THE PUTARURU PRESS. THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1929. NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 303, 29 August 1929, Page 4

THE PUTARURU PRESS.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1929. NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION.

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THE no-confidence amendment proposed by the Leader of the Opposition is rather puzzling as to its purpose. If it were put forward with the expectation that it would not be carried then it does not advance the work of the House. If it was moved with the object of displacing the Government it certainly showed lack of judgment. Through the length of sthe motion and its composite matter it gave the Labour Party the chance to vote with the Government. The Labour Party has expressed its opposition to the increase in the primage duties, and its support of the land tax. Had the Leader of the Opposition confined his motion only to the primage duty then the Labour Party would have been bound to support it or retract its condemnation of the proposals. But there would have been no need for such a motion, since it is within the province of the Leader of the Opposition or the Labour Party to make alternative proposals when the specific measures come before the House.

It is rather remarkable that there was no assertion of the true basis of a no-confidence motion. There was no charge that the taxation proposals were not warranted, but the objection was that they “ are not acceptable without further revision and amendment.” This implied an acceptance of the general idea but disagreement over the details. The mission of an opppsition is criticism. It seems that the real purport of the Opposition was to place on record its hostility to the detailed proposals for the purpose of propaganda at the next election.