WASTE OF TIME

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 27 July 1929, Page 7

WASTE OF TIME

addressinreply debate MR HOLLAND’S CRITICISM (By Telegraph—Press Association) WELLINGTON, 26th July. Speaking before the Freezing Workers’ Conference this morning, Mr H. E. Holland, Leader of the Labour Party, said that in all the history of the New Zealand Parliament there liad probably never been a greater time-wasting display at a time when it was imperative and urgently necessary that legislation should be put through. The Address-in-Reply debate had proved to be one of the 'longest in recent years. Almost everything that had been said by speakers who took part in it would be said over again when the various Bills and the Budget were before the House. It was a debate without objective, and if * the Labour Party members had contributed to its futility, it would have extended beyond a month. The worst feature of the waste of time was the fact that while Parliament talked, some thousands of men were without work, and in consequence thousands of women and children were lacking the necessities of life. At the same time, there was ample work waiting to be done, and no shortage of money in the country. All that was lacking was legislative sanctions in the form of authorising Acts, and the Prime Minister had given his word that much of the legislation was ready for submission to the House. Obviously, under these circumstances, Parliament should have been permitted to get to the legislation with the least possible delay. . Instead of this being done, weeks have been spent in recriminative and almost wholly useless talk. It would have been worse than criminal if there was any further unnecessary delay in putting through the legislation necessary to meet the situation arising out of the problem of unemployment, and this included legislation affecting both land and finance, as well as public works. In discussing the political situation Mr Holland made it clear that the Labour Party would not support any motion of no-confidence moved by the Reform Party. ' That would mean putting back on tJie Government benches the Conservative Party which made such a dismal failure of its sixteen years’ opporlunitv,” he said, "and the Labour movement will not stand for that.” He went on to say that if a change of Government crime, it would-be as the result- of the Reform Party supporting a want of confidence moved by the Labour Party.