CRIPPLED PRIVILEGES

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 138, 1 September 1927, Page 14

CRIPPLED PRIVILEGES

PROCEDURE IN PARLIAMENT LABOUR MAKES PROTEST (THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Several members of the House of Representatives are becoming perturbed at what they consider an attempt by the Government to cripple the privileges of private members in the House itself. This fear was created by the Government’s action in bringing in departmental business on the day which is understood to be set aside for private members’ business, and was made a strong point by Mr. M. J. Savage in a protest this afternoon. “Where do private members come in?” he asked when a move was made to table a departmental report. (He was thinking of his Fair Rents Bill which he had had postponed from last week.) Mr. W. D. Lysnar chipped in: You had your chance. Mr. Savage: We do not possess a great number of privileges and it is up to us to see that they are not wiped out altogether. Mr. Lysnar: You wiped yours out last week. Mr. T. M. Wilford: No private member can get a Bill through the House. Mr. Savage: Well, perhaps no private member can get a Bill through, but private members have the right to bring a Bill down and have it discussed. That is, of course, if we are assuming correctly upon the Standing Orders.

Mr. Lysnar: You did not keep the Standing Orders. Mr. Savage: Well as for the interjection from Gisborne, I think the matter we have discussed here would mean more to the country than those which the honourable gentleman wishes to talk about. Mr. Speaker was compelled to remind Mr. Savage that he was not in order in referring to something outside the report being laid on the table. Mr. Savage attempted to justify himself by showing why the paper should not be introduced at this stage. Then Mr. W. G. Glenn, Rangitikei, the sturdy opponent of anything suggestive of daylight saving, disclosed his so.re spot at the withdrawal of two Labour Bills last week to let the Summer Time Bill in. He was called to order by the Speaker, but not before he had slipped out “I want to refer to the abuse of private members’ privileges by Labour members themselves.”

Mr. Speaker: You are not in order. It was not long after this that privileges was again raised—this time over discussion upon questions. Mr. F. N. Bartram capped a short outburst on this by plaintively asking: “If we take the question papers separately, will those with subjects on the last paper be shut out of discussion?”

Mr. Speaker quietly informed him that he ran a grave risk, and the papers were taken together.