CLOSURE APPLIED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22389, 8 April 1936, Page 15

CLOSURE APPLIED

RESERVE BANK BILL

measure passed unchanged

TWENTY-TWO HOURS' SITTING SEVENTEEN DIVISIONS In spite of a determined fight by an Opposition numerically weak but vocally persistent, the passage of the Reserve Bank Amendment Bill through all its stages in the House of Representatives was completed shortly after noon yesterday. Thus the Government achieved its avowed end of having the bill put through the House before the E'laster recess, but it was at the price of a continuous sitting of almost 22 hours during which 1 7 divisions were taken and the closure twice applied on the motion of the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage. After the second reading had been carried by 5 1 votes to !6, the Opposition continued its attack in the committee stages in the early hours of the morning. Attempts to secure amendment of various important clauses were defeated and no alterations in the provisions were made. * / The committee #tage was concluded before eight o'clock, and after an adjournment for breakfast the third reading debate was commenced. It concluded at 12.15 p.m., when the motion was carried by 55 votes to 17, and the House adjourned until the evening.

STRONG PROTESTS FEATUEES OF DEBATE SILENT GOVERNMENT RANKS EARLY MORNING INCIDENTS DEFEAT OF AMENDMENTS [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] "WELLINGTON, Tuesday For new members of the House of Representatives, and the majority of the new members are in the ranks of the Government, the procedure adopted by the Government in the passage of the Reserve Bank Amendment Bill was a novel, but somewhat exacting, experience. They had to sit quiet under a constant barrage of verbal sallies from the Opposition benches, and the efforts to sting them into something more than interjections lacked nothing in vigour. However*, discipline held, and throughout the weary sitting the Minister of Finance, Hon. W. Nash, was the sole voice of the Government reply to the second reading debate, and the ringing of;the bells and the cry of "lock the doors" announced the firsi division of the session. The result of ' the division was a foregone conclusion "The All Blacks won by 51 to 16," as one Opposition member described it. But from that time onward the division bells rang at frequent intervals.

This remark was greeted with derisive Government laughter. "Reasonable progress has been made." said Mr. Forbes. "There is only one other bill to be passed before Faster and if we go on at this rate members will be twiddling their fingers before Wednesday." The First Closure The Prime Minister. Mr. Savage: We will see that you will not be out of a job. Mr. Forbes: 1 think we would make very good progress if we went away and had an hour or two's sleep. We would at least be fresher. The Minister of Railways, the Hon D. G. Sullivan: You might be too fresh. A division on the proposal to adjourn was defeated by 46 votes to 15. About an hour and a-half later Mr. R. A. Wright (Independent—Wellington Suburbs) made another attempt to terminate the sitting. At that time 22 of the 25 clauses had been passed and Mr. Kyle, supporting Mr. Wright's motion, painted an appetising picture of frying bacon and eggs. " The charwomen are waiting outside with mops and dusters," he added, in moving that the House should report progress.

Mr. Wright again complained at the "undue haste" in putting the bill through the House. Mr. Savage promptly rose and moved the closure of the discussion. " This is the bludgeon," called Mr. Broadfoot. The division on the closure motion was carried hy 47 votes to 15 and the Government still refused to have the committee discussion interrupted by an adjournment.

New Arrival's Dismay After a short examination of the clause requiring trading banks to furnish monthly returns to the Reserve Bank the Prime Minister again moved the closure to the dismay of Mr. K. J. Holyoake (Opposition—Motueka), who had just arrived by the Nelson boat and was fresh for the battle. " Tyranny, tyranny," shouted Mr. Broadfoot, but the-motion was carried by 49 votes to 16. But whichever side carried off the honours in the political battle it was at best a pyrrliic victory. The committee stage came to a close shortly before eight o'clock and the Prime Minister agreed to an adjournment until nine o'clock for breakfast. Weary members found their way to Bellamy's, where Mr. Kyle's vision of bacon and eggs materialised. The waiting charwomen were free to make an hour's effort for the tidiness of the House. The only alteration was the introduction of a new sub clause providing for the submission to Parliament of regulations made under the bill. Weary Houss Adjourns

Stonewall Develops It was that the Opposition intended to continue its protest against the rapid passing of the bill by em ploying stonewall tactics in the committee stages. The discussion on the short title of the bill alone occupied over an hour. At about one o'clock only four Ministers, apart from Mr. Nash, were in the House, and of the 20 Government members present two were engrossed in books and seven were lying full length on their seats apparently fast asleep. During the clause by clause discussion of the bill in committee the Opposition attack was led chiefly by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (Kaipara) and the Hon. A. Hamilton aided by Mr. H. S. S. Kyle (Riccarton) and Mr. W. J. Broadfoot (Waitomo). These four spoke on practically every clause, but the Opposition as a whole showed a commendable mastery of tactics which were employed so frequently against it during the lifetime of the last Parliament. The bell had only to ring announcing that one member's , time had expired when another member was immediately on his feet. Government's Borrowing Powers Comparatively little resulted from the committee discussion. An attempt was made to delete the provision that the present directors of the bank may be removed from office by Order-in-Council, but Mr. Nash stated that the Public- /Trustee could be removed from office bv this method, and that the Government in effect was only following precedent. An amendment to delete the piovision from/the clause in question was defeated by 48 votes to 15. there was some discussion on the proposal to authorise borrowing on Treakury bills from the bank to the extent oi a full year's est-imated revenue. The Leader of the Opposition, the Rt. Hon. ->• »V. I'orbes. asked why the Government was taking power to borrow in anticipation of the full amount of Revenue instead of limiting the borrowing to half of the estimated revenue Bs provided in the original Act. Any Government fixing its estimate of Revenue at r very high sum would obtain an almost unlimited overdraft snd he thought it desirable that there Should be some check. Mr. Nash: The clause is in accordance with British policy. Mr. Forbes: 1 do not think it advisable to borrow up to the last shilling fend over in anticipation of revenue. Mould anv local bodv be allowed to »ct in that fashion? " An Undue Temptation "

The third reading debate opened afc nine o'clock with Mr. Forbes reviewing the efforts of the Opposition to make the bill safer for the country. All suggestions had fallen on deaf ears, but he regarded it as correct that the protests should have been recorded. Mr. Wright expressed pleasure that, the all night sitting had not resulted in any great loss of tempers. If the Opposition had chosen to do so, he said, they could have invested the debate with considerable heat. The Minister of Health, Hon. P. Fraser: But not light. Messrs. Broadfoot, Hargest and Polson made a last despairing attack on the Government, the last-named referring to the Minister of Finance as "the sphinx who sat beside tho clerk." The sitting ended just after mid-day with the third reading carried and the House adjourned until the evening. In twos and threes the weary members left the chamber for lunch and an afternoon's sleep.

DOMINION'S DEFENCE GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDE NOT UNMINDFUL OF NEED [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Tuesday An explanation of the attitude of the Government toward defence was made by the header of the Legislative Council, the Hon. M. Fagan, in the Address-in-Heplv debate. The Labour Government, lie said, was not a Government of pacifists. "We do not believe in a defenceless New Zealand," added Mr. Fagan. "We have been in closest touch with London during the last few weeks, and we are aware of the syrious situation in Europe. Wo are not unmindful of tho fact that if war broke out involving Great Britain, and sho suffered a reverse we might wake up one morning and find that we belonged to someone else. We stand for the closest allegiance to Great .Britain and tho League of Nations." ALSATIAN DOG BILL [BV TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Tuesday The Alsatian Dog Bill, 1936, was introduced in the Legislative Council today by the Hon. C. J. Carrington (Auckland).

Mr. J. Hardest (Opposition—Awafi'ii) said that when the last Government went out of office the unemployment fund was well in credit, but in the las't tjiree months a Minister of the present Government had been responsible for overspending. That was exani l'le of what might happen in •ther and more important directions knder the bill. Mr AY. J. I'ol.son (Opposition—Stratford) described the clause as bad law, 1 Precedent and bad business for the Country, It, was an undue temptation "ti Wa,v nin inistoi* of Finance. Ihe discission proceeded, and on 13 M the 25 clauses of the bill the Opposition called lor divisions. However, the Vl gilanee of the Government Whips was such that they were assured of at least three to one majoritv on everv Division. f Toward five o'clock Opposition memoers began to look somewhat jaded and !/• •' or bo.-- put forward the suggestion hat tlie House should adjourn for at Jeast a few hours. When lie had been rinie Minister he had always met the isnes of members in similar circum"wices.