PARTING SPEECHES.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12971, 26 November 1907, Page 8

PARTING SPEECHES.

COUNCILLORS ON' THEIR LEADER THE LENGTH OF THE SESSION. (SPECIAL TO "THK FRESS."> WELLINGTON, November 25. Some interesting speeches were mad* during the, closing hours of the session by members of the Legislative Council, who took the opportunity of unanimously congratulating the Hon. Dr. Findlay upon the success which had distinguished his work as the Council's new leader. When the Council resumed at 2.30 for consideration of the Appropriation Bill, ■the Hon. AY. C. Smith congratulated the Attorney-General upon his first session. Ho had done good work, and shown himself a thorough leader of meu, and his consideration and courtesy to every member had gained the fall confidence of the Council. As. for the Government, he considered the session one of the most important evor held. It was not only the longest, but also, in the matter of Bills passed, the most important. The. tariff was generally considered work for one session, while the four Land Bills, which had elterrd the land policy of the country, had meant an enormous amount of work for both Houses. The only rift within the lute was that they had been unable to givo sufficient time for local Bills at the end of the cession The timo "was coming when members would hive to face the question of remaining in Wellington for six months, if they wished to pa.ss legislation without the hurry which hed been experienced under the present system. It was impossible to avoid the haste, but with the present honorarium it was impossible to come down to Wellington for the time necessary to do the work in a proper manner. He congratulated tine Speaker and officers of the Council upon the way in which their duties had boeii carried out. As one of the now members, the Hon. "W. W. MoCardle congratulated the previous speaker upon the manner in which he had filled the position of Chairman of Committees. Speaking of the Attorney-General, he declared that a more able and courteous gentleman it would bo impossible to find, and it was very gratifying thai the session hnd ffoen passed without the slightest display of ill-feeling. Several other Councillors also spoke in a congratulatory strain. Tho Hon. J. E. Jenkinson remarked tint the way in which the Attorney hed carried out his work was a rovelafcion. He had filled Wβ position as capably as if he had held ifc for ten years. An enormous amount of work ihad been saved to the Council by t<he lew drafting office, ivhich he understood was established _upon the Hon. Dr. Findlay's recommendation. Thus more time was available for consideration of the principles embodied in tlhe -measures. The speaker briefly referred to the question of members' honoraria. When he entered the Coupoil he found it impossible to live in Wellington for the three months of the session upon an honorarium, of £150. This bad subsequently been increased to £200, and there was necessity for c further increase, now that the session extended to fire .months. Speaking of the Estimates, which had been adopted, he suggested that ifihe statuary purchased at Christchureh -with the vote of £2000 would find a place in Wellington, for Chrietahurch ihad, in the shape of a £4000 organ, received a good share of benefit from the Exhibition. Tho oldest member of the Council, the Hon. Captain' Baillie, supported what had been said by all the previous speakers ac to the success with which the Hon. Dr. F,indley hid conducted the business. He had, he said, never seen the Council better handled. The Hon. T. Kennedy Meodonald pointed out that he was the only member who 'had not spoken. He thought the edventt of the new members had given a new tone to the Council,' which had gone up with •* jump in the estimation of the public. The country had come to a fairer amd clearer recognition of the advantages of the Council as c factor in the legislation of the country. The Council was honoured in having ct ite Jiead a gentleman with so fine a record of public service as tiho Hon. C. C. Bowen, and he euggested fhiat' the time bad come when the Goverjumenit Should mark the ftvcit of his occupancy of the chair in some special manner. Everyone in the Council would be delighted to know that some special raaark of his Majesty's appreciation of the great public services rendered by tho Speaker had been given. The Hon. Dr. Findlay (Attorney. General) remarked that the session had been n memorable one to him, for it was his first. It had probably been the most arduous session Parliament had faced for some years. They had passed 77 public Bills, reserved two, passed four private Bills and 31 local Bills—a total of 114 measures in five months. When it was said that all this legislation had Teceived as much consideration and care as that in any preceding session, tho result was ono of which Parliament might well lx> proud. With regard to tho quality of that legislation time would tell whether it would achieve the high aims which its promoters had in view. Hβ would like to sny one word on the personal side. He felt particularly grateful to those who had spoken of the difficulty facing him when he took office as leader of the Council. Ho had only a student's acquaintance with the Standing Orders, and took his plane with some misgivings ami nervousness. His success, which had been referred to, was due to tho spirit of co-opera-tion and kindly assistance which ho had met all through. The honour of presiding over the Council was increased by the fact that the Council had found more recognition in tho public Press and tho country. One of the real -advantages of the session had been the new Law Drafting Department, and only one who had been associated as closely as he had been with the present counsel to the Law Drafting Office could properly appreciate the devotion, intelligence and anxiety he had brought to bear upon his office. The only credit he (the speaker) could take for that Department was that he was able to induce tho most conspicuously successful law student and jurist to leave hia place in Victoria College and take up the position as counsel to tho Law Drafting Office. He would like tp join in the kindly feelings which were entertained by all towards the gentleman who occupied th« Speaker's chair. He bore the history and reminiscence of he did not knowhow many Administrations, and he had been identified with the history of the Dominion since the days of the foundation of Canterbury, , A PP r °Priation Bill was put through all its stages, and the Council anally adjourned at 5.35 p.m.