FRANKNESS URGED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19454, 13 October 1937, Page 5

FRANKNESS URGED

LABOUR'S ULTIMATE AIM MR. COATES' COMMENT TAXING BILL CRITICISED MR SAVAGE "NOT BITING" (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. A complaint was made in the House of Representatives last night by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (Nat., Kaipara) that an important bill such as the annual taxing measure was not introduced earlier in the session. It was not sufficient excuse to say that the taxation notices had to be got out. "It may sound all right." he said, 'but it is not correct." The Prime Minister: The right honourable gentleman can talk all night if he likes. There is no one to stop him. Looking across to the Prime Minister, Mr. Coates said: . "I have my rights in this/House: I inn not'under his dictatorship, thank God. As to speech, I will have my own say in my own way, just as I want to, and I hope I will never be offensive. Mr. Coates said that urgency had been claimed for the bill because the Prime Minister desired to get it through. It involved over £8,000,000 and he had been informed that the Legislative Council would not meet until next week, so why all the hurry? "May Get Hooked" Surely the House should have an opportunity for a clear and calm consideration of the measure to see how far the bill was meant to go, and give a close examination to the economic position of the country thi" year, last year, and next year. "More particularly, we should have from the Prime Minister what he meant when he said 'We have gone only a little way; we are going the whole way, and will give consideration to this matter and that' Will he be candid as to what his objective really is, and how he expects to get there?" Mr. Savage: I am not going to bite. Mr. Coates: If he does bite he may get hooked, and no one knows it better than the Prime Minister. He is not a new chum in this House and in debate, but he does owe it to thP country to give the frankest explana tion possible of his intentions and how he intends to reach the culminating goal for which he is striving. This House and the country are entitled to that."