ELECTION DATE OCTOBER 15

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22509, 17 September 1938, Page 16

ELECTION DATE OCTOBER 15

Arrangements For Broadcasting

OPPOSITION NOT

SATISFIED

Privilege Reserved For Mr Savage

fFrom Our Parliamentary Reporter..!

WELLINGTON, September 16

The General Election will be held this year on Saturday, October 15, allowing for an election campaign of only four weeks. An announcement on these lines was made in the House of Representatives today by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage), who also gave an outline of the arrangements made for political broadcasting during the campaign.

"As honourable members will recall," said Mr Savage, "I promised T would inform them before the House rose of the date of the General Election. I now desire to state that polling day has been fixed for Saturday, October 15. Parliament will be dissolved on Tuesday, September 20, and the writs will be issued on Thursday, September 22. Nominations will close on Monday, October 3. The supplementary rolls will therefore close at 6 o'clock on the evening of September 22, the date of the issue of the writs." Mr Savage said that the writs for the Maori elections would be issued on September 22. Nominations would close on October 3, and polling day would be on Friday, October 14, one day before the European elections. ■ The arrangements, proposed tor the use of broadcasting facilities during the campaign were also referred to by the Prime Minister. It is considered," he said, "that a fair basis—or may I say a more than liberal basis so far as the Opposition party is concerned —on. which the proportion of speakers from each party and the Independents, may be formed, is six Government, four Nationalist, ,and two Independent SP '"Th<f first broadcast will be made by myself in the Wellington' Town. Hall; next Thursday night, when I propose to deal with the policy yOf-the,,; GOVT eminent and the Labour Party,' said Mr Savage. "The next; night a Nationalist candidate will broadcast and the. following night an Independent candidate, and so on in that order witn an adjustment a little later on to conform to the proportion of speakers already referred to. the broadcasts will continue the, .day before polling day. On the day before polling day, it is suggested that the Leader of the Opposition and myself should speak over the air, thus concluding the broadcasting arrangements.. "Onesided Arrangement" "That is the general scheme," Mr Savage added, "but I may say that I reserve to myself the right at any time to intervene and speak over the radio if there is any suggestion of hitting below the belt." Mr S. G. Holland (National, Christchurch North): Does that apply to both sides? . .; Mr Savage: I hope there will be ho necessity for me to intervene The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (National, Kaipara): You are making a' -very onesided arrangement. Mr Savage: I am in charge, of the country even during ah election campaign. ' '•• «■' • . ' /' S Mr W. J. Poison (National, Stratford): If the Government hits below, the belt we'cannot reply. The Minister for Internal Affair*! (the Hon. W. E. Parry): You have got your newspapers. In dnswer to a point raised about broadcasts by Independents, the Prime Minister said he recognised only four members of the House as Independents. They were Mr D. McDougall (Mataura), Mr H. Atmore (Nelson). Mr A. C. A. Sexton (Franklin), and Mr H. M.* Rushworth (Bay of Islands). - Mr C. A. Wilkinson (Independent. Egmont) protested that he -had been elected as an Independent and he proposed to contest the coming election in the same way. His remarks were greeted with raucous laughter from the Government benches.

Mr R. A. Wright (Independent, Wellington Suburbs), who was* also omitted from the Prime Minister's list, was not in the House at the time. The Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. A. Hamilton, said the holding of the election on a Saturday might be objectionable to certain religious bodies. As for the broadcasting arrangements, it was all right to have a proportionate basis for speakers in Parliament, but if the radio was to be used in an election campaign there should be equal treatment for all parties. •

"I am offering the Leader of the Opposition exactly what he offered me when I'was Leader of the Opposition." said. Mr Savage. "The broadcasts, of .course, will be confined to members of Parliament. It is considered that they, at least, have a sense of responsibility."

Mr Hamilton said that before the last election the Government had taken the Labour Party completely into its confidence when arrangements were being made.. The' same not been extended by the Government on this occasion.

FAIR CONDUCT OF CAMPAIGN

MR HAMILTON'S HOPES

<•'•" WELLINGTON, September 16. The hope, echoed on all sides of the House, that the coming election campaign would be conducted in a manner that would not be unworthy of New Zealand's tradition of democracy, was expressed by the Leader of the Opposition (the Hon. Adam Hamilton) during the valedictory speeches in the House of Representatives to-day.

"May 5 I express to the Government members my hopes for a pleasant and interesting campaign," said Mr Hamilton. "I hope it will be conducted in a way that will be worthy of our great tradition of democracy", and that nothing that is in any way unworthy will occur."- - -'.

RESERVED RIGHT TO BROADCAST

"ACT OF COMMUNIST DICTATORSHIP"

NATIONAL POLICY WILL BE DECLARED SOON

<p»ess AsaocrATio* t«l»o«ak.>

WELLINGTON, September "An act of Communist dictatorship was the description applied by the Leader of the Opposition (the_ Hon. Adam Hamilton), this evening to the announcement by the Prime Mmister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. .Savage) in the leaking at a reception held at tne Nationaf Club in honpur of National candidates for Parliament. Mr Hamilton declared that the Pnm| Minister had expressed ma manner "almost repulsive, .Tne.l* position was prevented by the> Stand ins? Orders, as well as by the desire to preserve the "close-of-session" atmosphere, frpm giving expression to working out, bur policy 9 nd you will very likely |ee itm the Press before the Prime Minister announces his." he said "I notice he has Thursday for his b ro ?d ca st. ,He is giving me Friday ."« everybody is out shopping. ■■ we are going to fight an election that may detefmine the destiny of this country for many years to come.

SATURDAY ELECTION

DIFFICULTIES OF TWO RELIGIOUS BODIES

ONLY 19 MINUTES IN WHICH

TO VOTE

(pbms association tkleokam.)'

WELLINGTON, Members of the tist and Jewi/h churches wll_have only 19 minutes their votes on polling day* October 15 This is because both churches observe their Sabbath from sunset on Friday until sunset on S ***%***s. on October 15 occurs at 6.41 p.m. Pou ing booths will close at. 7 p.m. Neither church permits'its members to write on the fcr special reasons, which do not include recording votes. Memberswouid not therefore be able to record their votes until the close of their Saoa it l "is believed that member* o*,* e Seventh Day Adventist Church will l>e able to record their votes during the limited time at their disposal, as. they, will be able to go to the booths immediately their Sabbath ends. .The afternoon service on Saturday finishes at about 3.30 p.m. or 4 p.m. The Jew-, ish service, however, does not con-1 elude until-shortly after sunset. Special provision may be made to permit Jews to exercise their voles, and it, is possible that this will be by way of postal voting. In. Palmerston North the Ministers'. Association, learning of the decision to hold the election on a Saturday, sent a telegram to the Prime Minister, strongly protesting" against such action in view of the following day being Sunday. , ' ' ' ~ „■ -