AN INTERESTING DAY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 136, 15 July 1914, Page 7

AN INTERESTING DAY.

COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS.

ANOTHER PAYNE BILL.

THE RED FLAG GETS AN OUTING. [From our own ParkLamantary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, July 14. Of course the great event in Parliament to-day has been the announcement of the long-expeeted appointments to the Legislative Council. There has as yet been no official statement made in the House, but the list was handed to the Press representatives by the- Prime Minister late in the evening. Sir Joseph Ward, who had by some means or other obtained a list, made a valiant attempt to read it to the House, but he was ruled out by Mr Speaker. Most people about the House were convinced that Cabinet had eome to a final conclusion of the matter, but Ministers this morning professed a profound ignorance as to who the nominees wer,e. Now that the list is out, it is interesting t« reflect that nine out of the eleven nominees have been <{ tipped'' by THE SUN, the other two are Messrs Fisher and Simpson, of wJiose appointment no one had ever heard even the suspicion' of a hint.

The Red Flag was waved to some purpose in the House in the. afternoon*, when Mr Payne's Right to Work Bill was introduced. Members on the Government side maintained a frigid silence, but Liberals and Labourites took the opportunity of expressing their views on the wage system at considerable 'length. Whatever one might think of the economic views of some of the speakers, there can be no doubt that a good deal of sound common sense was uttered. The discussion, it cannot be called a debate, was highly interesting - _ throughout, ana the indictment of ' theGovernment's method of dealing with thy industrial problem, if not convincing, was at least spirited. Mr " Payne again uttered his now famous " < charge -that the Government owes its occupancy of the Treasury Benches to "bribery and corruption," but this time he made use of the phrase in the " Parliamentary sense of the term," and escaped Mr Speaker's disapproval. The evening sitting was. not so , sensational, but it was of more practical , r benefit to the country, £ good deal of useful work being done. Altogether it has been a most interesting day.