FROM THE GALLERY.

Waikato Times, Volume 113, Issue 18875, 20 February 1933, Page 7

FROM THE GALLERY.

.WEEK IN PARLIAMENT.

OTONEWALL ON SALES TAX BILL. MARATHON SITTING ENDED. (Timas correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Saturday. With the arrival of Sunday at midnight on Saturday, members of Parliament lost no time in making a welcome retreat to their homes after a marathon sitting on the Sales Tax Bill, extending over three days and three nights. The sitting commenced on Thursday afternoon and ended fifty-seven and a-half hours later. It was necessary for short adjournments to be taken for meals, and allowing for these, members were sitting for forty-four and a-half hours. 'lt was a weary and jaded House by the end of the sitting, and with frayed nerves it was little wonder that tempers became somewhat strained at times. On occasions there were scenes rivalling in intensity those which marked the stormy days of the controversial legislation of about a year ago. Frequent use had to be made of the closure In order to make anything like measurable progress at all, and on resuming there are still about another 20 clauses to be dealt with. In view of the nature of the legislation many Labour members are also likely to place their views on record the third reading, so if urgency is renewed when the House resumes another “all-nighter” at least appears inevitable. The House will meet again on Tuesday, when further consideration will be given to the Bill. In view of the slow' progress it had been anticipated that the House would resume at 0.30 a.m. on Monday, but the Prime Minister, Mr Forbes, has intimated that the adjournment will be taken until Tuesday afternoon. All the week has been spent on the Sales Tax Bill. Tuesday and Wednesday were confined solely to second reading debates. Urgency was sought on Thursday afternoon, resourt to the closure bringing second reading speeches to an end just before midnight that day. It was also utilised to put a stop to discussions on the short title when it became perfectly clear that the Labour Party was intent on systematic obstruction. All the well-known stonewalling devices were adopted by the Labour Party, its tactics at times to prolong discussion revealing considerable ingenuity. It is now unlikely that the session will end before another fortnight has elapsed. Among the measures still to be dealt with are the Customs Bill, another Finance Bill and a bill dealing w'th interest reductions partly, it is believed, by conversion of internal loans. ■ln addition, the Cabinet has yet to consider the fate of numerous other bills of varying importance which have been on the Order Paper since the early days of the session.