THE PAST AND PRESENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 136, 8 June 1907, Page 7

THE PAST AND PRESENT.

jjSIQCE PARLIAMENTARY DINNER. INTERESTING POLITICAL REMINISCENCES.

Auckland Parliamentarians, past and ■ present, gathered in the Pacific Club last night at a reunion dinner, an exceedingly interesting and enjoyable reminiscent evening being the result. Around the prettily decorated tables was a representative attendance of politicians whose united experience went back almost to the beginning of parliamentary "ovemment of New Zealand. Facing the chairman was an appropriate emblem, a mace of silk entwined with violets. The Hon. J. A. Tole, K.C. (whose entry into Parliamentary life was in 1875), presided, and th? Hon. George Fowlds (Minister for Education and publics Health 1, elected a member in 1900 occupied the viee-ehair. They were supported by Sir G. Maurice o'Rorke (Speaker of the Legislative Council, 1556), the Hon. Seymour Tborne George (1879), Hon. W. Beehan (1904),, ,Hon r 'f. Thompson (1884), Hon. E. i ' Mitehelson (1883). Hon. B. Harris (187 D), Hon. W. Kelly (1871), Hon. W. Mc■(*_ouHi and Hon. Major Harris, Messrs. ¥ Mander (1903).-'. Bollard (1897), 0. H Poole (1906). F. Lawry .(1887), W. H. Hemes (1897). E. W. Alison (1903), A. E. Greenslade (1900). H. Poland (1906), F. E. Baume, K.C. (1903), F. W. Lang (1894), present members ot" the House of Representatives: R- Monk (18S7), E G B. Moss (1903). A. E. Harding (1903), J. J- Holland (1597), W. F. Buckknd (1884), R. Thompson (1887), and W. J. Speight (1579), members of previous Parliament*. Apologies for nonattendance were read irom Sir John Loc»an Campbell (who headed the list as "the senior ./arliameintarian, whose political career commenced in 155., the Acting-Premier (Hon. W. HallJones), Hon. R. McNab, Hon. J. A. "M_ar, Hon. J. McGowan, Sir RoheTt Stout, Hon. Scotland, Hon. J. Bryce, Dr. Wallace, Mr. W. L. Rees, Mr. R. Hobbs, Mr. Jackson Palmer., and Mr. L. M. Grace. The Chairman, as the eldest member cf the clnb, who is an ex-member of Parliament, welcomed the guests. It was, he said, 31 years since he entered Parliament, tat this period was dwarfed when he thought of the fifty years since Sir John Logan Campbell commenced his 'political career. Sir John was the only survivor of the Parliament of IS">6. He went on to briefly recapitulate the constitutional development of the colony, referring to the provincial parliaments as the high schools of politics. The New Zealand Parliament had now lived fifty years, he said. It's life had been laborious, "wnotirable, and fruitful, and its Ijaders so far had nearly all died poor. The speaker became reminiscent. I He told his hearers of Mr. Seddon's great j stonewalling exploit in blocking a Rep- | reseatation Bill by decanting eloquently j nppn the merits of his constituents, tak- . ing them individually on Ihe electoral j list. When he reached the letter '"_ , i he was called to order and pulled up by i Sir Maurice o'Rorke. Then there was .Mr. W. I_ Rees, who spoke continuously 1 for sixteen hours, but the newspapers 4 next morning rewarded this exertion! merely with the statement, "Mr. Kees 1 ..".spoke.". The presence of Major Harris .jreminded him of an amusing incident. ■i-Sir George Grey was making a speech particularly directed at Sir John Hall, , who occupied the time—in an ill-man-Dered way as Sir George Grey thought— -in correcting a "Hansard" proof. As a pretest he stood for forty minutes absolutely silent, but in possession of the floor. The scene was solemn, and

it was silent except for points of order •triiic]] did not seem to be able to get the old statesman down, until Major Harris

rose and asked, "Mr. Speaker, will all this silence be recorded in 'Hansard""''" \Lo _ laughter.) They had reason to be justly proud of the exceedingly able maimer in which Sir Joseph Ward had represented the colony at the Imperial Conference. In sixty years the colony Jtad passed from a dependency of New South Wales through various stages until it took its stand, no longer as a subordinate, but as a respectable and intelligent member of the Imperial partnership. THE GOOD OLD DATS. "Parliaments of the Bast*" was pro _sed by the Hon. George Fowlds, who convoyed the apologies of his ministerial colleagues who were quite unable to leave Wellington at present. He de-s-aibed as a happy inspiration ihe idea of Mr. W. J. Speight, which had resulted "a the gathering. " If they looked at the &t of those who formed the first three parliaments, they would be surprised to fcid how many of the names were household words in. the colony. Tlie native question, though now very much modi**ed, was still a question just as it was lor the earlier Parliaments. As for "j. provincial Parliaments, -which once such a bone of contention, he Relieved that had their legislative powers f&h less and their administrative _ were greater they might have lived Bata to-day, aDd he did not know now "whether there was not a, need to revert *a a, modified form of provincial government "for the colouv.

t-ir Maurice O'Rorke responded. His jeonnection -rsith New Zealand Parliaments had extended over 45 years, he saiti When he first arrived in the waitemata, the harbourmaster annouue--6d that there was a very serious state et affaijs, a new legislative body calhd the General Assembly having come into Existence, and as their first onslaught ***'Upon the old Executive Council, the harbourmaster did not know whether *&c old officials would not also be swept away. Out of 37 forming the .Parliaaent in those days, twelve belonged to In his first year he" made friendships with Mr McAndraw (surterUiendent of Otago). Mr Moorhouse of Canterbury). and Dr. «__ e ,r? ton * 3 (provincial superintendent « Wellington). He was sorry that the rather of Auckland. Sir J. L." Campbell, -""as not able to respond to the toast, for *~ *° oked *_>n him, not only as the yttftet colonist of New Zealand, but - « the Empire. (Applause.)

Mr HaTding said that, as a young "Sew Zea lander, he had always been proud of the reputation ot" the New Zealand House of Representatives among the Parliaments of the Empire. Mr Richard Monk, who was introduced by the chairman as a famous "stonewaller," said there were heroes in the old days, when a blue shirt was a flue costume. There were great men in tbe early Parliaments, with high ideals. If the functions of the provincial Parliaments had been extended, he believed the public debt -would be less than at present, when Parliaments were somewhat reckless of passing ihe colony over to foreign bondhr.ldf.rs.

! Mr Buckiand told his hearers that tbe very early days were strenuous days, when everyone returned was a statesman. Then ""politicians'' began to be returned, and all the members now were; politicians, who talked an enormous lot about small items. With some inconsistency, he went on to declare it was a good job he was not in Parliament now, because ;n his days they sat up al! night talking on the Representation Bill. The South Island members once poohpoohed a North Island proposal that each island should have equal representation. Now the turn of the North had come, for it had a larger number of members than the South. Contributing his share to the fund of anecdote, he. told his hearers of the Maori member who objected to the dog tax because one of his ancestors was a dog. However, another member reminded the Maori tbat the proposed legislation did not affect his ancestor, as legislation could not be retrospective. (Laughter.) Then there was "Clutha'' Thompson's" witty description of a hundred thousand acres: ''It is bounded ou the east by the rising sun, on tbe south by the south pole, on the west by the setting mn, and on the north by the Day of Judgment!"

PARLIAMENT OF THE PRESENT. The Hon. E. Mitehelson eutmutted "The Parliament of the Present." He hoped this Parliament would show itself in the coming session to be "the" Parliament of New Zealand, and show by its work that it justified the prophesies. There were only two members of the, present Parliament. Sir Wm. Stewart and the Hon. T. Duncan who were in Parliament when the speaker was elected in 1881. Referring to tbe stork:s told by tbe speakers, Mr Mitehelson said he went to Parliament, liK:e_ Mr Monk, with hish ideal*, but found ther<; were tricks and traps for a young and innotent man. (Laughter.) Mr Massev. in responding, said he would not claim that the present Parliament war, any better than others; it was certainly' no worse. He did not think it treason to say that there were members of past Parliaments who would be useful members now. The occasion was unique, memorable, and interesting, and Mr Speight deserved thanks for bringing about such a gathering. The old days wero worth living m, and the conditions existing then tended to better bring out the qualifications of humanity than at present. The Hon. S. T. George put in a plea for the '-mending" rather than the '■endin~" of the Legislative Council, pointing to "its utility Tn checking hasty legislation. Could the Council be amended? he asked.

Mr. Speight: Impossible, it's perfect! Mr. George retorted that this might be. the remark of a young memher. He went on to show that the elective system would produce conflicts between the two Houses, and declared the nominative sysi torn preferable, if mayors of municipali- ' ties, chairmen of harbour boards, and I any person who did service to the State ' were qualified for nomination. He favoured an age limit of 0-5, instead of a term lof seven years.

Mr. W. H. Herries complained jocularly of the attitude taken up by the "extinct volcanoes" towards the men of the present, the giants of the future. It reminded him of the song: '"Of course you can never be like us; But be as like as it's possible to be!*' The modern parliament had passed the largest statute book in the shortest time, and no doubt the new King's Counsel present —whom he congratulated —would get the best out of that book. (Laughter.)

Mr. Poole described himself as "the juvenile member of the quintette," and opined that after such a display of crystallised wisdom, he would display the wisdom of keeping quiet. However, he thought the world was as vigorous as ever, and the present Parliament was the finest one he had ever been connected with, for it was his only one. (Laughter.) Given a fair chance, the present Parliament would pass legislation which would some day be regarded as ornaments of the Statute Book.

Mr. Lang prophesied a good deal of work for the present Parliament in dealing with the amendment of the tariff, an occupation upon which he had twice been engaged.

Mr. E. G. B. Moss briefly proposed "Our Absent Comrades.""*

""Our Hosts" was pledged, upon the proposal of Mr. F. E. Baume, amd responded to by Messrs. W. J. Speight and E. ""TV. Alison, a very successful gathering then concluding with the singing of : 'Auld Lang Syne" and the National Anthem.