WHEAT DUTIES

Northern Advocate, 14 August 1929, Page 6

WHEAT DUTIES

ERRONEOUS ALLEGATION POINTS OF ORDER RAISED. MEMBER RULED OUT. (•From Our Parliamentary Special.) WELLINGTON, This Day, The allegation, that the Special (Select Committee set up to consider the question of wheat duties had already made up its mind and that the finding of the committee was already discredited, was made in the House of Representatives last night by Mr H, M. Rush worth, who said there were rumours current that the Government had made a deal with the wheat grow-

He ventured to say that the Select Committee, which had been appointed by the House, had made up its mind already and its decision was already described. The member for Egmont, Mr C. A. Wilkinson, had laid a pit before the Minister of Agriculture, by suggesting that the personnel of the committee should be increased by the addition of four more North Island members, but the Minister had jumped all round the pit. Personally, he saw no relason why the committee should not be increased.

At this stage the Minister of Agriculture raised a point of order by asking if Mr Rush worth was in order in implying that the committee had made up its mind, before it had even held its first meeting. Mr Speaker said that reference to the committee’s finding being already discredited was quite out of order. A member should not infer that the committee was biased or that it was not acting 'in a judicial capacity. Mr Speaker called on Mr Rushworth to withdraw the remark and Mr Rushworth agreed. Mr C. G. Black raised a further point of order, Urging that the number of members of a Select Committee was limited' by the Standing Orders.

The ,Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates said the House had the power to increase the size of a committee if it so desired, and could suspend the Standing Orders at any time.

Mr Speaker agreed and said that the matter was entirely one for the House to decide.