PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE URGED

Chronicle (Levin), 21 March 1947, Page 8

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE URGED

-Press A Rsor.iazi.nn

MR. HOLLAND'S APPEAL

Bv Telearavti-

CHRISTCHURCH, Mareh 20. A snggestion that a special committee of the House of Representatives should be set up to consider the North island electric power situation was made to the Government today hy the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. S. G. Holland). Making this suggestion in a telegrajn to the senior Minister at present iii Wellington (Hon. D. G. Sullivan) Mr._ Holland said that had Parliament been sitting he would have taken steps to ensure that the matter was fully discitssed. The telegram stated: "1 am informed that the Prime Minister -is visiting the centres of Maori population and that the Minister of Works is also absent from Wellington, so I desire to make the following representations to the Government through you as the senior Minister in Wellington. ''From many parts of New Zealand. but particularly from the North Island T have reeeived strong representations eoncerning the grave crisis existing in eonnection with the supply of electricity. The representations are that the graATest. interference with the smooth and effieient running of both the primarv and manufacturing industries is being experieneed and a serious reduetion in output is inevitable, especially in those industries where continuous supplies of power are essential. "I have also reeeived representa tions to say that many thousands of housewives are being hindered and handieapped by the irregularity and low power of the 'electric supply. Had Parliament been in session, as it should be, T shonld have taken steps to ensure that the whole question was fully threshed out on Ihe floor of the House so that the public would have known the facts of the situatiqn. In the absence of an opportunity for public discussion in Parliament T therefore prge that a committee of equal represeutation — I suggest six from both sides of the House — be eonvened immediately to meet in Wellington to consider the whole, facts associated with the crisis and to decide what is best. to do to remedy matters and to avoid a repetition in the future. ' '