NIGHT AND DAY.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12398, 20 December 1909, Page 5

NIGHT AND DAY.

THE COUNTRY'S BUSINESS

HOW IT IS DONE

What has often been aptly termed that " indecent haste" with which business is rushed through Parliament, during the -week of a session has been well illustrated during the past two days. The House began its morning sittings on Friday, when it met at ten o'clock. Shortly afterwards it got .into' Committee on the Estimates, and it was understood that it was the intention of the Government jto put through the -whole of the reI mainder of the Estimates before rising, ! and an all-night sitting was anticipatI cd. It was, of course, expected that the Leader of the Opposition would make his usual protest against the process of legislation by exhaustion. This protest was first entered at three | o'clock this morning, after the defence vote .had been put through. He. thin suggested that the House should risa. j Members, he said, liad been working i for seventeen hours, and the hours kept, by Parliament were becoming a public scandal. Tho Prime Minister said that the rest 6f\ the .Estimates should be put through: There was a lot of work to be done. Mr Massey said that the system of legislation pursued .was not fair to the Hfiiise nor to the country, j The Prime Minister said that he want,ed to enable^ members to get home bej fore Christmas. Time had been wasted early in tho day. ......The motion, by. Mr Massey to report progress was defeated by 31 votes to | IS. ' i The next protest' was made by Mr i Massey at 4.20 ami., the estimates |of the Marino Department having been : put through since/the motion, to report "Wo have, been here now," lie said, r" for eighteen hours. It is" time we went home." :.';• " I suggest we., put the; Kst'i'at^s through," said the premier, " and T.met ■again, at 2.30 p.m. instead of JO'-a.ir.."' i " The whole of the Estimates,'1 ;Vir Massey gasped. "Does t).t I'-roTi c\ ■think the country is going to oe -s:-tis-fiecl with this sort of u.'ivx,? T am going to do one of two tiunpo. I am either going to walk nit of tb? House, and let the Prem,or take the responsibility for passing the Estimates, or I am going to -have ihya pioi,t.:iy discussed. I havehad some PxpfrieMce j of legislation by exhansfcij.i, but I tiiii.k ' the r-" r ■•""■' -'is the worst oAperieri: >• o. ! the kind I have ever ivif.ii'--■;.>•'. Tjie Premier was iminov !;!<?, ;i:sJ MY Mi.ssey moved to report [ r.ijjn-.-s. 'I Jus j \v;is lost by 29 )i-=.s "o !■". I Mr Massey asked if it w:i.-> inf ~ i fact tliat the majority of members had not voted in tha "Ayes" lobby. 1 r ;Tho Chairman said this was'not so. ' Tjio only possible explanation was thnT, j iito " Ayes " /"aid had been handed I to tho telltir for " Noes " and vice versa, j Mr Masssy: j suppose they were si ! uenrly asleep that they did not know." | Tho Labour Department's votes were then taken, and these were disposed of by 5.15 a.m. ' | Sir Joseph Ward then took his seat alongside the Chairman, ostensibly to put the Lands Department vote through. Mr Massey once more rose in protest. "We have been here all day and all night," he said. "It is time wo went home. I am willing to come back at 10 a.m.r-if we adjourn now at

this stage. I feel that we are bein"imposed upon."

Sir Joseph Ward said he was quite willing to adjourn and meet again at--10 a.m. The course he had suggested was directed, at getting business through and if it was not completed in the timealready indicated members would not. bo in a position to blame him. The Chairman then left his chair till 10 a.m., when Friday's business wascontinued.

Ihe principal incident in this forenoon's proceedings was a heated discussion in regard to the Wanganui river service (as reported elsewhere). Mr Taylor, in speaking during the afternoon, when. the. question of scenic reservations along •&& Wanganui River was being discussed, asked whether all this talk was part of a deeply-laid plot to make it impossible for the DefenceBill to go through this session. A member suggested that the Housecould go on after Christmas.

I don't care what goes on," said" Mr Taylor, " and I think the House is pretty reckless now." If they had to; come back after Christmas he hoped provision would be made on Supplementary Estimates to repay members for their extra work. "There will have tobo £200 still in that case,"" said Mr Taylor sarcastically. Mr Hogan, who had been speaking" i very frequently on the charms of the Wanganui River., said that he had noknowledge of any such compact, as alleged in regard to the Defence Bill. Mr Taylor: Well, you are evidently being used for that purpose." They had heard so much about the Wangamu River that his head was full of the old' refrain about the Swanee River, and h » wondered that Mr Hogan did not burst int6 song.—(laughter)—was another reference made by Mr Taylor to> Mr Hogan.