COMMITTEE SITS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 201, 25 August 1931, Page 7

COMMITTEE SITS.

Labour Members have Unusual Privilege. (Special to the "Star.") WELLINGTON, August 25. The inter-partv committee to examine the financial position continued its sitting to-day, adjourning for lunch after two hours’ evidence from Mr A. D. Park, Secretary to the Treasury, which contained nothing of p disquieting nature. The Prime Minister stated at the rising of the committee that there had been no important development. Other members of the committee conveyed the impression that the in•quiry is commencing at bedrock with a close examination of the basis of the Forbes Budget and departmental estimates, particularly anticipations of revenue. There is to be a succession of departmental witnesses dealing j with these phases. Members generally do not anticipa.e more than painstaking day-to-day proceedings until the committee reaches the stage of deliberating. Then they predict that lines of cleavage will de velop, but, despite suggestions from some quarters that the Labour representatives are on tenterhooks and liable to break away from the investigation at any moment, a more authoritative opinion is that the Labour members are keenly interested jn the whole process of investigation and will take full advantage of these exceptional opportunities of obtaining information regarding the financial and economic position.