EXTENDED TIME.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20492, 10 March 1932, Page 6

EXTENDED TIME.

SPEECHES IN THE HOUSE. COURTESY TO BE REFUSED BY LABOUR. [From Ocr Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, March 9. The practice adopted by Mr D. McDougall (C., Mataura) of refusing, the courtesy of extended time for speechmaking among members of Parliament except the Party Leaders has aroused resentment among members of the Labour Party. Because the first two Government speakers in the Address-in-BepJy debate were granted an extension, and only the first speaker from the Labour benches, Mr J. McCombs (Lab., Lyttelton) has expressed his intention of refusing all members, even the Prime Minister, the courtesy of an extension in future. Mr McCombs referred to this question with some bitterness in the House this evening, when he recalled that the member for Mataura had been responsible for refusing the second labour speaker extended time. The Prime Minister: Oh, be fair. The Leader of the Opposition spoke for an hour and a quarter.

Mr McCombs: The member for Mataura should be the last to judge the standard of courtesy. Members will recall that the first speech he made in this House had to be censored before it was fit to appear in Hansard. Nothing like that has ever happened since I have been a member of tbiß House. In view of the attitude taken by the honourable member, I apologise to those members who will in future be refused an extension, because I shall object to an extension even for tho Prime Minister. Mr Forbes: Oh, he never transgresses. Mr McDougall In Reply. Replying, Mr McDougall said that if Bis initial speech in the House had been unprintable, as was suggested, it was a surprise that it had passed through tho House without censure from the Chair. Seeing that Mr McCombs had referred to this maiden speech, he (Mr McDougall) might be pardoned for referring to it. He then delved into history, and mentioned a public meeting which Mr McCombs had attended in the south some time ago, and at which he (Mr McDougall) had presided* For thirty minutes the crowd had tolerat'-d his agony, Mr McDougall said, «nd then it had become necessary to step in and save his life by physical force. "Why," he said, "if I had not put on the big boots and taken up a crowbar ho would have been in his box today, and yet ho comes here and criticises me for using the rules of the House to stop him wasting the time of the country. All I want to say further is that with all his ability the member for Lyttelton can only get into the House and hold his seat with the aid either of a Magistrate or a Returning Officer.'' Comedy was added to the situation when Mr McCombs rose at the warning bell, and»moved that Mr McDougall's time be extended. Amid shouts of laughter, Mr McDougall himself entered an emphatic negative to the motion.