ATMOSPHERE OF WEARINESS

Southland Times, Issue 23332, 16 October 1937, Page 8

ATMOSPHERE OF WEARINESS

Further Speeches In Budget Debate TAXING BILL CAUSES DELAYS MORE MEMBERS EXPECTED TO TAKE PART (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, October 15. Hopes that the financial debate might be completed this week were finally destroyed in the House of Representatives today. Protracted discussions on the annual taxing Bill have caused considerable delays in the formal examination of the Budget, but only six speeches were taken in the full sitting today and there were indications that several members still expected to take part in the debate. No very inspiring levels were reached in the contributions to the debate today. It was a fairly weary House that met in the morning, not 10 hours after the passing of the taxing Bill, and this same atmosphere of weariness seemed to pervade the majority of the speeches. Very few new arguments were adduced, but the Government continued its practice of speaking man for man with the Opposition. BACK-BENCHERS SPEAK The speech which rose to the greatest extent from the general level of dullness was that given by Mr S. G. Smith (Nat., New Plymouth), whose main argument was concerned with the omission from the Budget of any informative reference to the Government’s proposals about local body amalgamations and transport control. Both of these matters, he said, were of vital interest. The Government’s case was handled entirely by back-benchers, but Mr B. Roberts (Lab., Wairarapa) gave the most determined speech, confining himself largely to a defence of the guaranteed price scheme. The only other item of interest during the day was the presentation by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) of the reports of the representation commissions set up to determine electoral boundaries following last year’s census. Very few alterations have been made from the provisional changes announced some months ago, but the commissions have put forward several recommendations dealing with the fixing of the country quota and the distribution of hotel licences.

The House adjourned at 5.30 for the customary week-end recess.