A RECORD SESSION ENDED.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11749, 25 November 1903, Page 9

A RECORD SESSION ENDED.

- ♦ THE CLOSING SCENES.

(STECIA- TO "ths mess.") WELLINGTON, November 24. The closing scenes of the seraion were not very interesting. Members, to make up for the scramble of Saturday night, lingered over the Supplementary Estimates till after 2 a.m. tla-re wen? some message* from the Legislative. Council to be dealt with, nnd it was three o'clock in the morning before fli» Appropriation Bill wa* reached. Ihe Premie-r contented himself with v {tHr words of explanation, reserving his final effort for a reply to any criticisms that might- he offered. The leader of the Opposition took the opportunity to briefly review the work ot the session- He told the Premier some home truths about the wastfe of time In th* early part of th* sesuion, and the fttfh ot important business in the lust week. H» twitted the- Pi-tmitr with being afraid to fuee the lund question, and »«- mired him tlut during the- life* of the present Parliament tlw Hou«e would be divided on the quertion of gmuting lease.holder* the right to acquire the freehold. If* had also .some-thing to .v>y about the' authority given to tho Govi-nitiient to borr»w money, but' tho burden of bin *peech was the mismanagement of the busim** of the session, flowing with tlit- comforting annirancn to the Premier that ivext eeosion nit tlw forms of th--- House would be used to compel the Government to bring down tho Public Works Statement and other business ut tlie proper date. As daylight streamed into the Chamber, members got sleepy, and the. bulk e>f tlw talk was for the benefit of "Hansard." Mr Henries, in spite of the late hour and a sleepy House, was able to rejoice over the lnct that from the Opposition point of view tho session had been a sntufactory one, for never before had tlie mana of th* Premier been so trampled in the dust. When the member for the Bay of Plenty returned his seat, the House looked for the Premier to reply, but. Mr Bonnet, Air Kaihau, Mr Byrnes,, and Mr Ell had some eloquence to give vent to, and It was breakfast time befeire tlie AppropriotioQ Bill got through ti',l its. stages. The last sitting of the session wa* also on* of the dullest. Members slept through most of the latter part of it on their benches, and at ono stage the few who had their eyes and ears open were treated to the amusing spectacle of two members vainly endeavouring to attract the attention of tlie Speaker, who was enjoying forty winks in'th* Speaker's chair. Ths majority of the southern members had left during the evening, and most of the North Island representatives caught the morning train some hours before the House roee, so that the actual dropping of the curtain on ths session work was witnessed by a tery thin House. (raoM a con-xspoNinser.) WELLINGTON, November 24. A DREARY WAIT. While the House .was discussing fcomparative trifles and occupying time, tliat might have been spent much more profitably oa tho Public Works Estimates, or on the early stages of the Supplementary Esttmates, the elderly gentlemen in "another ptaos** were being forced to ma_itain their lon* vigil till a much later hour titan they, hare yet been kept out of their bads __s-session. It was^ths'Appropriation,Bill they were wishing for, and they mot and met again andytft again, each time to be assured by the Attorney-General that he "had good w_*o_ to balieva th* Bill would soon reach the Counoll," though, a* o, matter of fact, it had not reached the House. . At twenty minutes to one Mr Corncross wanted to Know why they could not adjemi_*ill, say, ten o'clock, and get through th* business decently. Then tlie second member of the Executive in tho Council, ths Hon. Mahuta. Wharowhero, who was in a dangerous frame of mind, rose and wH_ plenty of geetkralatktwy announced through the Interpreter that lie wished to know whether they should go on with so many members absent, "I should like to as-,** be said, "why it is that so many -- have run away from here and left us?" There, was no reply. The Speaker announced that he would resume'the chair in an -our. Mahuta wanted to make more speech, but the interpreter apparent!? advised hkn he wo* out of order, Somebody whistled plaintively "Far from th* old Coik* at Home." , IN DAWN. The wearying Wait-of tlie Lords was Pleasantly broken br a conference'on, the Publio Works Bill, held a* the grey dawn of th* nswday commenced its ultimately iucombM conflict wiiii the artificial illuminants, and as the _f*w Zealand ensign wa* hoMed on the flagstaff, to announce ,- to :tl»,aleep_ig.dtixeii* that the House was still sitting—an announcement, taat ia conveyed in the dark hours of the night by electrio light* on the flagstaff head. At 3.45 a.m. th* Conference reported, and the next adjournment was "till the rinsting of the bell." Tlie bell performed at-7.5 *.m. The Appropriation Bill had arrived A SLEEPING PARLIAMENT. !."A» there is Co one in, charge of the Estimates, I move to report progress," said Mr firms*;, a, little before two o'clock thi* 'Sf'Tf; A* *"**:<««• the Premier and Bis J. G. Ward were among the members who, war* -lumbering peacefully on the wnfchi*. The motion was rejected by 32 to" 12. ifThers were ten members listening to the closing portion of Sir Joseph Ward's speech en the Appropriation Bill shortly gW» fir*, o'clock, twenty-two other* being . ***?> including the Premier and the Hons. Mall-Jones, Duncan, end Mills. It must not b* thought that the Snorter's remarks ■■.'**»•■ of no value, for other speakers* received like treatment. Them were five per•amv in the strangers' gallery, who bad been pw«nt through the whole ntoht. When Mr Kaihau was addressing the Hous* about 5.45 v.m., fifteen uembers f,*™ P^ 01 * ftl > «o«nd asleep, except Messrs Ml and Barber. At this sUge Mr mnvy left to catch the Msuawatu- train, •od he awakened fnost of tlie slumberers •"ho *««* around saying "Good-bye." _il_!!ti* M X_ w,^:,MWl y- oi praotkally the whole pniceediiigs, which **» sMh-ni farcical, yet. Mr Kaftans w 7 i»wrfui one ' H * com - MuJutd that on neither aide, of M* : House had his re presentat ions of native questions received due consideration. Ho protested eti-ongly against Maori meinoers not being consulted us to native tegis. Ik *» ?• solemnly areured the House that if his objections were disregarded he would take it upon himself to lay the '___£ T\K b t faw the Xin «*' H « had retrained froln doing «o before because of f**oU-#e* and undertakings made, but not "PVoy the Premier. Referring to the small fittendanco of members, he said he *wud .continue to eciplmsise the importance ol this matter, eveu if he drove every member out of tlie Cti_rhber. Mr Seddon's reply commenced at 6.10 _" m r. He was not ably vigorous, but he _ _**, a go<Kl rewt on the whole, Ij Jr t pt P™* l * * Dr »« u J- He mentioned that t!ve session hud been a severe on to him personally. It wo* 7.5 a.m. when the Premier finished, and members lost no ths* ia getting out of the Chamber, pending the paa_ge of the Bill by 7 Council. They were a worn out lot, the Premier not th* least, and he went home at once.