EQUALITY CLAIMED

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23324, 6 October 1945, Page 7

EQUALITY CLAIMED

Right To Broadcast (N.Z.P.A.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 4. When the Dunedin City Empowering Bill was passed at 4.45 p.m. to-day. Mr S. G. Holland raised the issue of whether the House should adjourn until 7.30 or whether he should continue his interrupted speech on the Employment Bill. Mr Holland said he considered he was entitled to the same consideration as the Leader of the House in regard to speaking at a time when the House was being broadcast. If he continued now his speech would not be broadcast after 5 pin. Mr Fraser was not in the Chamber, but the Minister of Supply (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) said he thought it wrong that with threequarters of an hour of debating time to go the House should adjourn.

Mr Holland said he did not complain about being off the air himself, but he considered that, there had been a grave abuse of privilege extended to the Prime Minister, who had spoken for 80 minutes on the Bill. The Leader of the Opposition -was entitled to the same time, particularly as the Bill was the most important yet introduced this session. Mr Holland said the Government had handled the Bill in a haphazard, casual manner. It was eight days since the Bill’s second reading was moved, and since then other business of all kinds had been pushed forward to make the debate on the Bill disjointed. Mr Holland had been speaking only a few minutes when Mr Fraser returned to the Chamber, and on being acquainted with the position he rose to a point of order and said he would be pleased to move the adjournment until 7.30 to enable Mr Holland to resume his speech then. This met with general approval and the House rose at 4.55 p.m.