PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 12015, 17 October 1904, Page 8

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE.

.AMJTHEtt ALL-SIGHT SITTTXG. DISCUSSION OP THE ESTIMATES. | (srECIAL TO "THE TRESS.") WELLINGTON, October 15. The members of the House of Representatives, or, aa many of them' as thought if worth while to stay out of were hard at work till ten minutes to eight this merging, when the last class of the Consolidated Estimates . -was passed. It ■was an. all-night sitting, without any of. the stonewalling tactics which kept the House going till a later hour only a week ago. , The, House had made up its mind to finish the Estimates, and though lese than half the members remained to see them through, the Estimates were duly finished, and members got home just, in time for breakfast. The* cause of the late sitting was that the Government, attempted to cram ton much work into one day. What remained of tho Estimates was in itself a big" day's work. In the course! of tho week the Premier had more than once said so, and had urged the House to be reasonable in their criticism and let the Estimates through to clear the wav for the Public Works Statement. At "'his caucus on Wednesday he appealed to members to support, him in seeing the end of. the Estimates on Friday night, and tho pnrtv pledged itself to do so. . There wera, however, many surprised and angry men on, Friday afternoon when they fouud on glancing at the order paper that the third reading of the Midu-ives Bill, Payment to Members' Bill, and Shops and Offices Bill were to be- disposed of before • the Estimates were tackled. The Shops and Offices Bill had troubled the House for over a. week, a- good many warm words had been said over it, and nobody could have expected it to pass without a third reading debate. This debato started in the afternoon, and when the House resumed in the evening it was pretty clear that if it. was to be. finished there would be no time for Estimates. About ha.!f-pnst eight the Premier moved to adjourn tho debate and start 1 the Estimates, which should have been : started early in the afternoon. With only four hours to go, the 'debate on the Bill might easily have been kept going till half-past twelve, and .then the standing orders would have blocked the Estimates; but the Opposition was in. a forgiving mood. The debato was adjourned, ana with a long, day's work ahead of them the Hou»3 started on the Estimates. '' t" ■"'■'■■ : . Tho Colonial Secretary's department was , not finished till half-past two., when Mr Merries thought it time to stop, but the division was against him, and the House went on with the Public Health Dcpartr merit. There was considerable discussion on the merite and demerits of vaccination. The expense of the department was also much commented on., Mr Fowld* on this occasion joined jssuo with the Opposition members, and declared that the department was running away with ;tbe country, and that the time had come to put on the brake. The best that.Mr Fowlde had to say for the department was that it had got into the habit of "milldosing" people into a condition of scare for the purpose of providing motor cars for the doctors. In the course of time the Health estimates slipped through. A motion by. «<<ie Leader of the Opposition to reduce it as. an indication that the department was too expensive, wae lost by 30.votes to 14.' • When the; estimates for the Industriee and Commerce Department came on, there was a discussion on the shortcomings of the South African steam cervice. Then camothe Tourist estimates; and MrHorries had much to say about tho weaknesses of the water supply, drainage, and "lightim; of Rotorua, while Mr Moss, awisted by Mr Bollard, was prominent in urging better treatment• for Tβ Aroha. The,-Waoganui river servicev\van aUo Teeponsiblo for a deal of; discussion, Government members being prominent among the speakers.yon this question, am well as on the. HealtK-es-timates earlier in the evening. The ,Coal -Minos,, State Fire : Insurance,: and Lands 'for.'.'Settlement ; accounts were pa?eed, without discussion,': and -the House rose at ten minutes to eight. '