Opposition’s Battle In Emergency Regulations Debate In House

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 4, 5 December 1947, Page 4

Opposition’s Battle In Emergency Regulations Debate In House

The claim that all the elements of totalitarianism and dictatorship were to be found in the Supply Regulations Bill was made by Opposition speakers when the measure was debated with the Emergency Regulations Continuance Bill in the House of Representatives last week. The Opposition contended that under the Supply Regulations Bill a Minister could write regulations with full force of law and they made the further point that the Bill by-pass-ed Parliament. The Bill was described as a measure which gave the Government a blank cheque. The Government could take over banks, insurance companies, mines, transport, hotels, shipping companies, freezing works, in fact anything, without further power than would be contained in the Bill once it was passed, and there was no provision for appeal or compensation. The Government view, as put forward by the Minister of Supply, Mr Nordmeyer, was that all the clauses to which the Opposition took exception had been in the law since 1939. Opposition members: “Wartime emergency.” In New Zealand, as elsewhere, there was a shortage of certain suppjies, some of which were essential for the well-being of the community, Mr Nordmeyer went on. Unless there were the required powers New Zealand could not share with the people in the United Kingdom the goods it had in abundance. It was essential that commodities and supplies should be equally distributed.

The Prime, Mr Fraser, described as “twaddle” talk of dictatorship. If it was necessary to take steps towards public ownership in any direction that would be openly done and carried out through the House. The Opposition carried on the debate, in protest, throughout the whole of Tuesday night, giving the House an all-night sitting, and after an adjournment from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, the discussion was continued in the Committee stages. Later in the day Mr Nordmeyer announced that both parties in the house had held discussions and it had been decided to refer both Bills to a recess committee which would determine which regulations should be retained and which should be dropped. It had also been agreed that the expiry date of the measure should be changed from December 19.50 to December 1948. Both Bills were then passed.