laid upon the Table—

1. (1) Report of the Land and Agricultural Bank of South Africa for the year ended 31st December, 1923. [U.G. 17—’24].
2. (2) Statement of assets and liabilities of the Land and Agricultural Bank as at the 31st December, 1923.
3. (3) Profit and loss account of the Land and Agricultural Bank as at the 31st December, 1923.
4. (4) Return of interest and instalments due to the Land and Agricultural Bank on the 31st December, 1922, and outstanding on the 31st December, 1923.

Documents referred to the Select Committee on Public Accounts.

Mr. Speaker, mag ek, met verlof, een vraag aan die edelagbare die Eerste Minister stel, n.l.—

Daar is eers een formele saak te behandel, en ek moet die edele lid vra om een oomblik te wag.

read a letter, dated the 7th April, 1924, from the Secretary to the Prime Minister, reporting the election of Andries Stephanus Naude for the electoral division of Wakker stroom, in the room of James van der Merwe, deceased.

I think hon. members opposite have every reason to feel elated for the moment over this Wakkerstroom election. The Government also considers it an election of crucial importance. Although nominally only a bye-election all the surrounding circumstances give it a very special significance, a significance which does not attach to an ordinary bye-election. After Wakkerstroom the Government is doubtful whether it still enjoys the confidence of the country.

There is no doubt about it.

We still have a Parliamentary majority, but that is not enough. We are dealing with far-reaching questions of policy, questions which only a Government enjoying the confidence of the country, in addition to the confidence of Parliament, should undertake. As I said, the result of the Wak kerstroom election is to raise a serious doubt whether the Government still enjoys that confidence. That, so far as my colleagues and myself are concerned, is decisive; without the full confidence of the country we are not prepared to carry on the grave tasks of Government. Under these circumstances the Government is of the opinion that the country should be consulted as soon as possible, and that a fresh Parliament should be elected. We therefore propose not to go any further with the ordinary work of the session, but after taking the necessary votes on account, and the passing of the necessary Appropriation Bills, we propose to advise His Excellency the Governor-General to dissolve this House and to fix new elections at an early date. The necessary notices will be given to suspend Standing Orders so that, if possible, this necessary legislation may be passed by Thursday through both Houses. On the second reading of the Part Appropriation Bills next Wednesday, the Ministers of Finance and Railways will make fairly full statements as to the present financial position. The Government therefore does not propose to go on with any of the Orders of the Day, but simply to confine itself to the passing of the necessary Appropriation Bills, which enable the carrying on of the services in the interval, before the meeting of the new Parliament.

Die Regering beskou dat die Wakkerstroom verkiesing van kritieke belang is. Hoewel dit in naam maar ’n tusseverkiesing is, gee al die omstandighede dit ’n seer spesiale betekenis, dis nie ’n gewone tusseverkiesing kenmerk nie. Na Wakkerstroom is die Regering onseker of hy nog die vertroue van die land geniet. Dit is waar, ons het nog ’n Parlementêre meerderheid, maar dit is nie genoeg nie. Ons is besig verreikende kwessies te behandel, kwessies wat alleen behandel mag word deur ’n Regering, wat die vertroue van die land, sowel as van die Parlement, besit. Soos ek gesê het, is die uitslag van Wakkerstroom sodat daar ernstige twyfel bestaan of die Regering nog die vertroue besit. Sover as my kollega’s en myself betref, is dit beslissend. Sonder die volle vertroue van die land is ons nie bereid aan te gaan die sware laste van die Regering te dra nie. Onder al die omstandighede is die Regering van sienswyse, dat die land geraadpleeg moet word so spoedig moontlik, en dat ’n nuwe Parlement verkies moet word. Ons stel dus voor nie verder voort te gaan met die gewone werk van die sessie nie, maar na die nodige geldelike voorsieninge gemaak is deur die passeer van Addisionele Middelewette, stel ons voor die Goewerneur-Generaal te adviseer om die Volksraad te ontbind en nuwe verkiesinge vas te stel vir so vroeg moontlike datum. Die nodige kennisgewinge sal geskied om die Staande Regeling te suspendeer, sodat indien moontlik, hierdie nodige wetgewing Donderdag deur beide Huise kan gaan. By die tweede lesing van die Middelewette sal die edelagbare die Ministers van Finansies en Spoorwee tamelik volle verklaringe maak omtrent die teënwoordjge finansiële toestand van die land. Die Regering stel dus voor om nie met enige order van die dag aan te gaan nie, maar om sig net te bepaal by die passeer van hierdie Middelewette, wat die Regering in staat sal stel met die administrasie van die publieke dienste aan te gaan in die tussenpause, voordat die nuwe Parlement weer by mekaar kom.

Ek is oortuig daarvan, dat die Huis met (blydskap die boodskap of intensies van die Regering verneem het.

Die edele iid kan dit nie bespreek nie.

Ek wil net sê dat die vraag wat ek wou stel en wat ek al half gestel het was juis die vraag wat nou al beantwoord is deur die edelagbare die Eerste Minister.

I think we have all heard, certainly in this corner of the House, with great satisfaction—[Dissent.]

Order, order!

I want to say this, that it will be very interesting for the House to know whether the Government’s plans are to have this general election before or after the Prince of Wales’ visit, because it will be distinctly inconvenient to have the country in a turmoil at the time we are receiving a very distinguished guest.

That is what they want.

Mr. Speaker, I beg to give notice to move—

Nou, Mr. Speaker, mag ons ook hoor wat aangaan? Ons kan niks hoor nie. Ek wil de edelagbare die Minister vraag ons te laat hoor wat aangaan.

So far the hon. the member has heard nothing. There has been nothing to hear. There has been too much elated conversation. I beg to give notice that to-morrow I propose to move for leave to introduce a Bill to apply a further sum not exceeding £4,000.000 on account of the service of the year ending 31st March, 1925.

I beg to give notice to move for leave to introduce a Bill to apply a further sum not exceeding £2,500,000 on account of the service of the Railways and Harbours Administration for the year ending 31st March, 1925.

I move—

Mr. Speaker, nou mag ek asseblief, nou het ek die geleentheid, ’n paar woorde te sê op die verdaging, me waar?

Die edele lid lean die besigheid van die Huis bespreek.

Ek dink dis baie besigheid van die Huis, die verdaging van die Huis. Ek wens net hier nou te sê, korteliks, in ’n paar woorde dat ek van harte wil toejuig die verdaging. Ek dink dat die hele publiek daar buite toe sal juig die oorsaak van hierdie verdaging, want ek glo nie, Mr. Speaker, dat daar meer enige twyfel kan wees, dat die Regering hulle tyd uitgedien het nie en dat die volk daar buite maar te seer sal verwelkom ’n nuwe eleksie, wat sal te kenne gee wat die wil en wat die begeerte van die volk is. Ek wil hier niks verder daaromtrent sê nie, dan alleen dat ek wens van harte my goedkeuring te gee aan die besluit deur die Regering geneem, soëwe deur die edelagbare die Eerste Minister bekend gestel, en wat hom daartoe gebring het om nou die verdaging van die Huis voor te stel.

May we now comment on the Government’s position? I want to concur with what has been said by the leader of the opposition, that this is a moment we have been waiting for a very long time and it is a moment the country has been waiting for for a very long time. Over in this corner of the House we have looked for the day of this election, and we look upon this Parliament as a Parliament elected on a completely false issue. We look upon it as a Parliament which is conceived—I was going to say, conceived in sin—but this Parliament was conceived entirely by the hon. member who sits next to the Prime Minister, the right hon. the Minister of Agriculture, under the guise of the flag, in order to try to reduce the number of labour representatives. They have no other object. Look at them—the hon. member for Germiston (Mr. McAlister), the hon. member for Bezuidenhout (Mr. Blackwell), and all of them! [Interruption.] I am going to speak! If hon. members think I am not, they are mistaken. I say that the election by which this Parliament was returned was never dreamt of in the mind of the right hon. the Minister of Agriculture, so that he could secure the British connection. It was purely to regain for the Unionists’ rump a few of the seats which they lost to us, and deservedly lost. We accept the challenge now; we have been challenging them for months, and I venture to say that however much they may laugh at the “Pact,” the “Pact” expresses the determination of the mass of the people to see the Government’s days numbered, and the Government dismissed into oblivion.

Keep that for the platform!

We confidently hope to see those hon. members sitting on the opposite side.

I could well understand the hon. member’s for Stamford Hill (Mr. Creswell) excitement and disappointment at the dissolution of Parliament, because he will have to look round again for another constituency. I want to say this, on the eve of a general election, that it is the duty of hon. members of this House to enlighten and not to deceive the constituencies. Hon. members on the other side have gone round the country, and where the constituency is more ignorant, they have taken advantage of the ignorance of the constituents to exaggerate the untruths they have told. They have gone round from one constituency to another, telling the people that this Government has inflicted additional taxation on the farmers, to relieve the mining industry. If they do that again any hon. member who comes to this House will do so under false pretences.

I would just like to say a few words—

Schmolke!

We have listened to the hon. member for Stamford Hill (Mr. Creswell) and to the hon. member for Smithfield (Gen. Hertzog). When I was young I once went into a cemetery and there I saw an epitaph—“Prepare yourselves to follow me!” These gentlemen have got up and given us this epitaph, but a wag underneath that epitaph wrote—