APPROPRIATION BILL PASSED

Southland Times, Issue 23378, 9 December 1937, Page 6

APPROPRIATION BILL PASSED

“A MILLION A MINUTE”

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, December 8.

“A million a minute” was the description applied to the passing of the Appropriation Bill in the House of Representatives early this morning. In some respects this even understated the case as the Bill authorizing the appropriation of a total of £54,006,166 was passed in less than half an hour. After the approval of the Supplementary Estimates the House resolved itself into Committee of Ways and Means and then the Chairman of Committees (Mr E. J. Howard) read out the formal resolution embodying all the payments already passed by the House. To this massing of millions the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (Nat. Kaipara) intoned an accompaniment by giving the progressive totals as the figure gradually mounted to the £50,000,000 mark. Then came the motion that the Prime Minister (the Rt Hon. M. J. Savage) and the Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Nash) should prepare and bring in a Bill giving effect to the appropriations. As Mr Nash was walking toward Mr Speaker’s chair with a copy of the Bill Mr S. G. Smith (Nat., New Plymouth) rose to a point of order stating that it was against the Standing Orders to introduce a Bill after 12.30 a.m.

The Prime Minister agreed that such was the case but added that he had proposed to take the pleasure of the House on the matter.

“Let’s get it through,” cried Opposition members, an dthe Bill was passed without a word of comment. The action of the Opposition in facilitating the passing of the Bill, on which members were entitled to discuss almost any subject was subsequently the subject of appreciative comment by Mr Savage.