PROTEST FROM OPPOSITION

Chronicle (Levin), 8 February 1947, Page 4

PROTEST FROM OPPOSITION

-P- esr, AssDciation

— — — — . POSTPONEMENT OF SESSION FQR 1 m> NASP

By . Telegragh-

CHRISTCHURCH, Feb. 7. ' ' Any suggestion that the next session of Parliament will be postponed until the return of the Minister oi Finance (Mr." Nasb), from his 1947 world to.ur, will receive no support from the Parliamentary Qpposition, ' ' saitl the Lead'er of the Oppositiori (Mr. S. G. Holland) when asked to comment on reports that the House of Representatives wa? unlikely to meet before the end oi Junp. "Parliament has heen eiected to do the country's business and we are not being paid merely to • cool our heels until Mr. Nash returns from overseas. Parliament should certainly have heen giv.en the opportunity of hearing the Government's views explained b'efore Mr. Nash leaves to attend ixnportant conf erences, " said Mr. Holland. is clearly the duty of the Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) to call Parliament together and explain the Government's proposals. "I have reason to believe that at the world trade eonference a deteruiined eft'ort will be made by powerful countries to abolish proteetive customs tariffs altogether aud to replace tlxem with some system of subsidies for loeal industries. This would have serious consequenees for our manufacturing industries. British preferential tarill's and plans for developing trade witliin the Empire are certain to come uuder strong llre and our representatives should be fortified with a strong parliamentary resolution supportinsj British preferences axid inter-Empire trade, 'i Mr. Holland said he realised that in domestic politics it was not possible to reconeile the difCerence between the contending parties but he hcld the view very strongly that in international questions party politics should not come into it aiid that the Opposition was c'ully entitled to full information before these conferences were lield. "I must enter the strongest protest against any suggestion to employ war emergency legislation either to increase or to reduce taxation or to do anything else that should only be done by Parliamentary enactment, " said Mr. Holland when referring to the suggestion that the Government 's promise to reduce the wages tax in May may be done by regulation. Unless. a halt were called in the use of emergency regulations in peace time, New Zealand would very soon reaeh the situation, no do'ubt con venient to a government with a slendor l.iajority where Parliament would meet for the address-in-reply and budget debates, and the real business of the country would be done by regulation without the verv necessarv opportunity for public debates.