PARLIAMENT AT PLAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 233, 2 October 1925, Page 9

PARLIAMENT AT PLAY.

* « i SAMPLES OF LEGISLATIVE WIT j i kr. isrrr prohibited. i ABOLISHING THE COUNCIL. ! (T- Tcl~rra,-.o. —rarilanipnturr Report r.i j WELLINGTON. Thursday. Tiie strenuous Timfs in the House of Representatives in th" effort to end the i ?«jioii to-day justified members of all parties in enjoying a parody on the serious affairs of Parliament when they ! Lad to adjourn this morning while the ! signature of the '.nvcrnor-O-eneral i was obtained to the Appropriation Act. Parliamentary wit is u a ually laboured. ; but some sporadic effort* on this ncea- | sion were quite appreciated by those j wh<~> know the intricacies of procedure, j The first demand was io lock the doors and placp Mr. Harris in the chair. -I'll ! bet he will be str-rn," declared Mr. Pot- j ter. The installation of tiie member for Waitemata led immediately to a point j of order over Mr. Speaker having his j hand in his pocket. It was decided as j it was his own pocket the point was frivolous. An attempt by Mr. Nosworihv to get the mock speaker's eye led to a call for Mr. Lysnar. A: the urgent request, of the Minister of Finance, the House went into committee of ways and means. Mr. Howard being nominated as chairman. He objected, a? he had no listening-in set. but on relenting, took charge and was I greeted with a motion from Mr. Fraser I to report progress. Mr. t ostes. who had | taken his sea; just behind him. '"begged to support the motion so ably moved by my leader." Mr. Eraser.- Not guilty. (Loud laagh-

ter. i The inevitable point of order joke was well handled by the temporary chairman, who undertook to quote May. the weil-known Parliamentary authority. but was urged to try March. He decided, on the authority of the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute, that there was no point of order. A message from a very femporarv officer of the blac-k rod demanded that members proceed immediat ".- to Bellamy's to settle their accounts. This was ignored as an amusing interlude came from Mr. Potter, who. from Mr. Isitt's place, made a speech which Mr. Ngata misinterpreted. Sir Maui Pomare got in some remarks in French, which the member for Waitemata explained in free style. A suggestion to abolish the Legislative Council was adopted without the slightest formality. Equally acceptable was the motion to prohibit Messrs. Wright and Isitt, though Mr. Wright objected strongly, pointing out that he was in his place till v a.m.. but Mr. Isitt was not there. Where was he ? • The mock Parliament declined to hear Mr. Isitt, but forthwith prohibited him. Efforts to maintain the fun became more laboured, and eventually ended on the doleful notes of "It ain't Going to Rain no More."" ■ ■ - =3