UNDER LABOUR FLAG

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 428, 9 August 1928, Page 8

UNDER LABOUR FLAG

REFORMERS’ AND LIBERALS’ BRIEF SERVICE

PENSIONS AND PREFERENTIAL VOTING UthE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter., WELLINGTON, To-day Features of to-day’s proceedings ill the House of Representatives rrere the two instances in which Labour received support from other parts of the House. The first of titese was the division on the "pro posul to increase the pensions for I tne aged and blind, followed in the , evening by the Preferential Votine Bill of Mr. J. McCombs, on which I the vote of three Liberals and eight I Reformers, including three Minisi ters. helped what was primarily \ Labour measure to a relatively close division. The same measure in other years has ben similarly treated, as was recalled by Mr. McCombs in moving the second reading. The subsequent debate. however, revealed that Mr. G. W. Forbes and Mr. W. A. Veitch. former supporters, had changed their minds, for which they were roundly censured, with the aid of Hansard, by Hr. McCombs. Mr. Veitch claimed that the schema outlined by Mr. McCombs, allowing voters on the licensing issue to nominate a second choice, if both prohibition and continuance advocates nominated State control as a second preference, would result in State control becoming law. All democrats, said Mr. McCombs in reply, would give support to the Biil. The result of the division was its rejection by 36 to 25. All the Labour men voted for the Bill, supported by the following Reformers: Messrs, j. Dickson, H. Holland. R. P. Lee, F. j. Rolleston, the Hon. W. Downie Stewart. G. R. Sykes, F. Waite, the Hon. J. A. Young, also the Liberals, Messrs •T- Horn, E. A. Ransom, and T. K. Sidey The House concluded the day’s business with the Workers’ Compensation Amendment (Mr. E. J. Howard), seeking increased benefits, plus morequitable treatment for injured workmen. Mr. H. T. Armstrong and Mr. W. E. Parry joined Mr. Howard in pleading for more liberal allowances to injured workmen. The Hon. A. D. McLeod, replying, said that the several i»oints raised would be covered by investigations abroad of the Hon. G. J. Anderson. Minister of Labour. Tlie Bill was referred on the voices to the Labour Bills Committee, th<House rising at 11 p.m.