LIVELY INTERLUDE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 6, 4 December 1937, Page 2

LIVELY INTERLUDE.

ON POINT OF ORDER

PREMIER AND SPEAKER.

(By Telegraph—Special to Standard.)

WELLINGTON, Dec. 3. The first vivid incident of tlie Opposition fight against the Marketing Bill came just before lunch, when the Prime Minister took strong objection to one of his supporters being ruled out of order when he was attacking Mr Coates for being, as he contended, the leader of Sovietism in New Zealand. This came from Mr C. L. Hunter (Manawatu), who was immediately called to order by Mr Speaker. His reply was that he did not know he was offending. The Prime Minister interposed before Mr Hunter could proceed: “I have been listening all the morning,” lie said, “to a tirade about the Communistic attitude of the Government. I would like to know if this is in order, and whether the members on the Government side of the House are not entitled to make a reply: It seems curious, if. Russia is being quoted as on all fours with what we are doing, that we are not entitled to make a reply. “I would like a' definite ruling. I agree with your ruling that members should be confined to the Bill, but,” went on Mr Savage in emphatic tones “they have not been confined to tlie Bill. That’s my complaint. They have been talking Communism all day.” lit. Hon.-- G. W. Forbes, introducing quieter tones, suggested that there were certainly different schools of political thought. Mr Savage: I don’t mind that. I want the, right to reply. Mr Forbes: There has never been any restriction. Mr Savage: There’s a restriction now. The member for Manawatu was stopped. Wo are going to have a showdown. We-are not going on with this. Mr Speaker: Order! Order! The Prime Minister: All right, Mr Speaker but I want definiteness. Mr H. S. S. Kyle: One at a time! Mr Forbes and Mr W. A. Bodkin continued the discussion on the point of order, suggesting that the history of the Opposition was not a proper subject for debate on the Marketing Bill, but they were quite entitled to show that it represented another phase of the Government’s Communistic policy. Four members tried to catch Mr Speaker’s eye. He selected Hon. W. Nash who declared that one of the Opposition members had stated he had obtained his ideas for the Bill from Moscow, and that it was in accord with Communistio ideas he had held all his life. “I have done everything throughout my life.” declared Mr Nash, “to attack dictatorship in every form, but I was so charged that it was in accord with that philosophy—but that is not in the Bill.” Mr Nash suggested that his right of reply to such allegations could not be questioned, and if so any Government member could take the same course, which was what the member for Manawatu was doing. Mr Kyle: He was making a pcisonal attack on Mr Coates. That is why the Speaker called him to order. Mr F. W. Schramm: Members of the Opposition have described the Bill ns Bolshevism, Communism and Sovietism, and the member for ICaipara linked them up by calling it Nnshism. If the Minister has the right of reply every Government member has that right. It was somewhat of an anti-climax that Mr Speaker announced the time had arrived for the dinner adjournment.