THE ESTIMATES.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13871, 24 October 1910, Page 6

THE ESTIMATES.

A TWENTY-TWO HOURS' MTTfttJ,"

AN UNWHOLESOME CHAMBJi^

(SPFCTAT. TO ••THE PRESS.") WELLINGTON, Getter 21 The House had a lou-i, weary fittis* of twenty-two hours on Friday a aj Saturday, as a result of which tLs Estimates for the year have r.ow passed. Shortly after the liour-p met 2.30 on Friday afternoon, the Prints Minister announced that ho was, going to push tho remaining elau."o3 of th* " Estimates through. He was out lor the nu;ht, he said jocularly. A> proved, he .was out for more thin tlis night, for the Estimates did not go , through till 1..30 on .Saturday. Allot., ins for two hours" adjournment kt j dinner on Friday, and halt an houri adjournment for supper, and t\ adjournment of one hour lor breakfati on Saturday morning, the actual sitting' timo was JSi hours. Tho volume of criticism on each clause of the Estimates was a gradually decreasing oso. When niemhors were fresh tli<;ro vras a good deal of t;;lk, but by ti.xlday tm Saturday everyone seemed to bo j*ad«l and oxhauste";!, and between 1-.20 and , • 12.20 the House patted iho iolloinng clauses: —Ciovoruineur Insurance Ix , -

partmont (t'U-"\_lt>) Accident insurance Account (.JL711O), .Stale .biro Insurance (l;l3.ojtii. ami Siate Guaranteed Advances (iMI-\7-iy). At 1U.30 tho l'rimo Minister looked tired but. happy, for ho had got his Estimates throng!), albeit one item was reduced on Friday afternoon, ami several wore reduced on former oecisions. Tho Premier's motion to report', progress was the signal for applause from all over the Chamber, and tor t!» racing enthusiasts who had not yet left to make a hurried departure for the rates. The end was not yet, however. Tho Speaker had several TM-&-sages from the Legislative Council, and tho House listened with obvious iut« rmtienco while the Hon. T. Duncasi read an amendment in»de in tii«> Oruisini Harbour Enabling iJiII. 'ihon the Speaker announced that the Council had made an amendment in t'u , I'ofenco Bill, but the path nee of tlv Prime Minister himself v.*.s ->t an end, and ho moved that it hu (,n next sitting day, so at last tho iiouic rose.

The Opposition made a formal pT* test agaiitet the> all-night sitting, Ufc indulged in no obstruction tactics. It was ft a.m. when Mr Merries firsi mtvod to report progress as a protest agauut tho Estimates being forced through tet thnfc hour of the morning, but Ihe motion was last on tho voices. ai 6.10 o'clock Mr Horriee moved to re-" port progress, and the motion was lost by 31 votes to 10. At 8 a.m., ■nh'-a a motion to adjourn for breakfast ww before the House, Mr Massey, ■who lim been confined to his room with a cold, and who" canio into the House an how I earlier, made n plea to report progress. - He said if members could see thfir dishevelled condition they would wxnt off late sittings for ever and be content with an eight-hour day. Tho Prime Minister said that he was in favour of early risings, but ho had never known tsuch wasteful tiino occupied on Estimates as had been occupied by the Opposition this sessioa,and on Tuesday he would move to sit on Saturdays and Mondays for tha remainder of the session. There had Dover ' been a hint that there was anything improper in the Estimates, yet Opposition members were continually jumping up and asking questions* on points that had j been explained. In former days, lead- j ing members of a party would lave \ been ashamed of themselves to havo \ ' acted with such stupidity a&eomeiaefflbors had on tho present Estimates. Ho* considered that Ids consideration for members had been construed as weakLess.

The House adjourned for breakfast; • 1 and, on resuming, several members -a denied tho charge of having wasted '• a time. Tfaoy (said it was their duty to 1 criticise the Estimates and ask for ia- 1 formation, and they had done» in a' m roasanablo spirit. Incidentally, Mr « Massey. expressed. the opinion that the E Government was the stupidest Xiir '|§ Zealand had over been cursed with. ■' 1 The Estimates wero then proceeded a ■with. Aβ may be imagined, tho nig!»i, if was a very exhausting one. Those thas S stayed "on deck." snatched odd iiw- 1 nients of sleep on their benches, breath- • i ing tho vitiated atmosphere. Tho while" S Ministers , took turn about in relieving; :B each other. Tho chairman (Mr Colvicj- j| showed signals' of distrese, and was re*, ffl lieved by Messrs Ross and Witty. Tho 1 atmosphere in tho Chamber was notli* jgj ing lees than poisonous -when the Hob» S rose. The House was prowded with g| visitors on Friday evening, and the ai-" g mo&phere became hot and unwholcsoauv '--m Tljo umvholesoiticncss of it gradually. _S increased, the ventilation being entirelyj| inadequate. Mr Massey, who come fa 'm fresh and invigorated at-7-o'ti.look, told' H members that if they could meet the j| air of the Chamber, coming.as ho <{id H into it from the open, tljey would go m home. By mid-day on Saturday there-" g was a 6tale smell in tho.Chainlwr, and H tho air was acrid and unpalatable, for m ouo could tasto it. m It ia not usual for the House to <£& 1 on Saturdays except about tho lent m Saturday, and there is an impression j| in some quarters that, despite hi* ' m statement, the Prime Minister will m content himself with taking Mondays lor j| business in the meantime. . g When Mr James Allen rose after i breakfast to speak on Sir Joeepk 1 Ward's charge of wasting time, the g { chairman (Mr Colrin) ruled that tho § question had been sufEcientlj dis- 1 cussed. g Mr James Allen eajd he had done ffi every thine he could to help the chair, ■ g and he-always would co so, but there g v as such a thing as fair play, and bo ■ « ihad not had fair play. fi The .Chairman: "If you wish to re- g Beet, on the- ruling of the m there is a proper wav to do it." m Tho Hon. I?. McKenzio contenarf 1 that Mr Allen's remarks constitutes a - « pravo reflection on tho chairman, on g oujrht. not to bo cllowed to pass uo- c noticed. B ! The Chairman: "I must ask 7°* t0 1 I respect the ruling of the chair." ji IMr Allen: "I. will (rive wav ont ot if" M spr.ct to the chair, thoiich T l'?lipro.l g am wTonc in not- contesting the point. M ! Tho next half-hour or so we« rP* 1 j nwrlwible for soirrn rathpr extfaorflina/T || ruling? hy the Chairman of Ccmmu- . S i t<*cs. Nearly pvenrone lenew they ?>'* ll f g ■ wronn:. and'p.n *>ffor* w.ni» E f » ■ '§' j trf Snoaker to deride the point* a* g i Issue, but the majority prevented this. |