ESCAPE OF GOVERNMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 3 September 1929, Page 12

ESCAPE OF GOVERNMENT

TENSE DAY IN HOUSE LOAN EMBARGO QUESTION. SIR JOSEPH WARD’S ATTITUDE. How thin is the ice on which the Government skates was never more dramatically demonstrated than in the House of Representatives on Friday afternoon, when nothing but a providential technicality stood between ■ the United Party and defeat. There were ominous cracks in the ice and precipitation into the chilling waters of adversity was perilously imminent, but the danger was escaped. It was in all respects a qerve-wrack-ing day. All the week there had been, the gentle gush of oratory. Occasionally the sunshine of a shaft of humour had brightened the shooting waters of the Budget geyser.‘The Parliamentary Pohutu was in average form but someone must have soaped the geyser overnight on Thursday, for Friday brought a violent boiling in the cauldron. A vast cloud of superheated steam and three magnificent sky-high shots resulted. Pohutu was not merely playing. Poliutu was in deadly earnest. For weeks the outburst had been threatening —ever since the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, levelled his unsubstantiated charge with reference to the alleged loan embargo against the Reform Administration. It was clear a day of reckoning must arrive. Both the Leader of the Opposition-, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, and the ex-Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Downie Stewart, had made it perfectly plain to the Prime Minister that he could not shift his ground on the expedient of a half apology. BEGINNING OF THE TROUBLE. It was. something altogether divorced from that dispute that actually nerved the House for the conflict on the vital issue. First there came the quarrel between Mr. A. M. Samuel, Reform member for Thames, and the Minister of Education, the Hon. H. Atmore, arising out of a remark passed in the lobby the previous evening. This proved to be an unfortunate incident and more will probably be heard about it on Tuesday. The debate on the question of breach of privilege was adjourned until then to enable the two parties to come together in a spirit of reconciliation, but the Minister left for Nelson on Friday evening and is not expected to return to Wellington until Tuesday morning, so that the opportunity for private parley is unfortunately strictly limited. Following that came the clash between Mr. T. W. McDonald, Government member for Wairarapa, and Mr. J. A. Nash, Reform member for Palmerston North, in which much plain talk relative to a Palmerston North school and its cost to the State was exchanged. A SHARP REJOINDER. Having staged two such acrimonious incidents Parliament might reasonably have been expected to have performed a good day’s work, but the Imprest Supply Bill gave the opportunity to Reform members, and Labour members, too, to plead earnestly with 'Sir Joseph Ward to clear up the mystery regarding the London loan negotiations. Those pleas were made in a spirit of the sweetest reasonableness. There was no party bickering. It was admitted that Sir Joseph Ward might honestly have placed some wrong construction on the facts of the case, 'but it was pointed out that an injustice had been done Mr. Stewart in leaving the position unexplained. “You can refer the matter to a select committee, but I will not be there,” Sir Joseph Ward sharply declared. “I will do what I think right and nothing else.” No one, of course, asked Sir Joseph to do anything but what was right — the clearing of Mr. Stewart from an unfair aspersion. However, he chose to maintain his stubborn stand. Mr. Coates actually put. forward a motion seeking to refer the matter to the Public Accounts Committee with a view to ascertaining whether any undertaking was not given to go on the London market for 18 months, but Mr. Speaker saia he could not accept the motion as it gave an instruction to a select committee. Mr. Coates said he would take a later opportunity to press , the matter and thus the Government was saved from an embarrassing position in which the Labour Party must have supported Mr. Coates. LITTLE PROGRESS WITH DEBATE. Thus ended one of the most hectic days in recent political history. No progress, of course, was made with the Budget debate on Friday, and although it is expected finality will be reached on Tuesday, there is'no surety that such will be the case. It is thought that about half a dozen speakers will yet desire to participate in the debate and other matters may intervene to prolong the debate for a further day or two.

Sir Joseph Ward presented his Budget on August 1 and to-day is September 1, a sufficiently clear indication of the protracted nature of the debate. Sixtyfour speakers have taken part and if the final tally reaches 70, as seems probable, somewhat of a marathon debate will have resulted. In any case the debate seems destined to be remembered for its quantity much more than its quality. Asked yesterday when lie expected the session to end, the Prime Minister smiled and, presumably with the previous day’s incidents in mind, remarked: “It only seems to be beginning.” Speaking seriously, however, Sir Joseph said he thought the end should be reached about the first or second week in October. He had some weeks ago suggested the end of this month as the likely date, so that evidently the progress anticipated by him then is not being made.

There is no announcement yet as to the business to follow the Budget debate, but it is possible some of the numerous reports recently presented will be discussed, while on the legislative side it is expected a Transport Bill to which much interest will attach will be introduced. —Auckland Herald correspondent. .