PARLIAMENT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 195, 19 July 1941, Page 8

PARLIAMENT

DEBATE ON THE BUDGET. ) ! (Press Assn.) WELLINGTON, July 18 i. Continuing the Budget debate in the House at 2.30 Mr J. Thorn (Lab. k Thames), speaking of the Opposition’s y plea for a National Government, saic that outside the British Isles there g was no National Government in any e .part of the British Commonwealth y The nearest approach to such a Gov- * frn was at the present time in office .'in New Zealand. After congratulating I the Acting-Prime Minister on his BudI get Mr Thorn said he had noticed that » 1 no enthusiasm was displayed for it j amongst members of the Opposition. 3 They did not seem to have appreciated j the Minister’s statement that taxation 3 j was not to he increased, and they 3 1 appeared to bo sad when additional r 1 social security benefits were mentioned. II After criticising the Loader of the . Opposition’s Budget speech lie asked Air Holland if there were any truth , in the recent statement in the Labour ’ Standard newspaper to the effect that , the Leader of the Opposition was being . paid £IOOO a year by certain interests. t plus £OSO travelling expenses, to keep . I out of the War Cabinet. Mr Holland: There is not a tittle of truth n it. Air Thorn said lie could do nothing . but accept Air Holland’s denial. Complete disagreement with the statement made by the Alinister of Health in Auckland recently that he knew nothing more calculated to split and disrupt the people than the formation of a National Government was expressed by Air J. A. Roy (Nat. Clutlia). Personally, lie said, ho could think of nothing more calculated tr. split and tear the country asundet than a general election. He would say unhesitatingly that the Government would be very wise to reconsider the whole position. The question of a National Government was for the Government to decide, hut he knew of members of unions who thought there should be a National Government. He refused to believe that the resolutions that had been passed up and down the country by certain unions represented a hundred per cent. of the Labour people in New Zealand. They represented the selfish element which, he was sorry to say, appeared to he putting party before country, and that was wrong. Air Roy also dealt with the question of appeals from military service, which, he said, were becoming a ramp. The returned soldiers were quite right when they said that the time had arrived when there should he a halt. He agreed that those who objected to service should not object to being put on army rates of pay and conditions. Air Roy also put in a plea for higher rates of pay for the rank and file of the army. Air G. 51. AVilliams (Lab., Tsaiapoi) said the Leader of the Opposition had mentioned the Government’s insulation policy. This was still definitely in operation as far as the applegrowers knew. The Government was aware that it could not protect the whole of New Zealand from the effects of the war, hut the effect of the insulation policy had been to see that the shock of overseas conditions should not l>e borne by one section of tile community and that, had been done. The House adjourned at 5.24 until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.