A QUESTION OF BOOTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 185, 7 August 1925, Page 9

A QUESTION OF BOOTS.

MR. ISITT AND TEE UPPER HOUSE. TO BE OR NOT TO BE? (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. "There is a rumour afloat that the ion. gentleman is to be placed on the Legislative Council this session," said Mr. H. E. Holland to-night, referring to Mr. L. M. Isitt, member for Christchurch North. "I want the Government to say whether any bargain has been made. Will the Prime Minister give an assurance that the hon. gentleman will not be placed on the council? (Ministerial laughter). That is a fair question." The Prime Minister: Is it? Mr. Holland: Either the idea is to place him there or not. Will the Prime Minister say he is going to put him there ? The Prime Minister: I will not. Mr. Holland: WeU, if not, the Prime Minister did not say not. Mr. Holland hoped that no appointments would be made to the Legislative Council by way of reward to those who shed their principles. First, the hon. ■ member had dark yellow boots, the nearest approach to red; then he got the Liberal boot, now he has one Liberal boot and one Reform boot, but has left the Liberal boot on the right foot and the right Reform boot on the left foot, and there's another boot waiting for him. (Laughter). That is the political boot at the hands of the electors. (Renewed laughter). • Every member of the Labour party has tried hard, said the Prime Minister, to find out whether the member for Christchurch North is going into the Upper House, but it is like asking the candidate the question, has he left-off beating his wife. If the Leader of the Labour party will possess his soul in patience he will know in good time what will happen to the member for Christchurch North, but I can assure him there is no bargain, no arrangement, and that the member is the last man in New Zealand to ask for anything of -the kind. He is a very old and respected member of this House. Precedent in Personalities. ' A bitter complaint was voiced by the Prime Minister. I do complain bitterly, and I feel unsafe, he said, when private conversations can be repeated in the House. The member for Manukau committed a serious breach of etiquette as between members of Parliament and their colleagues. We talk to one another and play games of billiards together, but it is too much for the member to take advantage of that to pass a remark that another member would rather miss prayers than billiards, and I sincerely hope he will eliminate that from his Hansard. Mr. Jordan: I will say it on the platform. The Prime Minister added that he de-precatecr-entirely the method of reply adopted by the' member for Manukau. It was a position members were Hot used to. They had not heard it before, and the member for Manukau would have this satisfaction that he had set an example which had not been previously set.