AMENDMENTS CLASH.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 263, 4 October 1933, Page 9

AMENDMENTS CLASH.

THE EXCHANGE ISSUE. WELLINGTON Oct. 3. The complicated Standing Orders of the House of Representatives afford traps for the unwary, and it takes’ an old head to prevent frustration of a tactical move. Two amendments to the Address-in-Reply motion are clashing—the Labour want-of-confidence amendment and the hostile high exchange amendment moved by Mr R. A. Wright. At first glance it appeared that division on Mr Wright’s proposal would result in the automatic removal from the Order Paper of the amendment of Mr H. E. Holland; but closer examination of Parliamentary terminology and procedure suggests that this view may be erroneous. It would now seem almost certain that the boot is on the other foot, and that the Government can actually avoid a vote on the exchange issue. The Labour amendment proposed to add certain words to the Address-in-Reply motion, and in the ordinary course of events the Opposition amendment would have been voted on first. However, Mr Wright complicated the position by moving to omit Mr Holland’s amendment and insert his own. This means that the first motion before the House will be for the omission of the Opposition amendment. Should the Government decide to retain the words in the meantime, Mr Wright’s amendment would lapse. The result would be that the House would subsequently have a straightout vote on the no-confidence issue, and avoid a more serious division on the exchange controversy.