MINISTER EXPLAINS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18253, 23 November 1933, Page 7

MINISTER EXPLAINS

ABSENCE OF AMENDMENT '?■ *• ' RESERVE BANK BILL UNEXPECTED DIFFICULTY (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. of the deferred clause in the Reserve Bank Bill, which had been the subject of strong private representations to the Finance Minister, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, came to Miead in the House shortly after midnight''when a formal report was nifide by the Speaker that the Legislative' Council.had. passed the measure without amendments

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. M. J. Savage, immediately rose to a point of order, while Mr. Coates -also desjred to speak. .The House was due to adjourn, but permission was given to continue the sitting, enabling Mr. Coates to make a statement, Mr. Savage reminding him that when the House was in committee he had made a promise which he had not carried out. He wished to know why. DEPARTURE FROM PRECEDENT

Mr. Coates explained the committee happenings when he had promised to introduce an amendment in the Upper House with the object of meeting the desires expressed by members that the governor and deputy-governor of the bank should be appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the bank’s directors. Immediately these proposals wore considered, technicalities arose, one being that it was a departure from precedent for the Governor-General to accept advice firpm any but his Ministers. In meant redrafting the clause, so that the Minister could make a recommendation to the Governor-General in regard to appointments, but objections were taken in the Upper House, and no solution was found. Therefore, he had been unsuccessful in drafting a clause on the lines he had undertaken. Mr. Savage: What does the Minister propose to do to avoid this mud-holc? Mr. Coates: I would not say it is a mud-hole.

He assured members that at least three definite amendments were drafted, but none would satisfy the Legislative Council, though close discussions took place between its Leader and representatives of the House. Mr. Savage: There is a proper method settling these disagreements. Mr. Coates: But it is by no means certain that the amendment the hon. gentleman required would be acceptable to this Chamber.

Mr. Savage: But there is a method of settling it, and it would have been better to fight it out in the House, than to be let down in this fashion. Mr. Coates: It was never the intention of the Government to make these appointments by the Governor-in-Council. Let mo make that plain, definite, and clear. BILL BECOMES LAW He was not trying to get out of tne situation, and must take the responsibility, but the Government could not put the Governor-General in an invidious position. "I thought,” he added, "that it was getting perilously near the taint of a political appointment. I will be mighty careful.in future. It would have been better to have taken a division.” Mr. F. Lyo (Coal., Waikato), who had been prominent in the original discussion, secured leave to make a •statement. Ho declared that it was never the intention of himself or his colleagues iu the matter that the Governor-General should consult any directors or shareholders of the bank. What they clearly stated was a desire that appointments should be made by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Minister of Finance, who would first consult the board. He wished the Speaker’s ruling as to whether membors could move an adjournment to discuss the matter and see if they could arrive at something which would meet the earnest wishes of members. Mr. Speaker ruled against tins procedure as standing orders prevented moving an adjournment for the purpose of discussing a question which had been already debated. Apparently no member at this point had the right to continue the discussioll’ , , . The Prime Minister brought the incident to a quick end by moving that the Companies Bill be the order of the day for to-day, and that the House now adjourn. The Bank Bill has now become law.