PARLIAMENT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 650, 30 September 1933, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

(Press Assr/.-

friday's sitting FURTHER DISCUSSION ON EXCHANGE RATE AMDT. baneing system criticised

-By Telegraph — Copj-rjght).

Wellington, Friday. In the House of Representatives today, Mr. W. A. Veitch (Govt., Wanganui), said that he would like to explain his position with regard to an amendment to the Leader of the Opposition's no-confidence motion, moved on Thursday by Mr. R. A. Wright (Govt., Wellington Suburbs). He could honestly say there had heen no cqllusion with the Government and that no one, apart froim Mr. Wright, Mr. Harris and himself had knoivn that the amendment was to be moved. Mr. Veitch eontended that the sequence and significance of the votes on the amendments would he exactly the same as if Mr. Wright had,waited' until Mr. H. E. Holland's amendment had heen disposed of. |Those whq desired Mr. Holland to be Prime Minister would still vote for the Labour amendment, and those who objeeted to the high exchange 'rate would still vote for Mr. Wright's Mr. Veitch urged that all party differences he forgotten in an endeavour to arrive at a solution of the country's problems. Nothing could be done while petty party squabbles, mostly of a personal nature, took place in the House^

Mr. Veitch refqrred to the Government's policy as -being of a classconscious nature, and said it would he 110 use removing' one class-conscious Government to replace it with another. Conllict Depreciated He depreciated" the possibility of a conftict between town and eountry interests, and said as a city member he was convinced that city people did not desire to he in conflict with their eountry neighbours. Mr. H. T. Aumstrong (Labour, Christchurch East), said adoption of the Leader of the Opposition's amendment would not mean that Mr. Holland would become Prime Minister. He was too manly to accept the Prime Ministership under those conditions, but h^ would be Prime Minister before long, and the people of the Dominion would endorse the Labour Party's policy. Mr. Armstrong said the supporters of the second amendment wanted an opportunity to run with the hare ■and hunt with the bounds. They wished to satisfy a few husinessmen who had been hit by the exchange rate. He characterised the pegg'ing of the exchange as a clumsy way of assisting one seetion of primary producers. However, continued Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Wright's amendment, which ignored currency reform, would not aecomplish anything that would benefit the people of the Dominion. Those who controlled the banking system controlled the life blood of the Dominion, and if the standard of life _was to be raiged the banking system should be taken over by representatives of the people and run in the interests of the eountry as a whole. Mr. A. Stuart (Government, Rangitiki), said he agreed with Mr. Armstrong that there were some members who desired to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds. He disagreed with the contentions that the higher rate of exchange had not helped farmers generally. Did Labour members consider that if a man was being helped to pay his debts it was not worth anything? Mr. Stuart also disagreed with the contention that the high exchange rate had been partly responsible for the institution of the quota system by Great Britain. He believed that when prosperity returned the quota would be a thing of the past, and Britain would require our produce. The House adjourned at 1 p.m.