House Adjourns for a Week

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 192, 15 August 1945, Page 5

House Adjourns for a Week

Imminent Peace May Cause Budget Revision (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, August 14. Meeting in an atmosphere of considerable expectancy at 7.30 to-night, the House of Representatives required only a few minutes in which to agree to an adjournment until the same hour next Tuesday because of the probable advent of peace in the meantime and the fact that the scheduled discussion to-night of the Budget presented last Thursday evening would serve little purpose. The Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) sai l he personally thought—although he had no particular basis for so doing—thut, the Japanese reply was a question of hours rather than days. When the House assembled, Mr. Fraser said that owing to the uncertainty as to the time and nature of the Japanese Government’s reply to the United Nations’ statement on the surrender terms all members must themselves feel uncertainty as to the advisability of continuing Bitting to-n igbt or during the succeeding days of thi« week. The minds of members as of everybody in the Dominion were focussed on the possibilities of peace, while there was speculation as to the effect of peace upon our domestic economy. Members would want to be in their own electorates—where there was always plenty of work for them to do-—-during peace celebrations. That in itself was a strong reason for a week’s adjournment. Another factor was that every member felt that a Budget introduced under war conditions making provision for a year of war and with little more than half of that year to run, might not necessarily be an accurate estimate of the financial requirements for the remainder of the year under peace conditions. There was a danger that discussion of the Financial Statement submitted last Thursday might bring to members aDd to the country a sense of unreality. In view of these circumstances and after discussion with the Leader of the Opposition and Party members, he suggested an adjournment until next Tuesday night.

Mr. Fraser mentioned that there was a danger that the reply from the Japanese might not be forthcoming even by then. Personally, he thought it would be a matter of hours rather than days, but he had no basis for that other than feeling that it would be eo. If, however, the reply was not received by next Tuesday, he thought lit could be arranged for 20 members to meet and adjourn the House for a further few days, but he thought that would be unnecessary. Mr. Fraser said he hoped the country would ignore all premature or false announcements and would wait for an authoritative announcement. He said nothing was more disappointing or confusing than for a premature announce- • ment to be taken at its false value. He counselled everyone, particularly those responsible for arranging the celebrations, to wait for the official announcement. Mr. S. G. Holland said he wanted to confirm what the Prime Minister had said. He had had discussions with the Prime Minister and with his own party about the position. It was to have been his privilege te have opened the financial debate, but they all felt that to open that debate would have meant initiating it on a completely false foundation as it would have been os the basis of New Zealand’s having 55,000 men in the armed forces. Now the whole situation had changed and they had agreed that a debate at this stage would be useless and might even be dangerous. Moreover, an adjournment would enable the Government to review the whole position and he thought the Government had the right to do that. He had gladly concurred in the suggestion that they should adjourn. If peace came, men would bn returning to this country in large numbers and the organisation the Government would have to make for their reception would require a good deal nf prepartion. He did not suppose he would lose his place in the financial debate and he might be able to make a better speech than the original one he had prepared. The Minister of Finance (Hon. W. Nash) said if it were necessary te adjourn Parliament for six months to achieve peace he would be in favour of an adjournment. If the news of peace were received it might be necessary to make some slight adjustment* in the estimates of expenditure insofar as they affected war expenses. If it were possible for all the services to return to New Zealand by the end of the present year any reduction in expenditure would be slight as compared with the estimates which did not taYe into account the payment of gratuities. If all the accounts were kept up-to-date there might be no reduction because deferred pay, transport and gratuities would be in excess of the estimated amount although the others might be reduced. He proposed to submit revised estimates of expenditure to members before the House met so that they would be available for the sitting next week. The House adjourned at 7.45.