INGENIOUS STONEWALLING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 183, 2 August 1913, Page 9

INGENIOUS STONEWALLING.

.— va —. —~s-—■ ■■-.« i i CHAXBMM* AKD .MAORI ORaATICCTS. J (By Tclcsraph.—rarllamcntary-.Reporter.y WEIiIiDfGTON, this day. ' The Hon. A, % Ngata aprnng on thn ' House early thin morning a stonewalling-point-nlmost unique. Ho got tip at midnight to addrciM tho Committee in tho ' Maori tongue, and 1 was proceeding quite, smoothly, when Mr Seddbn smilingly asked tho Chairman .of Committees (Mr Malcolm) if the member for fbo Eastern Mnori District was in 'order. It was quite beyond the Chairman's comprehension to dedde whether Mr Ngftta was dealing with tho brll or dis- ' cussing thn weather and- the crops, < Realising this promptly, Mr Malcolm ' ruled that, as the member was a fluent * English speaker, ho must address the Honse in English, .Attention ivn» called hy Mr Wilforff to ' a precedent set by the Hon. E. McKeoaie, ' who'when in the chair wan faced with a ■ similar di/ficalty, Tho-"iviso member for ' Motneka decided' thct Maori could'he 1 used, and if any member did not under- *« stand it then that' was the member* mia- i fortune, - 1 A challenge to Mr Malcolm.'* mling in ! tbo form of v motion io toko Mr i Speaker's opinion vtih negatrved-on divi- I Bion Iry 32 votes Io 22, t proceedings resumed with t \ few sentoncea in Maori from tho Hon, i A. T. Ngata, interrupted by Mr'Mal- j Joint's peremptory rcquert that the hon. i member resume bin wat, "I have j, rnJed," he declared, "that you must ] speak in English." THE SEIMOtIS BWK. I It won Mr Hu?hcl! who introduced ' (omethrog serious into a Hounc iiul.i.li-i" ! tver with merriment. There wjja nothing ' in the Standing Orde.ru cnmprtlin" a ' Maori member to apeak in English." Ho J intended that there was nothing- to pre- ' rent a member using French. ' "'.This rmitter has gone beyond a joke," ' wid Mr A'gata, who descanted upon the mvi leges of Maori rcpreflentativF* He irowded to talk eloquently in English, realising that ' the ei-pcrirnont lie had tried without on interpreter would not lis pcrmittetf to continue. Mr Parata (Southern Maori member) rantured into Maori a few minutes later, tat quickly desisted at the call of tho ! ..Tiairman, who nsked him-if it wns a fact that he Imd acted in the court* as l in interpreter. ■— Ii