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THE RACING REPORT.

UNEXPECTED DEVELOPMENT. SEPARATION OF THE ISSUES. THE PREMIER’S STATEMENT. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Oct. 18. The vexed question of totalisator permits came before the House of Representatives this afternoon in a form tnat obviously surprised the members who have been expecting to secure the rejection of the Racing Commission’s report. It had been predicted freely that the report would be defeated by a combination of members opposed to the increase of totalisator permits and members dissatisfied with the allocation proposed by the commission. The form in which the matter has now been placed before the House separates the two issues and renders improbable any combination of the kind suggested. The matter was brought before the House by the Minister for Internal Affairs (Hon. W. Downie Stewart), who laid upon the table the Order-in-Coun-cil authorising the issue of the number of permits recommended by the Racing Commission. The Gaming Amendment Act of last year had provided that this order should be laid on the table within thirty days of the opening of the session, and had further provided that totalisator permits should be issued in accordance with the order unless either House of Parliament dissented by resolution.

Sir George Hunter (Waipawa) asked leave to put a question to the Prime Minister on the subject. The Speaker said there could be no discussion, since the order reached the 'House by Act and not by resolution. Sir Georg® Hunter secured the indulgence of the House to ask the Prime Minister what was the effect of laying the document on the table. Would the presentation of the paper give effect to the report of the Racing Commission? GOVERNMENT’S INTENTIONS. Mr. Massey: My reply to that is that if this order Were allowed to lie long enough on the table without being challenged, it would undoubtedly give effect to the report of the Racing Commission. I do not wish to mislead the House in the least degree. I propose to tell the House what the Government intends to do. The Order-in-Council has been laid upon the table in compliance with the Gaming Amendment Act, 1920, sub-clauses 3, 4 and 5 of section 2. These clauses provide that on receipt of the report of the commission the Gov-ernor-General may, by Order-in-Council, authorise the issue of a number of totalisator licenses not exceeding the number recommended by the commission. The Order-in-Council is to be laid before Parliament within thirty days or the opening of the session. If either House, by resolution, declares that it does not assent to the order, then the order and the’ licenses issued thereunder and not exercised shall cease to have any fore® or effect. That means that we would revert to the old conditions—to the number of pennits authorised by the existing law. The matter is exceedingly complicated, much more so than 1 thought it would bo, and much more than I think the House intended when it was passing this legislation last year. In order to give the House full opportunity for discussion, I propose to bring down a Bill within a day or two. It is being prepared now. It will be a very short Bill, containing perhaps two clauses. It will give the House an opportunity of expressing it» opinion upon that part of the report of the commission which deals with the number of days for which permits shall Tse issued. The Bill will say something like this: That permits may be issued to racing clubs to a number not exceeding the number proposed by wue commission. That Will be the substance of the Bill, with some necessary machinery clauses.

EFFECT OF THE BILL. The Bill will not be sufficient to do everything that is required, and it will have no effect by itself, because it will not allocate permits to the districts where It is proposed to give them. That is not the business of tlie legislation. That is the business of the' Minister of Internal Affairs, but the Minister does not propose, any more than J do, to take the House or the country at a disadvantage. The Minister will be guided by this Bill, in whatever form it passes. The House may reduce the number of permits, but. my opinion is that it will not be able to increase the number. The number proposed in the Bill will be the number recommended’ by the commission, and it will be for the House to say whether it will agree to that number or reduce the number. I want to make that perfectly clear. Mr. McCombs (LyiOlton); Then the Government stands for increasing the number of permits? Mr. Massey: The honorable member is trying to make a party question of this.

Mr. McCombs: ft is no use trying to shuffle. You are shuffling. Mr. Massey: I will not let any member say J am shuffling. I have never shuffled. I am perfectly straight in this and every other matter. This is not intended to be a party question. Mr. M<<-'ombs: When it is introduced by the Government it is a Government measure. HOUSE TO DECIDE. Mr. Massey: I had hoped that the honorable member had improved during the recess, but I find .he is just about as unscrupulous as ever he was. I do not think it is necessary to go into the whole history of this matter. The Government, in compliance with the request of the House, set. up a Royal Commission to deal with this very difficult question. It may not be a very important question from certain points of view, but it is very difficult. We selected the best men we could find, and I think the members of the commission had the confidence of the public. They made a report in good faith. It is the duty of the Government to submit the report to Parliament, and that is what we are proposing to do. First of all thia House will have the right to decide upon the number of permits, not exceeding the number recommended by the commission. The Leader of the Opposition (Mt. Wilford) : You mean they may reduce the number, but not increase it? Mr. Massey: That is my opinion. After that the Minister for Internal Affairs will bring down resolutions dealing with the different recommendations put forward by the commission, each and every one of them, so that members may not only express their opinions, but may have the opportunity of giving their votes for and against the different proposals.

Mr. Isitt (Christchurch North): Does not that mean that everybody will vote for an increase of permits in the hopo that when the distribution is made it will come out all right for them? Your proposal unites all the racing men. (Laughter.) BILL THIS WEEK. Mr. Massey: I would not like to say, as the honorable member suggests, tnat every member will vote for the report in the hope of getting permits. Every member will vote just as he feels inclined. I have given this matter a great deal of attention and thought. Mr. G. Witty (Riccarton) asked if there would be any guarantee when the Bill was being considered that particular chibs would get permits. Mr. Massey said that must rest finally with the Minister for Internal Affairs.

Mr. Tgutt: You bring it down a? a non-party Bill, which you can vote against if you like. Mr. Massey replied that a member of the House could vote against his own proposals if the arguments adduced in the course of the debate had caused him to change his views. (Laughter.) His own position, and the position of the Government, were perfectly clear. Ministers were responsible for the setting up of the commission and for the submission of the report to Parliament. They did not intend to make it a party question. Every member would vote just as he felt inclined. He wished members ’’to understand his intentions thoroughly. No advantage would be taken of them in any way whatever. He suggested that the Bill should be brought down on Thursday or Friday. Then the resolutions could be brought down next week.

Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne): Should not the House decide either to accept or reject the report before the Bill is presented ? Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon): The resolutions should come down at the same time as the Bill.

Mr. Massey: I cannot think of any better way than I have suggested. It is impossible to please all members. Sir George Hunter: If the Bill fails to pass will the report of the commission stand?

Mr. Massey: No. Strictly speaking I must answer that the Order-in-Council will stand, but if the Bill fails to pass I shall recommend my colleague, the Minister for Internal Affairs, to ask the House for permission to withdraw the Order-in-Council.

Sir George Hunter: Will any action be taken by the Government in regard to the report and the Order-in-Council without the House having further opportunity of considering the report and the Order-in-Council?

Mr. Massey: Most certainly not. I am glad that the honorable member has asked that question. Mr. Wilford: The paper that is being laid on the table by the Minister is laid on by Act, and cannot be discussed. Unless it is dissented from by motion it stands.

Mr. Massey: No. The Order-in-Coun-cil is already on the table of the House. It goes there automatically, by Act. But in order to make it less difficult for members to deal with this somewhat complicated subject, we have agreed to bring down a Bill. If the Bill is agreed to, this Order-in-Council stands. If the Bill is not agreed to we shall ask the House to allow us to withdraw the Or-xler-in-Council.

Mr. Isitt: May I challenge the paper now by motion ?

The Speaker ruled that there could be no motion at that stage. The House then turned to other business.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19211021.2.56

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Taranaki Daily News, 21 October 1921, Page 7

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,652

THE RACING REPORT. Taranaki Daily News, 21 October 1921, Page 7

THE RACING REPORT. Taranaki Daily News, 21 October 1921, Page 7

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