PARLIAMENT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21844, 5 July 1934, Page 13

PARLIAMENT

labour surprise ; NO PART IN DEBATE withdrawal of speakers UNUSUAL MANOEUVRE / ' » i ■ ■-» reply by ministers [bt telegraph —special reporter] WELLINGTON, Wednesday ~ A complete surprise was sprung in the House of Representatives this afternoon when the announcement was made that tlie Labour Opposition intended to take 110 part in the Address-in-Reply debate. It was, of eourse, a tactical move designed to place the Government in a quandary, and the Opposition certainly bad the satisfaction of seeing astonishment registered on the face of every Coalition member. Labour's tactics were strikingly at variance with the Opposition's customary policy of allowing every member of the party to speak in this debate. Even in emergency sessions, Labour members have wasted much time in monotonous reiteration of threadbare arguments, so the sincerity of this change of heart which has taken place when times are not so pressing must be seriously questioned. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. M. J- Savage, was not in the House / to-day. being absent in Auckland, and Mr. P...- Fraser, deputy-leader of the party, sought leave to make a statement on behalf of his chieS. Constructive Policy Lacking The first suspicion of something un- ; usual being about to happen was raised when Mr. Fraser blandly remarked that he would be content to forfeit his own y right to speak. The statement read by Mr. Fraser expressed the view that the Speech from the Throne was so devoid of any hope or prospect of constructive policy that Parliament was not warranted in devoting much time to its consideration. Mr. Speaker intervened to remark that it was unusual for a statement made in such circumstances to be of a controversial character. t However, as the Prime Minister, Mr. Forbes, indicated, the Government would raise no objections 011 that score. Mr. Fraser was permitted to continue with the reading of the statement, and on resuming his seat he was roundly applauded by his colleagues. Meanwhile, Mr. Forbes was engaged in a whispered consultation with the Minister of * Health/the Hon. J. A. Young, who had been delegated to reply* to the speech Mr. Fraser was expected to make. It was thought that in the circumstances which had arisen Mr. Forbes might have replied to the Labour statement, but the original arrangement was preserved, and Mr. Young devoted the opening fire minutes of his speech to a criticism of Labour tactics. Speeches During Recess He reminded members of the Opposition that .they had been very busy during the recess making speeches up and down the countryside in condemnation of the Government policy, but had adopted the extraordinary course of running away when the proper opportunity to criticise the Government in the House presented itself. The Minister tried unsuccessfully to tempt , Labour members to recant, but his suggestion that" speeches would be better than interjections was merely laughed at. Apart from Mr. W. A. Veitch (Wanganui), who now sits with the Independents, the responsibility _ for continuing the debate devolved entirely on Government members, some of whom, not expecting to speak 'until to-morrow, were caught unprepared. However, that problem was solved in part by three Ministers taking part 111 the debate. They had the advantage of having at hand material from which they explained recent activities of their departments. Two. of them, the Hon. J. A. Young and the Hon. C. E. Macmillan, depended to some extent on that methodj but the Hon. E. A. Ilans'om, who was in excellent form, took off the gloves to the Labour Party, criticising its ' tactical manoeuvre in withdrawing from the debate and, show- ' ing that the practical result of the Labour policy would be to involve the country in an extra annual expenditure of over £30,000,000. Apart from Mr. Fraser, who, read Mr. Savage's statement of the Labour attitude, there were nine speakers in t.he debate to-day.

UNEMPLOYMENT TAX PAYMENTS 'BY WOMEN REQUESTS FOR RELIEF [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON. Wednesday The announcement of a reduction in the unemployment 'levy to be paid by relief workers |vas followed in the House to-day by two requests for consideration to be given to women who pay the wages tax. k Mrs. E. R. McCombs (Labour— Lyttelton), in a notice of a*question, asked the Minister of Employment, the Hon. A. Hamilton, whether he would take steps to exclude women workers from payment of the tax, particularly as women had received practically no benefit from the fund. She also suggested that the Minister should consider raising the exemption minimum for women with small incomes from £2O to £52. Mr. A. J. Stall worthy (Independent

—Kdon) asked' whether the Minister, in

adjusting unemployment taxation, * would give* the greatest possible relief to the large body of women, who, having to rely on their own scant resources, were feeling the present tax to be a grave hardship.

LEGISLATIVE council address-jn-reply first two speakers [BV TELEGRAPH-—PRKSS ASSOCIATIONI WELLINGTON, Wednesday . Moving the Address-in-lleply debate i l ' l the Legislative Council to-day the ~o n - W- Perry (Wellington) said that all would regret deeply the departure of tne_ Governor-General, Lord Blcdisloe, And Lady Bledisloe, who had endeared themselves to all sections of the community. Mr. Perry said he was uneasy about the future' of the League oi Rations and if that institution fell the international outlook would change for the worse. He hoped that measures v-i°i .1 taken bv the countries of the knipire to safeguard mercantile shipping agaiiu.t unfair American competiHo ai;h 'ocated a housing scheme, subsidised under the No. 10 scheme, as 11 means of coping with the housing shortage and absorbing the unemoloyed. J he Hon. F. Waite (Southland), who CC °u motion, said New Zealand ".Quid never achieve economic equilibrium until the basic industry was again on n Payable basis. The real Problem was to bridge the gap between fcosts and prices. ' 0 Council then adjourned.