IN PARLIAMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 197, 20 August 1931, Page 7

IN PARLIAMENT.

House Experiences a Dull Day. FUSION QUESTION AGAIN. (Special to the “ Star.”) WELLINGTON, August 19. The small attendance of members during the major part of to-day’s sitting of the House showed the lack of interest in the continuation of the Financial debate, but there was no dearth of speakers, and the discussion had not ended when the House rose at 10.30. Most of the afternoon was spent in a somewhat academic discussion on breach of privilege, following a committee’s report, which was adopted, recommending no further action in the case raised by the member for Waikato in respect of an Auckland tea firm and the “New Zealand Herald.” The discussion centred round the definition of what constitutes breach of privilege, and the matter is to be considered by the Standing Orders Committee, which may furnish opinions for the guidance of members of the public who may venture to criticise Parliament under risk of a breach of the Standing Orders.

When the Independent Member for Egmont, Mr Wilkinson, favourably discussed Mr Forbes’s National Party offer he encountered many hostile interjections from Labour and Reform Members. Mr Samuel, from the Reform benches, suggested that the Prime Minister should issue a concrete invitation to all parties in the House to join in some sort of National Government, failing which a committee should be constituted to deal with the serious position of the country on the basis of equality of sacrifice. Reform members had an unusual party meeting after the House rose to-night, when they attended in the whips' room at a private meeting to hear an address by Professor Copland, the New Zealander who holds the position of Professor of Commerce at Melbourne University. It is understood Professor Copland, who is credited with the authorship of the Commonwealth scheme for reduction of internal loan interest in Australia, discussed the economic position of both countries and the world factors which are causing difficulties in govermental finance. An Independent’s View. “ Confusion ’ interrupted several Labour members when the Independent representative for Egmont, Mr Wilkinson, stated during the debate on the Financial Statement to-night that he proposed to discuss the fusion proposals. “In my opinion,” said Mr Wilkinson, “ the leader of the Government made a very good offer to other members of the House. Mr Nash (Reform, Palmerston): Is your party in favour of it? Mr Waite (Reform, Clutha) : Are you going to get a portfolio? Mr Wilkinson put the main features of Mr Forbes’s offer on record, describing it as a straightforward statement. Mr Langstone (Labour, Waimarino) : Don’t be deluded by it. Mr Wilkinson retorted that he saw nothing deluding, and he believed the people of New Zealand were looking for some combination of that kind, but when it came to dealing with it he found members of the Reform Party saying it was impossible. Mr Langstone: It was a swan song. Mr Wilkinson: I think the mainspring of the attitude of the Reform Party is that in its folly it thinks that after the next election there will be no United Party left, but throughout the Dominion people are wondering at the attitude of the leader of the OpposiReduction of Members. The suggestion has been made more than once this session that a reduction should be made in the size of Parliament, and the Hon J. G. Cobbe had something to say on the subject in the House to-night. “ I agree there might be a reduction in the number of members,” he said, “ but I think the reduction might be confined to the cities.” Mr Parry (Labour, Auckland Central) : Yes, there are mainly Labour members in the cities. The Minister: I am not thinking about Labour members or anybody else. There are some city seats in which a member can stand on his own doorstep and see the whole of his electorate. That is not so in the country. It often costs a member one year’s honorarium to fight an election. Coal for Poor and Distressed. Replying to Mr Barnard (Napier) the Hon A. J. Stallworthy, in the House to-day, said he was endeavouring to make some arrangement by which gift coal for the poor and distressed would be carried on the railways at reduced rates. Limerick Sweepstake. Mr Munns (Roskill) asked the Post-master-General whether he would take steps to prevent correspondence to Ireland concerning the Limerick sweepstake being sent through the post, remarking that there appeared to be no guarantee of the bona tides of this sweep. The Hon J. B. Donald said that steps already had been taken to prevent such correspondence passing through the post.