STRAIGHT-OUT FIGHT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17608, 26 October 1931, Page 7

STRAIGHT-OUT FIGHT

THE GENERAL ELECTION AMBITION Or LEADERS ELIMINATING VOTE-SPLITTING DATE STILL UNCERTAIN (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. The week-ending habit has been well developed by members of the present Parliament owing to the new standing orders avoiding Friday night sittings, but the exodus was never so thorough as this week, when two-thirds, at least, of the. total membership has been scattered through the Dominion, and some legislators representing distant parts do not propose to return until Thursday. So definite at one stage , was the arrangement to seek one year s extension that the election organisation in many instances had been suspended. Now it has to be hurriedly reconstituted for a lightning campaign. Both Parliament in its programme and candidates in the election must hurry, because there is a Jteen desire on the part of the Government to avoid a disturbance of retail ■business during tho Christmas season. The election date has not been definitely fixed by Cabinet, though general opinion still inclines to December 9 as the most suitable fixture. The Government has two problems to solve: There must be sufficient time for , an Adequate campaign, in the constituenk, ciea, but the financial measures which require to bo passed before the appeal are extensive. Only one day has so far been spent on consideration of the estimates. These must be adopted, and also the supplementary estimates, which will show the latest economies of the Coalition, Government. The public works estimates constitute another important feature, but they usually get through in one sitting, and the process this session is likely to be expedited by their lessened importance. A PENSIONS PROBLEM

Every effort is being made to conclude the session by Saturday, November 6, which would only give a clear month for campaigning, so that an. earlier fixture than December 9 seems out of the question, while placing the date qne week later would cause business interference. In the ultimate result the remaining portion of the session might be restricted to financial measures, including the Customs Amendment Act incorporating the two sets of customs resolutions already operative, but awaiting this statutory confirmation, and the Finance Bill, which is reported to be lengthy. The latter will contain any necessary legislative authority required to pursue the economies outlined in the Hon. W. Dowuie Stewart’s supplementary financial statement. It has also been found necessary to extend the period of operation of clause 14 of the Finance Act of the emergency session, dealing with the retirements of public servants after 30 years’ service, as the elimination process under this humane method of substituting superannuation for straight-out dismissal has not been completed. Questions are also arising regarding the inadequacy of the pension under the method of actuarial calculation which takes into account the shorter period of contributions and the longer expectation of the life of the con fributor owing to his premature retiieThis problem became acute in with the retirement of Mr. H. H. Sterling, general manager of the railways, and a special clause will be inserted* in the Finance Bill dealing with the interpretation of his agreement with the. Government. Tho Railways Committee of the House is considering petitions from services and organisations raising the general question of the computation of pension of employees retired before the usual period, and its report might have an important bearing on this phase of the legislation. REDUCING THE CANDIDATES Cabinet proposes early in the week to decide on the minimum programme of legislation to he passed in the remaining days of the session, but the more immediate problem before the leaders is centred on the constituencies. There is great activity on the question of preventing three-cornered fights and concentrating, if possible, on straight-out tests between official Coalition candidates and the Labor Opposition. So far it is reported that a number of candidates have already been approached and have shown a willingness to place the country’s interests before party, following the example of their, leaders, and have consequently sunk their own aspirations. There will, however, remain many cases where difficulties will arise, .but the leaders will take positive action in every instance, and one candidate only will get the official Coalition nomination. More interesting is the situation which arises where Labor holds the seat and both United and Reform candidates have been announced. It is understood that in such cases both leaders will consult with the local organisations and 'endeavor to secure a decision as to which of the rival Government candidates has the better chance of success. If a local agreement is impossible then the leaders of the Coalition will, in the light of all available information, come to a mutual agreement and! decide the question them- , selves. Again it will be a case of tho i electors being given the option of voting only for one offioial Coalition candidate. No fewer than 40 seats—over half the total of the European constituencies—are involved in the compact. Sitting Government members aro opposed by United candidates in 23 electorates, and by Reform nominees in 12 constituencies, and a dual candidature further complicates the position in five other seats not ' held bv the Coalition Party, in that a total of 14 United supporters aro announced against sitting Reform mombors iii electorates -where Labor and other candidates are in the field, and eight Reform standard bearers are similarly arrayed against sitting United members in straight-out contests. There are nine ' Reform candidates standing against sitting United members, and four instances of United nominees opposing sitting Reform members of the Coalition. THE GISBORNE SEAT ME. LYSNAR NON-COMMITTAL When asked to discuss to-day the announcement of tho Coalition Governments decision to go to the country at tho close of the present session of Parliament, Mr. W. D. Lysnar, M.P., for the Gisborne district, indicated that ho had no information as yet beyond what had appeared in Saturday's issue of the Herald. The announcement had been made late on Friday evening, Mr. Lysnar pointed out, and that was some hours , aftor he had left Wellington. For the meantime he did not wish to discuss his own position with regard to the Gisborne scat, though he would lie a candidate at the forthcoming elec .. 'tions, he said definitely. The situaWf'tion was too indefinite at present to say anything further. Regarding the position of the Inda*

pendent members of the House. Air. Lysnar intimated that a majority ot them had agreed to support one programme. He was not numbered in this majority, however, though he had discussed it with other Independent members.