GENEVA TRADE BILLI PASSED BY HOUSE

Wanganui Chronicle, 1 July 1948, Page 4

GENEVA TRADE BILL I PASSED BY HOUSE

OPPOSITION AMENDMENTS I ALL UtTEAitu (P.A.) Wellington, June 30fl me Opposition sought by a senefl of amendments and tiuee new ciauscfl —all of which were defeated—to aifl ter various provisions in the generafl agreement on the I’anlis anu iradfl mil which was passed by the House ofl Representatives in tne early hours ofl this morning, after a debate wnidfl had lasted tnree sitting days. fl A division was taken just midnight on the amendment movefl by Mr. Walts which was lost by efl votes to 34, and the division on thfl second reading was carried by 4fl voces to 35. Mr. Webb voted witifl lhe Government on both of these difl visions, Mr. Shand being absent the first of them. When the Bill reached the commitfl tee stages, the Opposition called fefl a division on the clause in the providing for ratification of the tocol of the provisional but the clause was retained by 4fl votes to 35. Mr. S. W. Smith (Opp., moved an amendment to the clausal authorising acceptance of the generafl agreement, the amendment seeking! to exclude the article referring to operation with the Monetary Fund. The was lost by 40 votes to 35. A further amendment moved by W. A. Sheat (Opp., Patea) and signed to ensure that, any special change agreement made in anee with the same article was binding upon New Zealand until had been ratified by lost by 39 votes to 2?. On the amendment, Mr. Webb cd with the Opposition. NEW CLAUSES PROPOSED, fl The Opposition then sought to three new clauses to the Bill. first, moved by Mr. F.. W. (Tauranga), was to provide that thing in the Bill in any way restrict the Government of New Zeafl land from giving preferential tariffl concessions to goods manufactured the United Kingdom, or in other ish Empire countries. This was feated by 39 votes to 36, Mi. voting with his party. Mr. W. S. M. Bowden (Opp, rori) moved the second new seeking to ensure that the Bill not restrict the Government of Zealand in fixing the exchange between New Zealand currency sterling. The third new clause, to that nothing in the Bill would strict the Government of New land frem giving any rate of tariff protection to any New manufactured goods, was also ed by 39 votes to 36. till The final division on the to the Bill resulted in a vote of 35 and the Eill was passed at a.m. The House rose immediately ward: Mr Fraser indicated that some Bill'*? would probably be on Friday Mil