PARLIAMENT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 70, 22 February 1932, Page 6

PARLIAMENT

SESSION OPENS TO-MORROW. SWEARING-IN OF MEMBERS. The first session of the 24th Parliament of the Dominion will begin tomorrow, though the official opening ceremony will not be performed by the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, until Wednesday afternoon. The session is a special emergency one, and for that reason the formalities of the opening are more involved. A commission from the Legislative Council will direct the House of Representatives to elect its Speaker tomorrow, and the Clerk of the House, Mr T. D. H. Hall, will conduct the swearilig-in of the 80 members. The present Speaker, Sir Charles Statham, is already in residence at Parliament House, and he will the Government nomination (states a lobby correspondent). His ability for the position is beyond question, and he will be re-elected probably with the support of the Labour Party, with which lie is as popular as with other sections of the House. The opening of a new Parliament also necessitates the election of a Chairman of Committees. Mi* S. G. Smith, Government member 'for New Plymouth, who was elected to this position when Mr W. A. Bodkin resigned toward the end of last session, will (agiaim receive the Government nomination, and his election is assured. On the Governor-Gen-eral will deliver the Speech from tlie Throne, which is not expected to be lengthy,'as the Government is awaiting the interim report of the Economy Commission before framing an important part of its legislation. Following the official opening, the House will adjourn untii Thursday afternoon, when tributes will be paid, to. about seven ex-members of the Legislature who have died since last session. On Thursday evening the Address-in-lteply will be moved by Mr A. J. Murdoch, and seconded by Mr J. Bitchener, the two Government W hips. For some years it has been the practic© for new members to initiate this debate, but it has been decided to adopt the same course as that when the National Government was in power during- the war. After .'he mover and seconder have spoken, the House will adjourn until the next day. It is proposed by the Government that long-sitting hours should be observed during tne session in order to push nhead with the work as auickly as possible. Although the House will not sit next Monday, it will do so in succeeding weeks as is ordinarily done toward the end of a session. NEW FACES.

Only eleven new faces will be seen in the House when Parliament opens. This is an exceptionally small change, for the average proportion of the 80 members not returned at a general election is about one quarter. An air of uncertainty still hangs over Mr A. Stuart (Coalition Reform), who was returned by a majority of 15 over Mr J. T. Hogan (Independent) in Rangitikei. Mr Hogan has lodged a petition in the Supreme Court, with the result that certain aspects of the election in this constituency will be brought within the scope of legal controversy. In the meantime, however, Mr Stuart is the elected member for Rangitikei, and he will take his place to-morrow. '

Of the other new members, one of the best-known is the Hon. A. D. McLeod, formerly Minister of Lands under Mr Coates, and who was defeated in Wairarapa by Colonel T. W. McDonald in 1928. Colonel McDonald, being a member of the Coalition at last election, secured the official Government candidature, but Mr McLeod came out as an Independent Reformer, and recaptured his old seat. One keen debater who will be missed this year will be Mr D. Jones, chairman of the Meat Board, who became Minister of Agriculture upon the formation of the Coalition. Another whose absence will be noticeable will be Mr W. D. Lysnar, who lost the Gisborne seat to Mr D. W. Coleman, one of the five new Labour members. There will be a gap on the Independents’ benches through the non-appear-ance of Mr J. S. Fletcher, whose defection from the United Party in 1930 caused a mild sensation. He is replaced by Mr J. A. Lee, who defeated him in Grey Lynn in Labour’s interests. Incidentally, Mr Lee has sat in Parliament before. Jt is of interest that Mr G. C. C. Black, who followed Mr Fletcher from the ranks of the United Party to the Independent benches last year, has been returned again for Motueka. Mr W. B. Taverner, Minister of Public Works in the United Cabinet, has been replaced by Mr F- Jones, Labour. Mr F. Waite has lost Clutha to Mr P. McSkimming, who stood as an Independent United. , Further south, Mr J. Hargest, who stood as an Independent Coalition Reformer, will represent Invercargill as a new member, replacing Mr V. Ward, the former United member, who has retired from politics. Mr F. W. Schramm, a solicitor, is making his debut as tne new Labour member for Auckland East, the seat previously held by Mr J. B. Donald, PostmHSter-General in the " United Cabinet, who also retired before the election. Mr G. C. Munns, chief whip for the United Government, has lost Roskill to Mr H. S. Richards, a new 'Labour member. The changes are completed by the entry of Mr D. S. Reid as the Coalition Reform member for Raglan. He defeated Mr W. Lee Martin, who held the seat in' Labour’s interests between 1928 and 1931. BUILDING BY-LAWS. POSTPONEMENT OF LEGISLATION. (By Telegraph—Special to Standard.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 22. As further evidence of the Government’s intention to restrict the programme of the early session to economic measures and those bearing directly on the difficulties of the situation, it has been decided that the Building By-Laws Bill, which. - was introduced last session to secure uniform safeguards in construction as a precaution against earthquake damage, will be postponed uritil 'the main session.

There is also an interesting suggestion current in official circles that the main session might not open at the usual time —the end .of June—owing to the Ottawa Conference, but that the members will be called together when the decisions of that important Imperial gathering can be submitted to Parliament for confirmation.