SESSION ENDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 December 1940, Page 6

SESSION ENDS

PARLIAMENT TO MEET AGAIN EARLY NEXT YEAR LIST OF MEASURES PASSED. CONCLUDING SPEECHES IN HOUSE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Parliamentary session came to an encl in the House of Representatives at 6.26 p.m. yesterday after the usual valedictory speeches and an exchange of seasonal greetings. The Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, said that Parliament. would meet again probably at the end of February ■or early in March, though members could be called together immediately should , any emergency develop in the meantime. . Thirty- eight Acts were passed during the session—3l public Acts, six local Acts and one private Act. Members sang the National Anthem before Mr Speaker finally left the chair. The House adjourned at 4.41 p.m. till “the ringing of the bells,” and in the meantime the Finance Bill (No. 4) was sent to the Legislative Council to be dealt with by that Chamber. The House resumed at 5.50 p.m. for the valedictory speeches, the Bill having been passed by the Upper House and given the Royal Assent.

PARLIAMENT TO MEET AGAIN EARLY NEXT YEAR

niX h t° Llgh l he ses£ion extended over 49 S davT Ol p hS ’r the H ° US ° met 011 onl ->’ 49 days. Parliament was opened on May 30, and with the exception of two S' “ n I 5 ’ each 01 £1 week ’s duration, sat fairly consistently till July 31, when the first long adjournment was taken. Resuming on August 21. the House met on six days between then and August 30, when another adjournment was taken. It met once more on October 1, and after sitting consistently to October 11 adjourned to November 26. Long hours have been observed by the House on each of the days it has met since the resumption of the session last Tuesday week. A feature of the session was the number, of secret sessions to enable members to hear and discuss developments in connection with the country’s war effort. Four of these were held, two of them lasting two days. ‘‘The session has been prolonged, with intervals of adjournment, and unavoidably it has been of a desultory nature,” said the Prime Minister, when the House resumed for the valedictory speeches. “The work has been important, and we have been meeting all the time under the shadow of war and in times of great anxiety. It has been a difficult period.” Tributes were paid by Mr Fraser to the work of the Speaker, Mr Barnard, and to that of the chairman of committees, Mr McKeen. He also praised the work of .the officials of the House and of others associated with the Legislature. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Holland, endorsed the remarks of the Prime Minister, and said that the party he represented wished to be associated with all Mr Fraser had said. It was a cause for rejoicing that they had come through a difficult session with the standard of Parliamentary government maintained on a high plgne.

Mr McKeen and Mr Speaker returned thanks for the reference made to them. Members then joined in the singing of the National Anthem and the House adjourned. The legislation passed was as follows;— Public Acts.

Agricultural Emergency Regulations Confirmation Act. Appropriation Act. Carriage by Air Act. Electoral Amendment Act. Regulations Amendment Excess Profits Tax Act. Finance Act. Finance Act (No. 2). Finance Act (No. 3). Finance Act (No. 4). Health Amendment Act. Housing Amendment Act. Imprest Supply Act. Insurance Companies Act. Land and Income Tax Amendment Act. Land and Income Tax (Annual) Act. Local Legislation Act. National Savings Act. Native Purposes Act. Orchard and Garden Diseases Amendment Act.

Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Act. Rural Housing Amendment Act. Sea Carriage of Goods Act. Small Farms Amendment Act. Social Security Amendment Act. Statutes Amendment Act. Termites Act. Thames Borough Commissioned Amendment Act. r War Pensions Amendment Act. War Pensions and Allowances (Mercantile Marine). War Pensions Extension Act. Local Acts. Gleymouth Harbour Board Loan Act. Invercargill City Council Tramway Depreciation Fund Empowering Act. Moaku Harbour Act. Waitara Borough Empowering Act. Waitara Harbour Act. Wellington City Empowering and Amendment Act.

Private Acts. Roman Catholic Bishop of Dunedin Empowering Act.