PARLIAMENT NOT TO BE CALLED

Southland Times, Issue 23740, 11 February 1939, Page 8

PARLIAMENT NOT TO BE CALLED

Opposition’s Request Refused “BUILDING ON MODERN LINES” (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, February 10. The Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) today replied to the Hon. A. Hamilton’s letter as follows:— “I am in receipt of your letter, a copy of which appeared in the morning Press before it reached me. I think I should say right away that unless special circumstances should warrant it, which is certainly not the case at present, there is no intention of calling Parliament together before the usual time. “The matters referred to in the second paragraph of your letter are being fully covered by the Government’s activities while the suggestion made in the third paragraph is too indefinite and ridiculous to justify serious attention. Finally you may accept my assurance that there is no ‘drift’ but a Dominion-wide attempt to build on modern lines.”

In a letter to the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) communicating the motion carried by the National Party caucus, the Leader of the Opposition (the Hon. Adam Hamilton) wrote:

“1 have to convey to you the decision arrived at by the parliamentary members of the National Party at a caucus meeting held in Wellington. The decision was as follows: “ ‘That in view of the state of emergency now existing in the country’s affairs, this caucus of his Majesty’s loyal Opposition requests that the Government immediately call Parliament together to give the people’s elected representatives their traditional right to consider the present financial and economic crisis and of applying lawful remedies thereto; and of considering such other matters of urgent national importance, as, for example, the national defence of New Zealand. That the Government’s refusal to disclose to the people during the General Election campaign the alarming facts which

have since been made public constitutes a grave betrayal of public confidence.’ . i “In view of the importance and urgency of the present situation,” Mr Hamilton’s letter continued, “the members of the Opposition hold themselves in readiness to assemble in Parliament at short notice so that no time may be lost in dealing with these questions before the situation drifts any further. I trust that you will give favourable consideration to this request and I shall be pleased to receive an early reply.”