GENERAL ELECTION

Northern Advocate, 28 July 1934, Page 10

GENERAL ELECTION

STATEMENT BY ME FORBES. TOWARD END OF 1935. POSSIBLY EARLIER. » (Prom Our Parliamentary Special.) WELLINGTON, This Day. When speaking in the House o Representatives yesterday on the Elec- , toral . Amendment Bill, brought forward by the Leader of the Opposition, the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, mentioned the possibility of a general election being held before the end of next year, ' Under a clause in the Finance Bill, passed by the Government two years ago, it was provided the election should postponed until a date not later than December 23, 1935, and it has been generally understood that the next election would accordingly take place about November, 1935, giving , the Government a four years’ tenure of office. Mr Forbes said that when the Government put its hand to the plough the country was in a very difficult state. A crisis was on and tremendous problems awaited solution. Everyone realised the seriousness of the position, with the exception, seemingly, of the Labour Party, The Reform and United parties,' placing the interests of the country before any other, joined forces. The Labour Party, however, shirked its, responsibility and gave no assistance, whatever to the Government; On the contrary, it adopted a hostile attitude and took advantage of the plight of the people generally to make as much political capital as possible. , “We told the electors wc had a big job ahead,” said Mr Forbes. “We placed all our cards on the table and received an assurance of their support, 1 * without any qualifications whatsoever. We wete given a. free hand to do what was in the best interests of the Dominion, and any reasonable citizen would ‘admit we have done remarkably well in face of difficulties of unprecedented magnitude. Wo laid down a. programme and asked for reasonable time to cany it out. was our plain duty to see the thing through, but we considered an extension of time necessary.” Mr D. G, 'Sullivan (Labour, Avon): ' “What do you propose? to do with it?” The Prime Minister: “Well, wo have another year in which to put though important legislation, I am " not -going to say we require the whole of that .time. It depends on circumstances. Wo will do our best to meet the wishes of the Labour Party and hold an election oven sooner than the end of ,1935.”