A SPEAKER’S ACTION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3418, 9 January 1912, Page 5

A SPEAKER’S ACTION.

TO BE INQUIRED INTO. BY A ROYAL COMMISSIONER. (UNITED PBESS ASSOCIATION COPYBIGHT] (Received Jan. 8, 9.10 p.m.) SYDNEY, Jan. 8. Judge Backhouse- lias been appointed a Royal Commissioner to inquire into Speaker Willis’s suspension of Mr Robinson, Chief of the Hansard staff, and Mr. Robinson’s alleged insubordination. CONDITIONS AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE. MR. WILLIS STRAIGHTENING THINGS OUT. An explanation was made by Mr. Willis of the reasons that led up to the drastic treatment of the attendants at Parliament House recently. Mr. Willis stated that on his taking the Speakership he found a condition of Bohemianism existing, in which the messengers were on familiar terms with Ministers, and he immediately set about righting things. The messengers, he said, were disrespectful to the members of Parliament, and there was a heavy odor of whisky about. In order to protect members from vulgar familiarity, a set of simple rules was issued. Some time ago Mr. Willis was informed of losses of property in the House, one Labor member losing £5 worth from the party room. “It came to my knowledge,” said the Speaker, “that detectives in plain clothes were secreted about the building spying upon members and messengers in endeavors to find the pilferer. Such a state of chaos could not continue without Parliament being reduced to the common level of a Custom-house. I set about to reestablish the good name of the Legislative Assembly, to protect members from insult, and to have shown to the people’s representatives the respect due to the gentleman they are. CAMPED ON PREMISES. “One messenger,” continued Mr. Willis, “camped on the premises, paraded tlie building in liis flannels and bare body, encouraged youths to congregate about the doors at night, and when the House was sitting at midnight repaired to the gatepost to fraternise with his coterie. He has been cautioned, and his camp has been broken up. This young man was recently in close conversation with the Government Whip in front of my balcony, and immediately there followed at Newcastle an explosion that reached the press.” Mr. Willis went on to explain that Mr. McCourt, when Speaker, established a precedent by reducing the wages of a messenger who had been guilty of an act of insubordination by £ls a year permanently. Since he (Mr. Willis) had been * Speaker, complaints had reached him of one of the messengers. This man was removed from the door, where the offence complained of to the Speaker by members had occurred, and he was given other duties. _ This was resented by the messenger in question, who forced himself into his (Mr. Willis’s) room to make a protest. 9 He was informed that he must not go there again unless sent- for, but that he would not be permanently disrated. This messenger at once put himself in charge of the door from which he had been removed, despite the remonstrance of the chief messenger. Mr Willis saw him there a week afterwards, and had him again removed. Some days subsequently a vacancy occurred in the Chamber. ’ The Chamber was a place of promotion much appreciated by the messengers, and this persistent man was given the position, notwithstanding what had happened. He (Mr Willis) had not registered the man’s -misconduct, so his promotion was directed. bonus REFUSED. “Following on this,” Mr. Willis continued, “the persistent messenger with others applied for a bonus over their .high wages. The departmental papers disclosed that the men had. asked to have a permanent increase in their wage in lieu of a bonus, and their request had been granted.