THE MEETING OF PARLIAMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20952, 15 February 1930, Page 12

THE MEETING OF PARLIAMENT.

The fact that the General Assembly has already been prorogued until June 5 is one that will certainly excite comment In the past the various prorogations during the parliamentary recess have been for periods that

have ranged between one month and two months. A prorogation for a period of over three months is so exceptional that it is necessary to look for a special reason for it. It may be concluded that the explanation is to be found in the circumstance that the Imperial Conference, will be opened in London in the month of October. If the health of the Prime Minister is sufficiently restored to admit of his attendance at the Conference as the representative of New Zealand—and it will be generally hoped throughout the Dominion that it may be—it will no doubt be desired by him that as much of the ordinary business of the session shall be transacted as can possibly be accomplished before it becomes necessary for him to take his departure from New Zealand. That is ;on the assumption that circumstances during the session will be favourable to the United Party. But circumstances may not be favourable to the United Party. There are grumblings and growlings on the part of Labour members, and threats arc being uttered by them against the life of the Government which they maintained in office last session. It is probable that these threats arc more or less empty, but if, through a fortuitous .combination of the Reform and Labour parties, the Government should be throwh out, the question of the representation of New Zealand at the Conference will have to remain unsettled until a state of political stability has been reached in the Dominion. There is, as will be seen, a clear reason, therefore, why Parliament should ‘be summoned to meet at an earlier date than is usual. The date, however, to which a prorogation has now been gazetted is only three weeks in advance of that on which Parliament would assemble in the ordinary course of events. It may be doubted whether it would not have been desirable that a date much earlier than June 5 should be selected. If the United Party is to be allowed to remain in office, the business of the session should be so far transacted before the departure of the Prune Minister for London as to afford him some assurance that his colleagues may be trusted to complete the sessional programme without disaster. Parliament, for its part, should have an adequate opportunity of deciding whether the United Party is to be permitted to continue in occupation of the Treasury benches and thus to enjoy the privilege of nominating the representative of ' the Dominion at the Conference.