FUSION OF PARTIES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLX, Issue 22028, 30 July 1941, Page 4

FUSION OF PARTIES

4 Independent Member's Advocacy “ELECTION WOULD BE A DISASTER” (P.A.) WELLINGTON, July 29. Speaking in the Butget debate in the House to-night, Mr C. A. Wilkinson (Independent. Egmonti expressed a hope that when the Prime Minister returned to New Zealand he would declare an all party Government for the duration of the war. He expressed the bptaion that there had been a determined effort by members of the Government to prevent a fusion of two parties. The war situation was getting more serious daily, he said, yet Parliament had toyed and played with things that did not matter. The fact thatm this war it was necessary for the Dominion to prepare for emergencies was another reason why they should paure in their domestic strife. As an mdependent without any particular party bias, he made that appeal. Mr Wilkinson said he would have thought that members themselves would have appreciated the fact that the country had really no interest in what happened in the Waitemata byelection contest. In the ordinary course of events the country was on the ere of a general election, but judging from the Waitemata campaign an election would be a disaster to the country. There would be petty quarrelling’and party linen would be washed on the floor of the House. He congratulated the newly-elected member for Waitemata who. he said, had won the contest fairly and squarely. The result showed the increasingly great part women were playing in tlie Dominion’s affairs. „ . Mr Wilkinson asked the Government if it thought an election would confirm it in office, but he would remind the Labour Party that an election was a most uncertain thing at the time. He criticised the Budget. st ta'nB it made provision for too many items other than those connecteu with the var For instance, £20.000.000 had been spent on public works last year, and it teas proposed that a similar amount should be spent this year. Replytag io Government interjections as to what he would cut out. Mr Wilkinson said he would cut out the South Island Main Trunk Line. This line would be of little use when completed.