WAR EFFORT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 February 1942, Page 4

WAR EFFORT

NEW ZEALAND’S POSITION A SECRET DEBATE. ; TO BE HELD IN PARLIAMENT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Arrangements for a discussion by the House on the memorandum dealing with the country's war effort which ’ had been submitted to him by the > Leader of the Opposition, Mr Holland, ■ were explained by the Prime Minister, ’ Mr Fraser, in the House of Representa- ■ fives yesterday afternoon. The debate ' is to begin in secret on Tuesday, when i copies of the memorandum and replies , to the questions raised in it are to be i circulated to members and recalled at ! the end of the sitting. Mr Fraser said it would be very ' obvious that the memorandum could ■ not be discussed in its entirety with i the House on the air or in open sesi sion with the House off the air. There i were matters in it, however, that could > be discussed with the galleries open, 5 but with supervision as to the reports ■ that would appear. Others such as ■ those dealing with industry, the 40i hour week and stoppages of work could i be discused with the House on the i air. f Mr Lee (Democratic Labour, Grey ■ Lynn): There are three classes, i Mr Fraser: Yes. i The memorandum and the replies to s it, said the Prime Minister, would be i taken on Tuesday in a secret discus- ■ sion on all the matters contained in t the document. Members rvould then s be able to determine if it were advisable to discuss other parts of the memorandum off the air, and also whether there should be a discussion in open session on the matters that concerned the internal administration of the Government, though no doubt these might affect the war effort incidentally. If the House agreed to this course it would ensure the fullest discussion on the memorandum. The Leader of the Opposition, said Mr Fraser, had distributed copies of the memorandum in good faith to members of his party. Mr Fraser , said there could be no objection to that, but on further consideration he ’ felt there were matters in the memo- ’ randum that would help the enemy, , and the Leader of the Opposition had called them in for the time being. t Mr Fraser said that copies of the memorandum and the replies would be ' distributed to members of the House on Tuesday and then collected at the ; end of the sitting for that day, and if ; the discussion were not then finished ’ it could be continued next day. After , thinking the matter over the suggestion he had made seemed to him the most satisfactory way of dealing with the document, to which importance must be attached. If it were found as they proceeded on Tuesday that the arrangement he had suggested was not satisfactory he was prepared to meet the wishes of the House and see if something more acceptable could be arranged. SECRET SESSION HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. ' ALL DAY SITTING LIKELY. ■ WELLINGTON, This Day. The House of Representatives immediately went into secret session on ’ its resumption at 10.30 o’clock this ! morning, with the prospect of an allday secret sitting.