The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1924. THE TONE OF PARLIAMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 167, 16 July 1924, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1924. THE TONE OF PARLIAMENT.

For the cause that lacks assistant; For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that urn can do.

"And even the weariest river winds somewhere safe to sea." The debate on the Address-in-Reply finished its undistinguished course yesterday, and came to the end marked out for it. The division on Mr. Wilford's amendment showed that since the tests of the previous session neither developments during the recess nor the oratory of members in the debate had been able to turn a vote either way. We do not know what Mr. Wilford had in his mind , when he gave notice of his amendment, but unless he had reason to believe that t there would be a change in the voting, the soundness of his tactics was doubtful. The terms of his amendment and his own speeches and those of his colleagues contained deserved indictments of the Government, but was anything gained that could not have been achieved with less waste of the Houso'b time by waiting for a later opportunity to divide the House on some important question of policy? It was almost certain that there would be no division result that would make an early election probable or inevitable. Now this is quite certain. The fact that three | members of the House, two of whom vote against the Government, are going to South Africa, at once, makes it quite , clear that the House is in no mood for I a dissolution. We do not remember a less impressive debate. This may have been due in great part to the atmosphere of unreality that surrounded the proceedings, but that would hardly be an adequate excuse for the general mediocrity of the speeches and the almost childish character of many of the interjections and retorts. Breadth of view and dignity are almost as rare in the House as good speaking. The parish pump too often . usurps the place of the national or international problem, but this would b© more tolerable if members would conduct their excursions into tho parochial and the trivial with more dignity. In certain important respects the House has always had a high reputation. It never brawls; scenes of disorder and violence such as have disgraced some other British Parliaments arc unknown. It respects the Chair, and it has had some exceptionally able Speakers, who have done their best to set up and maintain a high tradition, i Where it fails is in the maintenance of personal dignity. The "front bench" men, who ought to set an example, arc often offenders. The Prime Minister sometimes makes interjections which ought to be beneath his dignity, and the ' Leader of the Opposition meets him on this ground. The sparring between the parties sometimes reminds one of a dialogue between quarrelling boys. "I can fight you." "You can't." "I can." "You can't." "I can." "Well, come and do it." "I'm not afraid," and so on, challenge and counter-challenge interlarded freely with the argot of tha street and the school. • It may be said that in the House of Commons, the Assembly of the j Mother of Parliaments, from which we take our practice and tradition, there : is often lack of dignity and, worse, ' downright rowdiness. That is so, but against it have to be put the higher ; tone of many of the speeches, and the : example set by the front benches. ! Undignilicd interjection- and retorts ,

come nearly all from the rank and file. Ministers and ex-Ministers, as a class, have more regard for both the King's English and their own dignity than have the corresponding figures in our House. These characteristics have not changed with tho arrival of a Labour Government. There are irrepressible, explosive, and turbulent spirits in the party, but the dignity of the front Treasury bench is just as safe with Mr. Mac Donald as it was with Mr. Lloyd George or Mr. Asquith. It is inconceivable that Mr. Mac Donald and Mr. Baldwin would throw at each other some of the trivialities that are tossed across the House in Wellington. Members of the New Zealand House might reflect that the public is not altogether stupid, but that it observes what goes on, and from trivialities as well as serious statements of policy forms its own idea of the value of Parliament.