DEFEAT AVERTED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 31 May 1930, Page 14

DEFEAT AVERTED

STORMY TIMES AHEAD ! N.S.W: GOVERNMENT AND ITS .'•';, ; LEGISLATION ;,:,',:-;,:■'- i ' j FORTY-EIGHT HOURS BILL -, , -I ~,;; : ; ; : ',vSYDNEY,^2 3rkM^: : ;. |For the second time within a week the New. South Wales Government, led; by Mr ; ,T." R. Bavin, Premier, has: been ace of defeat on the floor 'of , .tlieXovver'.'Hoiiae.. . ;. . ' *-j The 'first- time- they, were saved by one vote,.and oh the second occasion;the Speaker,: Sit" Daniel Levy, exercised his l'ight'-as a private member tovvote .■,= ill committee, and .swung the : vote, the , count of which was equal.. - Y ■ :,~/;', •'-'The first measure On which the .Government was nearly wrecked was the 48- - Hour Week'Bill; ■■' ' "" ; "-' l '-.,,

<lt ?has beeh a contentious.matter in'',.'•/ the. House, ;tHe Press and in the public ;■? mind for many weeks past... Mr_ Bavin V announced; then that he, was . gbing' to ■ introduce a bill to revert to the 48 hour week, as the 'working basis in New, South >'. Wales,. - Stormy meetings of the Government.party were held almost daily, and,; the matter was thrashed out over and over again., Many supporters of the Nationalist Government cohtendedithat , the'Premier had-made'a definite promise in his policy speech at thegeheral elec-; tibhs in .1927-liAt to interfere'with :.the. hours of' Work,; which had been fixed by •- the Lang Government at 44 per week.; 1

CTRC?UMSf ANCES ALTERED / j

i Mtt Bavin's, reply to his critics was, in effect, that he had mad© the promise not to interfere; with the working hourse when the St.-Jte \v;is in the crest of a Wave of prosperity. , The recent depression, ihe sluttip; in business and the ia- , crease'in unemployment throughout the Stats .ih the; meantime rendered some drastic action .imperative.. The remedy/ the Premier said, was in the lengthen: :;* , jng b'i the hours of work, : thus-leading '■'lb more : production and gradual- regain,-. . . .ing of lost trade »and business. _ • | 'After?several Weeks the new hill was '.'•prepared, fo\ 4 -placing'before theVHouse, -.:);.' And many of the malcontents in the ,' Gbyertimenfc .ranks were appeased. However/*, When,heads came to be counted it " that four or five government supporters were likely to adhei-e to their views, that the Premier should 'hpt go bade on his election promise and , i thai- they'would,' therefore,, vote against i the bill. ; l■. ■■ '<'■ _,, -, I Packed: galleries of .spectators ; filled ,-j the Legislative. Assembly; on; the three nights : that the hill was -under discus-. ; - sion. Then it was seen thal;the Gbverii- . ,ment wou)d v face a crisis when .the. bill '"cam¥t6"'afdivision. ' ' "' "";.■'." : ".V..'■.'.'-'■"■ ■ ,With a majority, in ordinary matters of 47 to 42—liv<- members—the Government on this occasion was faced with the fact that Mr Sanders,' an.independent member for Willoughby, who usually Supports the; Government, .and Mr Tressider, the Randwick Nationalist member/ had expressed their intention of | voting; against'/the'. Government/ while ; : ; : Mr J. Jtoss'/V.of Alburyj ei- • ; pressed;: himself m opposition.- to the :. bill but had not indicated how he intended toivote. MR ; SGSS:'MUCH SOUGHT• AFTEJR K

: iter & day Mr Koss became 1 , the; moat ; sbugluV-after ; member He was besieged by Press. s , tivesj arid, private members' of-the yairi- • ? bits parties, .while the;:party! Whips ' ; , \V;ere engaged" in many long rwnversa-. tions withjhirii." : , •''['- i-TChere was;an even greater gallery pt . ohioqkefcsV,wheri the night of r the final , r division arrived. All eyes weretfbcussed oriil^Epssiwhen'lie entered.the cham- vber at the division.. His vote for'- the GoTOrninbnt'wbuld riusan- its salvation . by-:,45-vptes-tQ .44, ,;while if; he v ,' with "the Opposition it would be necei-. sary for the. Speaker to leave: the Ghiir to'save the Government from defeat. C

i , The j Government would stand or faUjbn the : , hours' question; ; i> Mr Ross settled the-matter ;iA one • of 'the shortest made in the Assembly. He? wasVthe last speaker before the division. ?Mr "after due. corisideratibhj I have deblded . to vote"'with the Governmentibii this ■■'.■■ bill." , .'J; !•••?• Cheers and groans rang through the : chamber -frorii imbmbers "ahd onlookers, j and it was,"teii lriinutes before the j Speaker cbuld be heard ordering ; the division bells to be rung. ■_'•

THE CIVIL SERVICE" '

. Hardly liad the excitement of "this question subsided when the Government ■ introduced'" another contentious measure > dealing with7the oif Vorfc in . the Civil Service. .Hitherto:members of the -Public, Service had enjoyed several privileges, among them being freedom from Saturday mornTng work. Faced with a heavy deficit the Govethnient decided on an economy Mmpaign in the Public Service,, and announced', that - they would revert 7to , Saturday morning work and Uhtroduba a system of rationing of-work in tie Public ."Service whereby--, each .officer : would, forego • one week's work arid wages in -every thirteen. The alterna ti^e s Was dismissal for many members of the various and salary .'. prunings. '■'"■j ,; "'- ' '■''■ ' . "Mr Tressider and Mr Sanders again ; announced their decision to oppose the Government, while Mr A. E. y. Reid, the Nationalist member for Manly, prOj- ' vided the l third Government member necessary to place the Government .in'.-.,:' danger. Certain modifications in /the , bill were asked for by him, 7and he crossed the House to''.', vbte, with; the/ Opposition; As the division; was "taken. - in committee, the. Speaker, Sir DanielLevy, took his place on the Goternttent 7 Beiiehes. Matters looked serious for the Government until it- Was 'discovered that an unexpected,illness had robbed the Opposition of the vote of theniember for - ':X]-'' : .i So; for?the .second"time'withinithe week, the Government was saved from ■ defeat.-; Tjhese narrow escapes coming in the Hast. session of' Parliament -, before : the. general electiors augur-s .considerable trouble for the Nationalist Party when they go on the hustingsin, October next. .. ">^*7

Several seats are already in,danger owing to the antagonism engendered in the Public Service by the Government's . rationing of work policy; 7 The storm has not yet passed, and the New South Wales Government is faced with several possible defeats oii a number of contentious bills which aire listed, for diseussion within the : ineit; few weeks.■*"■■ ■'. T ' : " ■'-,''■'■'■,' y'~-