PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 222, 20 August 1931, Page 6

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

A DULL DAY. MEMBERS' LACK OF INTEREST. (By Telegraph.—Special to Standard.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 19. The small attendance of members during the major part of to-day’s sitting of the House of Representatives showed their lack of interest in the continuation of the Financial Statement debate, but there was no dearth of speakers and the discussion had not ended when the House rose at 10.30 p.m.

Most of the afternoon had been spent in a somewhat academic discussion on the breach of privilege following the committee’s report, which was adopted, recommending that no further action be taken in tho case raised by the member for Waikato, Mr F. Lye, in respect of an Auckland firm and the New Zealand Herald. The discussion centred around the definition of what constitutes a breach of privilege and the matter is to be considered by the Standing Orders Committee, which may furnish opinions for the guidance of members of the public who may venture to criticise Parliament under the risk of committing a breach of the standing orders. When the Independent member for Egmont, Mr O. A. Wilkinson, favourably discussed Mr Forbes’s offer to form a National Party he encountered many hostile interjections from Labour and Reform members. Mr A. M. Samuel from the Reform benches' suggested that the Prime Minister should issue a concrete invitation to all parties in the House to join in some form of National Government, failing which a committee could be constituted to deal with the serious position of the country on the basis of equality of sacrifice Reform members had a unique party meeting after the House rose to-night when they attended in the Whips’ room at a private meeting to hear an address by Professor Copland, the New Zea lancler, who holds the position of Professor of Commerce in Melbourne University. It is understood that Professor Copland, who is credited with the authorship of the Commonwealth scheme for the reduction of internal loan interest in Australia, discussed the economic position of both countries and world factors which are causing difficulties in Governmental finance.