STONEWALLING THE REPRESENTATION BILL.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 158, 3 September 1881, Page 2

STONEWALLING THE REPRESENTATION BILL.

The whole night, up to 2.30 this mornning, was spent over clause 2 of the Ile-p'-esenlaiion Bill. The bell had to be rung every few miou'es to get a quorum. The nominal question was the substitution of sixty for niuet.y-o- c as the number of members. Mr. spoke upwards of two bouvs. 4 ? ier'l.Bo., Mr Levestam spoke for half an hour, and then the chairman left the chair for half au hour. On resuming, Mr. Levpstam continued reading long extracts, but, getting tired, he said something about biibery, wheeupou, Mr. Pitt called attention to this unparliamentary lauguage. My. Bastings, te help further, moved that the words be ' ' <\ down ; and Mr. Speight mede ah serio-comic speech p ' to the danger to a noble cause by the useofbnd lan., s^ge. After further d'Scussioa, tbe chapman called on Mr. J evestam to wii'idi-aw tbe expression, wbicli be d'd : uutl haviug lecove ud treat' 1 , he went on speaking until Mr. •Seddon came to the rescue. The latter complained of the discou 1 -tesv of JYlitrste<s m read!- t instead o'c' attending to what he srid. "Mr. Lev.-stam then asued for a ruling whether sleeping members ooold be counted to make up a quo nm. Tue cbai'man ruled m tbe affirniuive. Mr. Bastings ruled some oihe': poiot of ordejaod Mr. Leva.stam. leaving the ehambfcvetu ued speedily with a fvesh pile of oooks. After fuvthe •• speak 1 ng he moved that tbe chairman le-- 1 /c theckii'-, which w?s lost oa & division hy 23 to 10. M". Basiings then made a. loug speech on t'lebeant'esaud capabilities of tbe Waika:a, which ibe Bill p'opoted 1.0 wipe out. His constituents desued him to des?st this Iq every possible way. He proceeded i for a Jong ime, when a rest was afforded h'm by attention being called to the state of the Hou- i. A quorum beiag ion* m he proceeded to read page after ppje Aoin a treatise on poli.ical economy, im'ki'ig explanatory notes as he went on. Another divesion having been mode, by rising some point of order, Mr. Bpstiajs went on agaia. At last M?jbr Atki Mm ra'-jed a question whether the disci 1 ' n shonld not be limued to clawse 2. The chai'manruledajain&thim. M'',jor Atkiubouthea objected that Mr. Bastings w?s reading what purported to his speech. Mr. BasLiugs defeuded h .• = « -el P. when Iris voice failed. Mr. Seddoa took lrm to task for lisp'ng «ut his words like a lady, thus giving him a r. t. Mr. B^s.io^s went on a^ain until 4.20, when Mr. Pitt moved that progress be reported. Mr Bn-tiogs Jin'sed a point of orde" about a member snoring, which he saw 1 affected his sensitive organization. Major Atkinson snid that the Government would not consent to p ogress being reported. He appealed to the minority, now that they bad entered their protes', not 'o , persist iv ho less obstruction. '.Pitt | replied that they were determined not to allow tbe clauce to pass that sitting. If an adjournment wei-e granted they won'd consolt. nod possibly come to some a rangement. Major Atkinson replied that the Government could not allowjam 7'noiity to do \vh?t they pleased; Mr;' Hurstbouse urged the Government to consent 1o an adjournment. They were fighting their own best fiifnds.. Oq a division, tbe motion to repovj progress wa« lost by 22 <o 8. Mr Gibbs then and thatiheir reasonable request for a trufe'e beinw refued, tjey must keep .up the fight. Ac 5. 10 Ms>jor Atkinson moved that Mr. Seymour be relieved from the chair, ami that Mr. ITamlin take it, which was agreed to. M'.Pitt said tb the wou' : noi, bare n>p(\e *be overture 1 : i>e did bad he been }>w..r«, i»she was now informed, thnt the Ooveininent had th'eatened that the action of the JSTelsou members would wp.'jj'i a.^'nst Him when the estimates Ci>nie oil! M ii Atkinson denied that any such i!:-e- xv:<s erer made. Mr. Wnksfielu s;«'d t the Nelson members had h'"s auuanthy m the bold stand they bad i igb. ts. H e s,> wno good to be gaiued by afi.iourning, but as tbev seemed determined to go on he wood keep up the debate (ill they h:<d t ; moto re."- esh themselves. He wps s pea V ing Ai six o'clook, when another motion to report progress was rejected by 22 to 7. Mr. Sed.lou and Mr. Pitt kept things up. At 6 30 Mr. Basils snffges)cd half-pn-hor'-'s rdjourunrient, which the cbair- J n?nn declined to allow. Another molion to report progress was lost by 22 to 7. A quotum bad several 'mes to be lung for. The speakivg was kept up by Mr^ Sh«p-» hard aud Mr kefestaou

At 8 30 Mr. Seddon appealed to Mr. Seymour, who was again m the chair, to adjourn for half-an hour for breakfast. There were loud cries of " No," and the the cb-'i .man refused to do so. Mr. Seddon then continued speaking for about two hours, when Mr. Pitt and Mr. Ley.fr tan relieved him. Several motions to report progress were negatived on \divi,sions, the numbers ranging from 2O.upwa 3s against 5. Mr. Seddon said that he was of opinion that Mr. Bryce, who had relieved Mr. Seymour, was not properly constituted chairman, and he moved tlat he do now leave the chair for the purpose of refer! ing the matter to Mr. Speaker. The motion was negatived on the voices. At one o'clock this afternoon a motion by Mr. Reeves to report progress was negatived by 29 to 19. At 3.15 p.m., Mr. Reeves, after speaking for two howrs and a-half, sat down. The Committee then divided on Mr. B- king's amendment, to substitute sixty for ninety-one, which was . negatived by 40 to 24. Mr. Gisborne thereupon movdd an amendment to give the South Island foi ly-six and the North Island forty-five members,