DISSOLUTION PETITION

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1934, Page 9

DISSOLUTION PETITION

PARLIAMENT’S EXTRA YEAR WITH LEGISLATIVE COMPETENCE. REPLY OF GOVERNOR-GENERAL. UNABLE TO ACCEDE TO PRAYER. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Sept. 10. The Governor-General has refused to dissolve Parliament at the end of this year’s session. Mr. O. M. Moore, Auckland, has received from Sir Cecil Day, official secretary, a letter acknowledging receipt of his letter of September 1 and saying that His Excellency has considered the petition that accompanied it purporting to have been signed by 54,000 Parliamentary electors. The ground of the petition was that Parliament had without a mandate from the electors legislated to extend its term of office. The letter stated: “I am bidden by the Governor-General to state that before signifying his assent on His Majesty s behalf to the Bill passed by both Houses which contained permission to extend from three years to four years the term of the present Parliament, His Excellency satisfied himself that the enactment was within the legislative competence of Parliament and that under those circumstances His Excellency is unable to accede to the prayer of the petitioners.” Mr. Moore said to-day that the petition had been circulated as far south aS Christchurch., The matter would now be looked into to see what further action could be taken.