PARLIAMENT IN SESSION MORE NEW BILLS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22900, 1 December 1937, Page 15

PARLIAMENT IN SESSION

MORE NEW BILLS

-■. POLITICAL TACTICS TIME BETWEEN ELECTIONS • three-year term again ~ members* views differ [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Tuesday The action of the last Government in giving itself an extra year of office by extending the Parliamentary term to four years was the main topic of debate in the House ; ;of Representatives to-day when the Electoral Amendment Bill came "P ' or discussion. ' Jt was not expected that this measure ivoiild prove unduly contentious, but Labour members welcomed it as an opportunity for parading past political history. The Opposition was mainly concorned with supporting the principle of the longer Parliamentary term as a means of assisting a Government to carry out its work more efficiently, and an effort was made to turn defence into Attack by accusing the present Government of desiring an early election in order to avoid the building up of too formidable a political past. Several Labour members agreed that n four-year term was desirable, but they stated that their objection was to the method by which the last Government extended its own life without an expression of opinion from tho people. Daring the debate some attention W as paid to the changes proposed in the bill with pgard to the methods of conducting Maori elections, and a measure of temporary interest was caused tvlien the evergreen topic of preferential voting was raised by three or four speakers. . ' f Early in the sitting two new bills were introduced, the Mortgagors and /Lessees Rehabilitation Amendment Bill and the Local Legislation Bill, tho latter being the customary "washing up" measure validating numerous local body payments/ The Mining Amendment Bill introduced last Friday was reported back from the Goldfields and Mines Commit- • tee without amendment. The debate on the Electoral Amendment Bill was completed just before the House rose at 10.30 o'clock, but the measure has still ,to be put thro.ugh its final stages. ft "A DESPERATE EFFORT" . EARLY ELECTION WANTED LABOUR PARTY'S CONCERN COMMENTS BY MR. BODKIN [by TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Tuesday "If the Opposition needed any encouragement it lias certainly received it this afternpon," said Mr. \V. A. Bodkin (Opposition —Central Otago) during the debate on the Electoral Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives to-day. "Government members have shown clearly that tbev recognise that ~ the public reaction to tbeir policv will be just a little more terrible at* the end of four years than in three years.

"Government members want an election as soon as possible," Mr. Bodkin continued, "because they believe that tbe tide of public opinion has definitely set against them . and this bill can be regarded as a more or less desperate effort on their/ part to get another term of office.- They know that for every friend they meet to-day they could have met '2O a year ago. One can understand their desire for this legislation to be on the Statute Book as soon as possible, because they want an election while there is still a chance." ■ /, Mr. Bodkin expressed' the opinion that three yean was not a long enough term to allov a. new .Minister to get Complete control'of the affairs of his department. If tbe life of Parliament wns to be restricted to three years he thought the country would have to submit to bureaucratic government of ,the very worst kind, as the result of undue reliance on departmental heads.