyers to decide, but the action of the Government was certainly opposed to the spirit of the Constitution. (Hear, hear). Of course, the object of the Government was not so much to extend the life of Parliament as to extend the period of office of the Government. He knew that the Prime Alinister and other members of the Government would reply that they had asked for a blank cheque from the electors of the Dominion and had received it. He admitted that a. blank cheque had been I asked for and given, but there was a great difference between a blank cheque and a forged cheque. A blank cheque was surely given when a request was made for a certain specific purpose, and no person giving a blank cheque would imagine for a moment that the person receiving it would devote it to any other purpose than the purpose for which it was given. The electors had never been consulted. Flouting Democracy.

No Alinister nor member of the Coalition had asked the electors for power to extend the life of the House, said Air Fraser. At the present time democracy was being flouted, and he suggested that it was a dangerous thing to flout democracy, especially at the present time. It had never been more dangerous to flout democracy. Democracies, as represented in Parliament, were at a discount in the world to-day. They would be foolish if they did not face up to that fact. If the Government of New Zeland during the last three years had been good, then the Government had nothing to fear. Mr A. J. Alurdock (Government, Al a rsden): Hear, hear. Air Fraser said that when the Leader of the Opposition moved the second reading of the Electoral Amendement Bill the member for Alarsden would have an opportunity of giving expression to his view. Air Fraser asked what was the position of the country to-day. He referred to the quota controversy, and said that Air Dynes Fulton had expressed an opinion opposite to that expressed by the leaders’ of the Government. The only bright spot was that the Alinister of Finance had gone down to the Waiho Gorge to think. It was refreshing to think that at least one member of the Government was thinking.

Mr F. Langstone (Labour, AVaimarino): The blackbirds chased him. Air Fraser: The fact that the. Alinister of Finance was going to think was something startling. It was hopeful, at any rate.

Mr Fraser referred to the “barren waste” of his Excellency’s Speech from the Throne, and said lie had given up any hope of hearing anything constructive from the Government. He hoped the Government would g.ve the electors a chance of saying what should be done at the end of the term for which the present Goernmcnt was elected. Prime Minister’s Reply The Prime Alinister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) said that the Opposition alleged that any appeal to the Government would get no response. A Labour member: Not as far as the unemployed are concerned. Air Forbes said that the Government had to listen to misrepresentation and abuse, and there seemed to be little genuine sincerity in the appeals of the members of the Labour Party. When the Minister of Employment got up to speak he was jeered at. Air A. 8. Richards (Labour, Roskill): Don’t be silly. Air Forbes said that there was no one more sympathetic towards the unemployed than the Alinister of Employment, and yet the members of the Opposition made no attempt to assist him. Air Richards: That is incorrect. Air Forbes stiid that there had not only been attempts to misrepresent the Alinister, -but insinuations made that he had no sympathy with those out of work. No man had shown greater desire to assist the unemployed The Prime Alinister said that Air Fraser’s remarks had been simply a repetition of what had been stated on previous occasions. Ono would have expected that the. members of the Opposition would have occupied their time during the recess in thinking out now arguments,. It had been stated that the extension of the life of Parliament had never been considered by the electors, but a number of things had been done without consulting the. electors. A few years ago the members of Parliament had raised their salaries without asking for a mandate from the electors. The extension of the rife of Parliament had been agreed to by the House after all the arguments brought forward by Air Fraser had been considered