HARD HITTING

Northern Advocate, 11 July 1925, Page 5

HARD HITTING

WARM WORDS EXCHANGED PARLIAMENTARY PERSONALITIES A3XDRESS-IN-REPLY AMENDMENT. (Special to "Northern Advocate.") WELLINGTON, This Day. When the H-mse of Representatives was about to rise on Thursday night the motion for the adjournment of the debate on the Address-m-Reply wan moved by Mr 11.I 1 . Lye (Waikato), who tlieiieby secured the right to continue tfie debate yesterday. However, late yesterday after no n a rumour went the rounds that the first speaker in the day's debate would be Mr Harry At*iaor<?, member for Nelson, who had given notice of an amendment to the , Address-in-Reply. This rumour proved tto te correct, but Mr' Atmore, declaring that he had been told only at the eleventh hour, seen ed very annoyed abcut it and pro-ceded to address tlio House in no Sunday School manner.

Jrst before the resumption of the de "bate the Prime Minister, the Hon J. G. Coates, obtained the permission of the House to make a statement. This statement, he said, was in connection with Mr Atmore \s amendment. According to precedent and custom it was impossible to add anything to the motion, and while Mr Atmore no doubt uiivc'l the amend "rent with the thorough conviction that he was doing the best for the country it was impossible t.) alhw anything to be attached, and thirefore anything added by way of amendment must be treated as a noccufidence mot'.o i. "I think," said Mr Coates, "it is only fair to mako thisclear."

It was then left to Mr Atmore to continue the debate and he began in totes of anger. On Thursday night, he said, he had been told that he ■would not be called on to speak till Friday evening. Now he was told just before the sitting of the Hou:p by the Leader of the ■ -'pposilion and thi Senior Government Whip that he was to speak almost at once. This savoured of sharp practice. He was not I/hming the SaVar Governm'?it Whip. Fe thought he was entitled to some explication.

Mr T. M. Wilfrrd, Leader of the Opposition: "If the honourable member will give "way for a moment I will exMr Atmore (severely): "No, I will ,no : - give way. You made your explanation before." Mr Atmore inscribed as mere subterfuge Mr Coates' decision to take his amendment as a ro-confidence amendment. While it was according to custom to take the course the Prime Minister had decided on it was not incumbent on him to do so. The party negotiations were still 'on, but if business men were taken from outside the House who saw the instability of representative institutions thev would fix the thing up in 20 minutes. It had boei. put before the people br both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition that they were in favour of fusion. Mr Lysnar had declared himsel' sufficiently to prevent him from going back at tlie oietation >of the party whip, and so on. The whole of the Reform Party when it came back from th? election in 1922 met in negotiations. ' Today, when men for selfish interests daring to conduct negotiations played this trick which had been played on him that afternoon, it made him wonder.

•The only Parliament which was functioning today, raid Mr Atmore, was that in the Old Country. Representative institutions in the world were .breaking down because of the loaves and fishes. Was there a Government functioning in Australia today Not, ore. The Government in New Zealand had not functioned for years because it lial not had a majority of the people. Notwithstanding all his prestige, Mr Massey had only 38 supporters in a House of 80 members at the last election.

Mr Atmore contended that his motion was not a no-confidence motion aiii he declared ttat he had said that Mr Coates ought to be given a chance.

Mr Atmore proceeded to attack the Labour Party, which he said was linked up with Moscow. He recalled the fact that Mr Fraser, the Labour em"ber for Wellington Central, had stated thai the downfall of Russia was part am! parcel of the same movement that tlv r were advocating in INV-w Zealand politics.

Mr J. R. Corrij;an (Paten") seconded the amendment, stating that he would reserve his right to speak as he understood the Leader of the Opposition -wished now to make a statement.

Mr Speaker pointed out that Mr "Wllford still had the risrht to speak and could only make the statement ■with the consent of the House. He put the question to the House. Mr Atmore called ''No!" adding: "Let him do it in his speech."

■' Mr "Fraser devoted a long; speech, to Mr Atmore. TTft ; to tbe r present, Mr l?#'a'ser said,'Mr Atmore-"had boon like a stormy petrel flying around and making a rr r eat fuss. ij '

H " : Mr .T. A. Lei (Auckland East), twitted Mr Atmore with being patriotic in words. In that respect, the test of a man's sinecrty wft's whether, being fit,, he pulled Ms vshare in the boat. "Whx did he not go to the war?

The Hon. G. .T. Anderson said that he ■with others would like to sec a strong national Government. There was no «jiiestion about thj-.t, but the honourable member for Nelson, was. on his own showing, a free lance with no pledge to his olo<-tf rs in regard to supporting a partv. He forgot that memt>ei- on the Liberal side and members on the Reform ?id(, had made pledges. There was no dorbt whatever that his Amendment was tantamount to a vote of no-confidence in the Leader of the Reform Party. He based his conclusions on authorities in Parliamentary practice, which he had a perfect right to do. Personally he had never known any Government that did not regard addendum t, ft Gevefeer's Speech

a* other than a want of confidence. He did not think that any leader could do so. The honourable member for Nelson was asking them to be disloyal to the pledges tliey had made on the hustings. Another very important point- was that the electors themselves had a say in ths matter. The honoura.bV member hud accused the Government. of putting place before country.

"I know," a'lced Mr Anderson, "what has happened in this matter. I know that consideration has not entered into it at all. The Prime Minister has had the resignation of every one of his colleagues in his hands right from the commencement and no Minister has endeavoured to prevent fusion if the parties are of opinion that it should he arranged."

Mr Anderson added later that he believed, in regard to the Prime Minister, that the feeling in the country today was that he should be given a fair opportunity to prove himself. When the member for Nelson said that the Reform Party and the Reform Government would not survive he forgot that there was a new leader and that British fair play would give the new lender an opportunity.

Mr.' W. D. Lysnar: (Gisborne) saifl he-did not intend* to vote, and Mr. A, Harris (Waitemata) said that as it was a no-confidence motion he felt bound to vote against Mr. Atmore, though he was strongly in favour of a National Government and of the amalgamation of the parties. $be Lafadur ameindment was defeated by 51 vOtds to 16, and the House then got back to Mr. Atmore's amendment. Mr. H. E. Holland (Buller) said the Labour Party proposed to vote for Mr. Atmore's amendment because it was an amendment of no-confidence in the Government. Mr. Atmore's amendment was defeated by 34 to 30, Liberals and Labour voting against the Government.