PARLIAMENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3989, 24 August 1929, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

GOVERNMENT SURVIVES FIRST TEST.

LABOUR. AND INDEPENDENT SUPPORT.

The first test of the United Government’s occupancy of the Treasury Benches took place in the House of Representatives on Thursday night, when a division was taken on the want of confidence motion jinoved on the previous evening by the Leader of the Opposition. With the help of the Labour Party and (he four Independent members, the Government was saved froirrdefeat by 48 votes to 24. Declaring that he had been a friend of the farmer all his life and that lie did not wish to do anything that would hurt the farmer in any way, the [Prime Minister and Minister of Finance (the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward) opened the debate on the amendment by defending the proposals which he had made in the Budget to impose a super-tax on large landed estatesi. He maintained that the large land owners had escaped taxation for too long and had not paid their fair share of the cost of the war. So far as the large landowners were concerned, he had no compunction in taxing them, and he made it clear that he was not going to be coerced into amending bis Budget because propaganda meetings of farmers were being called. The Leader of the Labour Party (Mr. 11. E. Holland) in defining the attitude of his party, declared that while they agreed with the principle of Mr. Coates’s objection to the primage duty, they were not against the hind tax proposals, but they were opposed to putting the Reform Party hack oil the Treasury benches, and therefore they would vote against the amendment.

THE DIVISION. The division on the amendment was taken at 9.15 p.m., and resulted in the amendment being defeated by 48 votes to 24. The division list is as follows: — For the Amendment (24). —Ansel], Bitehener, Campbell, Coates, Dickie, Field, Hall, Harris, Henare, H. Holland, Hunter, Jones, Kyle, Linklater, Lysnar, Macmillan, Massey, Nash, Samuel, Stewart, Sykes, Waite, Williamis, Young. Against the Amendment (48). — Armstrong, Atmore, Barnard, Bodkin, Black, Broadfoot, Carr, Chapman, Clinkard, Cobbe, de la Perelle, Donald, Fletcher, Forbes, Hawke, Healy, Hogan, IT. E. Holland, Howard, Jenkins, Jordan, Langstone, Lye, M’Combs, M’Donald, M’Dougall, M’Keen, Maeplierson, Makitanara, Martin, Mason, Munns, Munvo, Murdoch, O’Brien, Parry, Poison, Ransom, Rusliworth, Savage, Smith, Stallwoirthy, Sullivan, Tavener, Veiteli, Ward, Wilford, Wilkinson.

Pairs. —For Amendment: Wright, Burnett, Pomare. Against Amendment: Semple, Fraser, Ngata.