COLLAPSE OF BILL

Chronicle (Levin), 14 August 1947, Page 7

COLLAPSE OF BILL

-Press Assoclation

move to abolish upper house defhated

nv Telearavh

WELLINGTON, August 16. The cost of the Legislative Couneil c.ould conservatively be estimated at £50 000 yearly and the Couneil occupied premises sorely needed by other departments of tlie State; said Mr. W. A. Bodkin (Central Otago) when resuming the seeond reading debate m th§ House of Eepresentatives tonight, on the Legislative Couneil Abolition Bill Mr. Bodkin reminded the House that iu 1924 the present Prime Mmister, as an Opposition member, movea a reduetion in the estimates as an indication that the Legislative Couneil should be abolished. Among tliose who voted with him were some of his present Ministerial colleagues. Mr. A. M. Finlay ^Nortli Shore) declared that without any equivocation he favoured a single ehamber legislature and he hoped that when the committee for which the Prime Minister's amendment made provision, was set up, he would have. an opportunity of making submissions and fairly strong ones at that. However, the Opposition 's Bill was an example of inept irresponsible action. The Couneil, wThieh still had some vestigial uses, could not be swept away by a mere wave of the hand. If the Couneil had very little to do it was due to the fact that the House of Representatives. would not allow it to do more. Opposition members who really wanted to get rid of the Upper House should adopt the dogical course of voting for the Prime Minister's amendment which would ensure that any difhculties now standing in the way of the abolition of the Couneil were eliminated before deeisive action was taken. Mr. F. W. Doidge (Tauranga) said Mr. Finlay had revealed the pathetic pliglit of a Labour member who had made election pledges to support the abolition of the Couneil but now made a yes-no speech in an attempt to jnstify his changed position after the whips had cracked. Blondin on his tight rope was t reading a broad piath by com-

parison. Mr. Doidge said 90 per cent. | jf members of the Couneil were members of the Labour Party aiid_ were therefore pledged to the abolition of the Ilouse in which they sat. Out of ■ the last 21 appointments to the Couneil, 20 were trade uniouists or defeated Labour candidates. Not one ex-service-man was among them but surely the R.>s.A. was entitled to rep-resentation at least equal to that given the Federation of Labour. Our refusal to adopt the Statute of Westminster in the past 'uul been interpreted by the world as a I iemonstraticm of our loyaity to the Motherland. If we chose the preseni juncturc to adopt the statute it woulo be interpreted as a sign of our forsakiug Biptain. Mr. P. Kearins (Waimarino) ' said he was not long in the Ilouse before he made his attitudo to the Upper House known to his Party. He had always stood for single ehamber governnient and the Upper House should have been abolished years ago. He.was quite surc the amendment would do the job quicker than the Bill would. Mr. Kearins said, amid Opposition laughter, that if tlie. Bill was a Governmout oue, the Legislative CouneL would pass it. At this stage Mr. Holland rose and said that as the Bill was a private oue. there was a Jimited time for its appearauce before the House. He threw a challeiigo to the Governnient to allow the Bill to go to a division and let everv member vote according to his conscience. Mr. F. Langstone (Roskill) said only elected representatives of the people could deal with the legislation of the country. As long as he could remomber the Labour Party stood for a single ehamber and he considered the Prime Minister's amendineut was the best way to achieve it. When the question was put to the vote the Bill was denied a seeond reading by 39 votes to 37 and Mr. Fraser's amendment was earried by "a similar vote. (Wince the death of Mr. Eichards the Governnient holds 41 seats. There was a pair for Mr. O 'Brien who is still ill and Mr. Speaker did not vote.) After the divisions Mr. Holland in(piired when the Prime Minister proposed to set up the committee to cousider the abolition of the Legislative Couneil but Mr. Fraser replied that there had been no resolutions of the Ilouse yet to set up such a committee. ! Answeriug another inquiry by Mr. llolland, Mr. Fraser said it could be lakeu as delinite that the Budget would be presented tomorrow week, August 2.1. The House rose at 10.30 uutil 2.30 p.ra. tomorrow.