THREE MONTH SESSION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 June 1938, Page 7

THREE MONTH SESSION

PREDICTED BY PREMIER OPENING OF PARLIAMENT TOMORROW LONG SITTINGS POSSIBLE (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The third and final session of the 25th Parliament of New Zealand, to be officially opened by the GovernorGeneral, Viscount Galway, tomorrow, is likely to be limited to three months. “We are not going to sit here longer than three months, you can bank on that,” declared the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon M. J. Savage, when discussing the work of the session in an interview on Saturday. The proceedings tomorrow are to be practically confined to the official opening. After the reading of the Speech from the Throne, the House of Representatives will transact formal business and then adjourn till Wednesday afternoon. The first political skirmish is likely to occur on Wednesday with the introduction of an Imprest .Supply Bill making provision for the State services.. Mr Savage has indicated that, as Leader of the House, he will take urgency for this measure, which means that there will probably be a late sitting. The debate on such a Bill gives members an opportunity to discuss almost any aspect of the Government’s policy. The Opposition is not likely to neglect the chance to launch a general attack on the Administration, and in such an event Labour members will not be slow to reply. The Prime Minister has stated that the debate on the Address-in-Reply to the Speech from the Throne will commence on Thursday evening. In the House of Representatives the motion is to be moved by Dr D. G. McMillan (Government, Dunedin West) and seconded by Mr B. Roberts (Government, Wairarapa). FULL SCOPE FOR DEBATE Mr Savage said it was impossible to say how long the Address-in-Reply debate would take. In might go on for three weeks. This being the final session of the present Parliament, members would be likely to talk perhaps more than they otherwise would, and no attempt would be made to curtail the debate. . “If it turns out that a lot of members are anxious to talk we will have to sit longer hours, that’s all,” said Mr Savage. “We have not the slightest desire to curtail members’ privileges, but we have got to get the business through. We might get pretty rapidly to the time when we will be sitting on Mondays as well.” It is expected that the Budget will be presented at the conclusion of the Address-in-Reply debate, and that will be . followed by the Financial Debate and consideration of the estimates of Government expenditure for the current year. ONLY ESSENTIAL LEGISLATION Mr Savage has made it clear that outside the Bill giving effect to the Government’s social security proposals and the Education Amendment Bill, only legislation of an essential nature will be considered during this session. “We don’t want to drag out the session at all,” said Mr Savage. “I am satisfied that we will get through easily in three months. Dragging a session out for five months or so has always been due to the fact that Governments have not had their legislation ready. That will not be the case in the coming session. We are not going to sit on waiting for legislation.” The social security proposals have been widely discussed already, but until the Bill appears in the House it is not likely that the exact nature of the extensions to the Ministry’s original proposals will be revealed. The Education Amendment Bill was introduced last session and referred to the education committee of the House which took evidence in public on the measure. When it is reintroduced it is likely to reveal several variations from its original form.