IS PARLIAMENT DEGENERATING?

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13904, 1 December 1910, Page 9

IS PARLIAMENT DEGENERATING?

&". . *—— : ;._, SCATHING CRITICISM OF MEMBERS' CONDUCT. ' (SPECIAL TO "THE PRESa.") i; - WELLINGTON. November 30. i. Last night, Mr T. E. Taylor made scathing reference to the fact that ,V- outsiders interested in a Bill before st the House -irore seated behind the •«£ ,>hair (which is practically on the floor $k-9t Vj» House), and that they were able ""al ,t» Ltalk to tho Minister in charge of ij>, ! the | Bill. Tho circumscribed quarters i„Vji» which Parliament now has to meet ;.V*ttj -no doubt, responsible tor a/ great' /? deal ol tho luncss that is permitted to but notwithstanding this it is j> quit© evident that the proceedings ",'•', wild, with advantage,' be conducted <;-_- \with greater decorum on many occa?i.«ions than\ they are. ' Th© principal. ■£•' laxness is naturally in committee, but,even in the House itself there is, at '£ times;.nmch need for improvement. .|'.'Last night, when the political atmos- ;'„ phero threatened to becomo electrical, .V.lfie Speaker took the opportunity to f..!*.ijratn membeis, and later* when it did become electrical, he threatened to ?_V_ , " DMJ .two of three members. The p* ""Dorainion," in an article on the ,' \ gpueral subject, referring to Monday's v all-night sitting, says:—"lt is highly :J. objectionable, Tor instance, that votes ">■ should be recorded for members who \ \ $J e sjinj" down in their places in the 1% Hquw. apparently fast asleep. The |;_*f.*fulea of the House say that members f " nvust enter the lobbies when divisions [j.V >**"« being taken. At yesterday's sit- _'.^." u t* votes ATere recorded again and :, V again for members who lay stretched Ji« fol] length on their benches, obl'vi"v-,?* *°. t** a t had been goin& on ' £ ' *lOT.ndI OT . nd me™ - Why should the votes ';'.■..•? "W-se- sleooing or drowsing members . ,V r b '_permitted f to count against the 'A Ttr* °S mom bers who are attending to , duties? Why, also, should these .'-' *»i"vH? €S . C3 P° * no discomfort of these •U-meht sittings which the Govern- , pent force on the House? But there "v». toother matter which calls for at- ■' that is tho rowdyism which * ■ «t»9 on in the lobbies. * Yesterday * "'5_J R, P'*, on several occasions it quite ; M U the oroceodings j n the House. , -Meßners should not forget that even *- r **f. csnck irl too morninrr Parliament .» still Parliament. There is really a Boater need for the preservation of order and decorum'at that hour than *»wn the rallenes are full, for it is t- w such times that there is danger of «- wnons trouble arising out of the % ♦J? Pl r? t t- ons w^Kn o«Mtr. Yesterday ■V J"'' Chairman even found it necessary t « ? w Attent «°" to the fact that a l I- ■ _? en, s? r ■**'''« smoking in his place in ; House, and to tell him to desist, j -} *rrdthe member in question, instead of j ; Teahang that he had insulted Parliat .? . ov flouting its rules, appeared '? v. think that ho had done something V clever."