FINALLY PASSED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16375, 24 June 1927, Page 7

FINALLY PASSED

SOUTH AFRICAN FLAG BILL FOUR DAYS' DEBATE (Eloc. Tel. Copyright—United Press Asm.) (N.Z., and A.F.A., and Sun.) (Received Juno 24, 1] a.m.) CAPETOWN, June 23. After four days' debate the third reading of the Flag Bill was carried. The Opposition probed the mystery of the Labor party's amendment, which was worded in such a manner that it gave the impression that the Union Jack should be flown all the year round with the new national flag. The Government's admission that the flying of the Union Jack was a matter for the Government of the day to decide created lively exchanges, the Opposition declaring that the country was being diddled, and that tin' two-flag policy would inevitably divide the nation. General Hertzog refused to say how often the Union Jack would fly. The Bill was carried by a Government majority of 23. One Independent and one' Laborite supported the Opposition. It is anticipated that the Senate will reject the Bill, and that a joint session of both Houses will be. necessary in October to force the Bill into law. A VISITOR'S IMPRESSION "UNION JACK WILL REMAIN" A visitor to Wellington is Mr. H. W. Morris, Mayor of Queenstown, Cape Province, South Africa. The town is situated about COO miles from Capetown, is strongly pro-British, and is represented in the Union Parliament by Mr. Livingston-Moffat. Mr. Morris'is visiting New Zealand for health reasons. Asked about the flag dispute, the visitor remarked that he was of the opinion that the Union Jack would still be maintained in some form as the national emblem. The party who were urging a change were not prepared to stand by the Union Jack in any shape. Another party was quite prepared to have the Jack in the Hag with a yellow bar in one corner and a green in another, emblematic of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal Republic. Mr. Morris fuither said: "For my part, I am not at all worried about. the Hag question, because the flag flown by the citizens generally on any particular holiday would be the Union Jack, in 09 per cent, of cases. On the public buildings presumably the Government flag would be flown. In regard to the municipal buildings the matter would depend on the Mayor for the time being." j Asked if he thought the Africander party wished to "cut the painter": with Britain, and to fly a new flag entirely, Mr. Morris said he did not think so. The party standing for the present flag did not object to an alteration in the form of the symbol, so long as the Union Jack was loft in the corner, on the lines of the Dominion flags generally. "All we ask for is om> quarter of the flag to put the Union Jack in," said the visitor. Mr. Morris further remarked that he thought the matter would be finally settled by a compromise between the parties. The Minister-in-Charge, the Rev. Dr. Malan, had the support, of the Prime Minister in his action.! but the former was the originator of the idea. Personally he would prefer that the whole question should be left in abeyance, in the hope that the great healer, Time, would solve the trouble. —Dominion.