Customs Bill Passed After 24 Hours’ Talk

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1051, 15 August 1930, Page 8

Customs Bill Passed After 24 Hours’ Talk

TWO CHANGES MADE

PETROL-TAX REDUCED

THE SUN’S Parliamentary Repo* m* WELLINGTON, Tfc u> j It was a tired body of men that ien j the chamber of the House of Repre--1 sentatives this evening at six o’clock j with the Customs Acts Amendment Bill | passed through all its stages after approximately 24 hours of talk in full spate. Of this time nine hoars were spent on the short title and this morning the first all-night sitting of the session ended. The length of the debate caused the Prime Minister, the Hon G. W. Forbes, to attack the Reform Party for its “obstruction” tactics. After all the contentious discussion, i there were two alterations only made ! in the Bill—the reduction of the petrol- ! tax from sevenpence to sixpence on j the motion of the Prime Minister, and I the reduction of the tax on lubricating oil to the same amount, j At 4.16 this afternoon the crucial j division of the debate was taken, when j the bells rang for the House to exi press its opinion on the amendment of j Mr. R. A. Wright (Reform—Welling. ; ton Suburbs), who urged the reduction iof the tax to fivepence a gallon. This \ division was the prelude to the vote i on the Prime Minister’s concession of I one penny on the tax. TIRED MEMBERS The voting cut a cross-section in : each case over all parties of the House, for the petrol-tax was a national issue and not one of party, so that tired Reformers went into the lobbies side by side with Labour members just as tired and Government members wearing sleep-robbed looks. Every Government member voted against Mr. Wright’s amendment and so did 15 Labour members, 3 4 Reformers and Mr. J. T. Hogan, the Independent member for Rangitikei. One j of the first to vote for the amendment was Mr. A. E. Ansell (Reform—Chalnaiers), who is president of the South | Island Motor Union. Twelve Rel Wright, three Labour members, and formers altogether voted with Mr. ! two Independents—Messrs. J. s! ; Fletcher (Grey Lynn) and C. A. Wili kinson (Egmont). The amendment was lost by 53 votes to 17. Naturally the Government members voted with the Prime Minister on amendment, but Mr. Hogan, who has hitherto warmly supported the Government, showed his independence by voting against the amendment- Three of • the Independents, including Messrs. Fletcher and Wilkinson, voted against the amendment, the Reform vote was 3 7 and the Labour five. The amendment was carried by 46 votes to 25. Members who had to lead with county councils and local bodies in their constituencies were easily marked out by their voting. Messrs. H. M. Rushworth (Bay of Islands) and W_ J. Poison (Stratford) did not appear on the division list.