PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2545, 20 August 1915, Page 7

PARLIAMENT

THE RE-OPENING

OUR NATIONAL MINISTRY

PARTF LEADERS SPEAK

The Legislative Council met at 2.30 ip.m. yesterday. Further leave of'absence for three weeks was granted' to the Hon. J. A. Millar on account of illness.SIR FRAI\ CIS BELL made a. short statement, informing tho Council of the changes in the allocation of portfolios consequent upon the formation of a iNational Cabinet. Sir Francis Bell said that he. had resigned his portfolios of Internal Affairs and Immigration, and also his seat on the Executive Council. His resignation from the Executive Oonncil had not been accepted, and for some few days he salt as a meniber of the Executive Council without'• portfolio. Since then he had resumed the Department of Immigration. "When/1 spoke here on August .4 last," he said, "I had no reason to doubt that my resignation of my seat in the Executive Council would be accepted, and that I could not havo longer held my;place as Leader of the Council I say that only because, although I was careful to make no announcement on the point, honourable gentlemen correctly understood me to mean that my place; would shortly be vacated. It-has seemed to the leaders of both parties convenient, and I assume also desirable, that I should retain my place here, and'that •I should hold a portfolio as well as, the seat in the Government, which liaß never ceased to be mine. I'don't think there is anything to add, except my personal most sincere regret that my lionourable friend" Mr. .Rhodes, a most capable, administrator, as I have every reason to know, and an honourable and upright gentleman, has by force of recent circumstances been placed in the position where it was necessary that his resignation, which he freely offered throughout,— as indeed did we all—had to be accepted. One further observation: that I think all parties feel as the Council feels, a sense of the grave responsibility , which members of. the present . Government have undertaken, arid a liope that in the endeavour made by the : Right Honourable Gentlemen who lead the Government and the Opposition respectively to form a united j Government, they and their, colleagues ( will have_ the support of members of ■all side>s in both Houses, as I am con-' , fi'fent they will have, until they shall 'show that they don't deserve it, tho confidence and support of the Council. (Hear, hear.) , The Hon. J. T. PAUL rose to speak oh matters arising out' of Sir Francis Bell's • statement, but Mr. Speaker informed him that there was no question before the House. A Grievance and a Question. 'The Hon. SIR FRANCIS BELL mbved that' the Council at its Wsing do adjourn until Tuesday nest, but he said that he did not anticipate that there would be important business to come before the Council, and that on that day he hoped to be able to move for a longer adjournment. On this motion, jThe Hon. J. T. PAUL said that ho ha'd no desire to be ungenerous or captious at this time of national crisis, hut it seemed' to 'him that the Council \bad been treated with' the usual amount ■af consideration'. Thte Ministry was ;the biggest in the history of the,,country, but yet only one Minister was in, .the Council, whereas there was enough wcrk in the Council for two or even for three Ministers at certain periods of the. .session., He- wished to -draw'the ; attention of the Council to another /matter. What exactly was the position 'of the Legislative Council Act? He jhad .seen various statements in the newspapers—one that the Aot was to be suspended, one that it was to he re'pealed, and,- one that it was to be /amended. He had regarded this measure as one of the most liberal measures that hfld been placed on the Statute Book of New Zealand, and he would ; pppose any proposal to repeal the Bill ior to retard its coming into operation. The Council should be told exactly what bargain had been rcade in icomiection with tho Act. . - . -

SIR FRANCIS BELL said it would iho quite out of place for him toinake : a statement, on any matter of the I policy of the Government as now constituted,'before that statement hadbeen '■made by the Prime Minister. (Hear, ?hear.) He was therefore unable to 'answer tho question. i The motion .was carried, and tho Counoil rose at 2.55 p.m.