PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2673, 1 December 1909, Page 7

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

SAYINGS DAY BY DAY

“What a splendid opportunity the Government had in recent years of laying the foundation of financial stability.”—Member for Wellington North. w * * * # “I regret that the time should come when freehold should be the dominant note in the land legislation of this country.”—Mr. Fotrbes. * * * * “The influence of enthusiasm has been behind the Liberal Party of the past. The Liberal party of the future .will have to face its election without that enthusiasm behind it.”—Mr. Forbes. Mr. G. W. Russell: “Maori land should pay its fair share of taxation.” The Hon. A. T. Ngata: “It pays more than its eihare- now.” * ? * I “The perdition of political wrong-doing.”-—Mi;. G. W. Russell’s epitome of the proposal to give the freehold to the Crown tenants. * * * “I don’t blame the Government in connection with the land proposals. I believe they have been forced upon them by public opinion, but I don' v say that public opinion is right.”—Mr. Forbes. # . *- * “He sees the worst sido of everything. It’s a craze with the hon. gentleman.”—Sir Joseph Ward on Mr. J. Allen * * * “I am beginning to suspect everyone,” remarked Mr. Fisher. “Oh, no,” promptly interjected the Hon. R. McKenzie “that is not your nature.” * * * * “Canterbury has always been to the forefront of the battle for the retention of the Crown lands. That is brought about by the fact that we have seen the wisdom of the reserves of land made in the early days of the province.”—Mr. F<srbes. * * * “At the next general election a large number of men will be returned to this House who will say that the leasehold is not to be snuffed out.”— Mr. G. W. Russell. * * * “I believe that if a want-of-confi-dence motion were carried in this House-it would even then be difficult to eject the Government from office.” —Mr. Herdman. * * * “When you get a Government that you.can squeeze, squeeze them as much as you can,” said Mr. Herries, in referring to the ’expectation of the freeholders in regard to further concessions in land tenure legislation. Mr. Laurenson, the Government Whip, interjected: “That is political morality for you, with a vengeance.” Mr. Herries met this remark with the ready retort: “The hon. gentleman,, although Government Whip, voted against hi.s party to-day. and yet he is still Government Whip. That is his idea of political'morality! We have different ideas about political morality.” “Amen,” rejoined Mr. Laurenson. * * *

“I am always in favor of taxing wealth when it gets above a certain amount.” —Mr. Herries.

For every case in which justice is done as the result of a petition to Parliament, there are ten cases in which justice is not done to petitioners. —Statement of opinion by Mr. Massey.