LENGTHY DEBATES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19376, 14 July 1937, Page 5

LENGTHY DEBATES

PROSPECT FOR SESSION ASSEMBLY OF PARLIAMENT MAY BE END OP AUGUST BIG PROGRAMME LIKELY (Special to the Herald.) AUCKLAND, this day. Among members of the Cabinet who have recently visited Auckland there is a general impression that the session of Parliament this year, the second of the present term, is not lively to open before August 26. At present Parliament is prorogued to August 12, but the date of the official opening of the session can be delayed by notice in the Gazette.

The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, is due back from England by the Rangitata, which will arrive in Wellington on July 28, and he will be followed about a fortnight later by the Minister of Finance,.the Hon. W. Nash, who is due at Auckland oh August 12.

It is gathered that there will have to He-a series of important' Cabinet meetings with both Mr. Savage and Mr. Nash in attendance before Parliament can be called together, but in view of the heavy legislative programme ahead every effort will be made to open the session before the end of August.

It is an .old Parliamentary custom to describe the first and third sessions of a Parliamentary term as the “talking sessions” and the second as the “working session.” An immense volume of work was transacted in the first session last year and an equally busy period is expected this year.

Searching Criticism Expected

However, there is nothing to suggest that the programme of work is likely to put a stop to the loquacity of the members. The Opposition will be much better organised this session, and there are indications already that its members will subject the. Government measures to more searching criticism than they did last year. It is almost inevitable that the session will run over into the new year.

With Parliament opening on August 26, it will probably be well on into September before the Address-in-Reply debate is completed, and then attention will have to be focussed on the Budget. Accordingly, it does not seem that much progress will be made with legislation until October at the earliest, and then such important measures as the national health insurance and superannuation schemes can be expected to arouse considerable discussion.

The indications are that the House will sit almost up to Christmas and then adjourn over the holidays to meet again toward the end of January or early in February. It may be March or April before the session ends, and then in all probability Parliament will have to meet for its final session in June in order to be ready for the general election at the end of next year.