CHANGE OF FACE?

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 814, 7 November 1929, Page 8

CHANGE OF FACE?

REFORM AND GENEVA LABOUR’S CRITICISM

THE SUN'S Parliamentary r.cp ortrf WELLINGTON, \\ ednesday Labour members sharply the Leader of the Opposition, th« Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, and hi, party to task this afternoon, over the change of face of Reform i n connection with the representation of New Zealand at the Inten. national Labour Conference, held under the auspices of the League of Nations at Geneva every year. While the External Affairs Depart ment estimates were under consider tion, Mr. Coates asked the Actlaj. Leader of the House, the Hon. G. Forbes, if any provision were being made for the representation of the Dominion at the conference. He thought it desirable that there should be some representation.

“This is peculiar,” said Mr. M. J. Savage (Auckland West), when Mi. Coates sat down. The House laughed and Mr. Savage continued that for years the Labour Party had been told by the Reform Government when it was approached regarding represea. tation. that New Zealand could aot afford the expenditure, and that a{ any rate New Zealand had nothing to learn from Geneva. Yet now it wa, found that Reform wanted representation. It was remarkable. Ilefora asked for what it had denied wh«| it was in power.

Mr. R. McKeen (Wellington Soutfcjq Humbug!

“The member for Wellington Sotfljj describes it as humbug,” said Savage. “That doesn’t describe i\ However, I’ll leave it at that, as vocabulary is limited.” (Laughton} The Chairman of Committees, Mb S. G. Smith, called upon Mr. Savagg to withdraw the word “humbug."

“I didn’t say it, Mr. Chairman,” ggq Mr. Savage. “I said that didn't it scribe it.” “ERROR OF ITS WAYS” The House was once more amused. Mr. Savage continued, arid congrat* lated Reform on seeing the error of its ways. However, it knew it was safe in asking the question, as provis. ion had already been made for sending a representative. Mr. Coates said that it was wonderful the way in which the Latxnn Party grasped at straws. He had not said he wanted a representative. Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central)! Don’t go back. Mr. Coates said that he had merely made an interested inquiry. The Leader of the Labour Party, Mr. H. E. Holland, was glad to see Mr. Coates was coming round to ths Labour point of view. He had approached him many times when hs had been in power, but the reply had always been that there was no money and that New Zealand had nothing to learn from Geneva. For years ths Labour Party had tried to get Mr. Coates to honour the Labour clausel in the Treaty of Versailles. However, it would interest the Leader of ths Opposition to know that the Labour Party had taken a deputation to the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Ward, and had been promised that New Zealand would be represented. Mr. D. Jones (Mid-Canterbury): He had to. DEFINITE PROMISE Mr. Holland said that that was not a fair statement to make about the present Prime Minister, especially in view of the fact that Mr. Coates had turned a double somersault in tj} matter. It was not the fault of the present Prime Minister that New Zealand had not been represented at the last conference, but it had been too late to make the arrangements. However, Mr. Holland was glad to know that the Dominion would be represented at future conferences. Hg praised the efforts of the conference and said that its work and publications should be availed of to a great* extent than they were in New Zeeland. Mr. Forbes said that a definfto promise on the subject had been madd by the Prime Minister, and that Ne< Zealand would be represented by ( delegation next May.