THE PRESENT SESSION

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 374, 8 November 1932, Page 5

THE PRESENT SESSION

("Post" Special Commissioner)

MEMBERS NOW SETTLING DOWN TO STEADY WORIC TARIFFS AND ESTIMATES

Wellington, Saturday. This week the House of R.epresentatives has 'sho'wn more aptitude for iWQxt thafi'it/has dqne^ih' ahy previous iWeek" duNhg^tfie session,' and 'aix acceleration of activities Uiay he loo'ked for . from now onward. All the preliminary skirmishes so dear to the Parliamentary system have been completed, and every debate now eentres round sdme concrete proposal. Whether ,or not Parliament will complete its task by Christmaq will depend a. great deal' on the expedition exercised by the Government ih presenting its legislation to the House. Although the Opposition can obstruct, and does obstruct, it is always in the hands of thq Government to set the paea, and effieient organisation of the Order Paper couhts tremendously when it comes to ptishing the work through. The late Mr. Massey was a pastmaster in driving the House without giving the impression that he was applying the pressure. The Ottawa Tariffs The chief measure introduced in tha House this week was the Customs Amendment Bill, giving Tegislative effect to the tariff resolutions consequent on the Ottawa Conference. The measure has been read a second time and.' will probably he put through the remaining stages next week. The most contentious part of the Bill is the clause giving the Govarnment power by Order-in-Council to make : trade agreements , or arrangements with any other Dominion. The La- ; hour Party contends that an agree- ' ment with India, where there is a low standard of living, would tend to bring down the level in the Dominion. However, in suhsequent discussions on the Estimates, one heard Labour speakers arguing that commercial relationship'S with th'e East should he fosterea. it seems to be the traditional duty of an Opposition to take a contrary view to the Government. In New Zealand one has the spectacle of the Labour Party conbending that the Government, in agreeing to the Ottawa paet, has submitted to a one-sided bargain in favour of the Mother Land, while in the British House of Commons the Opposition, also Labour, argues that England has given the i advantage to the Dominion. When doetors disagree the patient's future ; is critical, ahd one can only hope that i the analogy does not extend to the ; general puhlic who are supposed to be I receiving economic treatmeht from its ; legislators. ! The Estimates. j A start was made on Friday with the Estimates, which are the Government's proposals for expenditure in the different departments of State for the current financial year. The fact that seven months .of the year have gone and p'erhaps the greater i part of the money has been spent does ! not deter the private member from : talkirig at length on the various items.

The Estimates provide memhers with the opportunity to put the Ministers under cross-examination. Questions of p'olicy or future legislation cannot be discuss'ed, but administrative acts may he suhjected to the closest inquiry, and lucky is the Minister who comes through the ordeal unscathed. Small items or comparatively trivial actions have often resulted in the holding up of a department's vote for two or three days. There was a casa in point a few years ago when the Post and Telegraph Estimat'es were held up about four days because a section, of the House disagreed with th'e Minister's action in sanctioning the dismissal of some men who were all'eged to have disclosed the contents of hetting telegrams. Inconsistient Attitude. Frequently the House will be glaringly inconsistent in its attitude towards the various it'ems. It will delay its assent to a vote covering a small department for an inordinate length of time and th'en put up a spurt. Once on the move it may agree to the expenditure of millions in the space of a few minutes. An instance illustrating this point occurred this week. The House spent the whole day deliberating on the vote for the Legislative Department, amounting to £89,000, and then assented to the Internal Affairs vote, totalling £520,415, in less than three minutes. Certainly the discussion on the Legislative Department, as it was th'e first item to he considered, gave members an opportunity to discuss any department but even allowing for this it is difficult to account for the prolongation of one discussion and the curtailment of the next. Answers to Questions. On Wednesday the Government will issue its first instalment of answers to questions which have been placed on the Order Paper, and members will have the opportunity of expressing their satisf action or otherwise at the responses they have drawn. In th'e vast majority of cases, the answers bear a remarkable resemblance to the departmental rubher stamp. Other business to be dealt withj next week will includa the Rent Restriction Bill, which will provide an extension for another year of the existing legislation, and the Pensions Amenclment Bill by which it is proposed to reinstate the ininers', widours' pension. The measure, which has' already been introduced, contains a means test, and this is likely to be opposed by the Opposition. . . .