DULL DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT

Southland Times, Issue 23586, 13 August 1938, Page 8

DULL DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT

COMMITTEE’S REPORT DEBATED SOCIAL SECURITY BILL INTRODUCED (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, August 12. Almost the whole of today’s sitting of the House of Representatives was occupied by a comparatively pointless discussion on the report of the committee which recently investigated the Government’s social security proposals. The arguments used by members followed very closely to the lines of those which were put forward by the few speakers who opened the debate last night, but the introduction of the Social Security Bill itself early in the afternoon made the day’s oratory, based as it was on incomplete data, rather useless. A suggestion that time would be wasted in further discussion of the report was made by the Leader of the Opposition (the Hon. Adam Hamilton) when he spoke on the introduction of the Bill. The Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) replied that it rested entirely with members who were welcome to speak or not as they chose. If they did not wish to talk further discussion would automatically come to an end. No inclination to curtail the debate was shown by members, however, and although there was legislation ready to be dealt with, if necessary, they continued discussing social security until the House rose at 5.15 p.m. for the week-end recess. The second reading of the Social Security Bill will be begun on Tuesday night.