FINDING MONEY TO SPEND

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 530, 6 December 1928, Page 1

FINDING MONEY TO SPEND

Sir Joseph Ward’s First Steps TALK OF ANOTHER EARLY SESSION ( THE SUN'S Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, To-day. PARTY negotiations directed toward an agreement for the passing of certain urgent legislation this session, a* hinted at by Sir Joseph Ward in the House of Representatives yesterday, are still in progress, and probably will not be completed one way or the other until the Lender of the Opposition has moved his no-conlidenee amendment at today’s session. Sir Joseph indicated in the House yesterday that unless certain legislation could be passed at this session it may be necessary to call Parliament together again in February.

Sir Joseph told a Sun reporter this, i morning that his proposals were. ) purely financial, and although the! ] leader himself is disclosing nothing more than this, there are reasons for believing that he will ask the House : to authorise the transfer to certain , urgent Public Works, probably the construction of main railway lines, of loans already raised and unexpended or of loan authorisations still to he raised There is a considerable amount of money lying around the various accounts, and this, plus the further sums which the Government has the power to borrow and has not yet borrowed, would be sufficient to give a good push off to Sir Joseph Ward’s railroading pro- i gramme, the object of which is two-fold, to relieve unemployment i and to develop the country. It is expected that Labour will be ' agreeable to these United proposals, not because any scheme of public works is going to solve unemployment, but because it should give a period of temporary relief during which plans tor the ultimate solution of the problem may be considered. Electoral Law I ■ It is most unlikely that Sir Joseph j Ward will ask for an amendment of < the electoral law this session, for he ■ has been made aware of the Labour i Party’s undying hostility to all short of proportional representation. The ■ Labour view is that preferential voting would be no better and possibly worse than the “first past the post” system. Some honourable members who are students of constitutional methods and practice suggest that the hands of the new Prime Minister may be considered to have been tied by the passage in the Governor-General’s Speech in which his Excellency said: “As supply has already been granted for the period expiring on June 30 next, you will not be called upon during your present session to consider legislation relating to finance.” It is difficult to see how this, the advice of the Governor-General’s retiring advisers, can be regarded as binding upon his incoming advisers, but Sir Joseph Ward is the last man to wish that his Excellency shall even appear to have been placed in a false light, and if there are any doubts in his mind as to the correctness of asking for financial legislation this session, he may be disposed to wait until February. However, such doubts are not likely to arise unless the Reform Party rejects the United;s overtures for an i agreement. Length of Session The length of the. Address-in-Reply I debate is still a question for specula- ! • tion, but what appears to be a. substantial step toward its shortening is the acquiescence of the Labour Party in Sir Joseph Ward’s suggestion that the threee parties should present their cases through one speaker each —that is, in addition to the mover and the seconder of the Address-in-Reply. If arrangements are concluded along these lines, Sir Joseph Ward will be the Opposition speaker, and Mr. H. E. Holland the Labour Party’s. It seems doubtful, however, if the Government will be agreeable to limiting its speakers to •one. After Messrs. A. E. Ansel and A. W. Hall, the Prime Minister of course must speak, and some of the remaining Ministers may wish an opportunity to explain the position of their department before they relinquished control. If Labour and the TJniteds are prepared to concede this to Ministers, it should be possible to limit the debate to about a dozen or 15 speakers—say .the mover, and seconder, Sr, Joseph Ward, Right gard to the no-confidence division. ie Hons. K. S. Williams, J. A. Young. Downie Stewart, R. A. Wright, and such of the independent members as wish to explain their intentions in regard to the no-confidence division, but The largeness of heart necessary to permit all the remaining members of ‘ the Ministry to speak, without having a tilt at them, may be too much to expect of the two opposition parties. It • so, there seems little hope of finishing j this week without two unusually long j sittings, and perhaps not even then. Certain Urgent Legislation Yesterday afternoon, after Mr. A. E. Ansell (Chalmers) had given notice to move the Address-in-Reply, Sir Joseph Ward gave notice to move the following amendment to the Address-m-Reply: “In conclusion we deem it our duty to represent to your Excellency that your Excellency’s advisers do not possess the confidence of this House.” An air of tension v.as noticeable when Sir Joseph rose at question time, and asked the Prime Minister (the Right Hon. J. G. Coates), who had moved the adjournment of tha House, what time the adjournment was to be to. The Prime Minister replied that the House would be adjourned till 2.30 the following day, and, after the ordinary business there would be the Address-in-Reply. After that the debate would be continued. This would enable the cession to be finished early, and would be more convenient to j members. (Hear, Hear.) If it could j be arranged with the Whips of the various parties, the debate could be finished on Friday evening, and the week-end could be kept clear, to the \ convenience of members. Such a I course would be in the best interests of the House. ; Sir Joseph Ward said that he ap- ! proved of such a course, and, if Mr.

Coates could arrange for one speaker, he could arrange for one. and doubtless the Leader of the Labour Party (Mr. H. E. Holland) could arrange for one speaker. This would suit the members and the views of the parties could be expressed. Unless arrangements could be made at once, continued Sir Joseph, he would suggest that the House would have to meet in February next. It was absolutely necessary to meet in February or early in March at the latest. It was not necessary to explain his reasons for this statement at present, but he would do so tomorrow. Seen after his speech. Sir Joseph explained that he was prepared to submit certain legislation this session. If there were no agreement as to its being carried, the House would have to be called together iu February. ODDS AND ENDS (THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter J WELLINGTON, To-day. In accordance with procedure, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates. Prime Minister, moved during yesterday afternoon’s ordinary business in Parliament the second reading of the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill. Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Centralt gave notice to introduce the Rent Restriction Continuance Bill. Mr. W. J. Jordan (Manukau) was granted six weeks’ leave of absence. Mr. F. Langstone (Waimarino) gave notice to ask the Postmaster-General if he would proceed without delay with the erection of a new post office at Taumarunui. The House adjourned at 3 p.m.