THE RECORD SESSION.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13907, 5 December 1910, Page 5

THE RECORD SESSION.

RETURNED MEMBERS' VIEWS-

By the Mararoa yesterday many of tJic Southern members of Parliament returned to their homos, a special train leaving Christchurch about half-past two in the afternoon for Dunedin. From the expressions, of opinion made by the majority, the dominant feelings appeared to be of relief that Parliamentary work was finished, and of gladness that a period of rest was before them. Several members were seen by representatives of "The Press," and their impressions of the session are appended. THE "WORK OF THE OPPOSITION. j Referring to the work of the Opposition, Mr James Allen, M.P.. said :— j"I think tho Opposition Party have worked together most satisfactorily, and I am sure it must have been very pleasing to Mr Mntsey to find that, notwithstanding minor differences of opinion, the members of his party -vere absolutely unanimous and loyally unanimous iv their support of him and his efforts to improve -the Parliament of New Zealand. Mr Massey's own work lias been prodigious, and it is wonderful, strong man though he he, how he has stood it. The Prime Minister has a very hard and trying time during the session, but he has his colleagues to asei&t him: they each take their shore oi departmental work and each pilots through Parliament tho Bills arisiug out of the work of his department. Chi the other hand, Mr Massey has to exnminc every Bill and every paper placed on the table, and almost every question. given notice of. He never shirks his enormous task. 1 don't think the country' realist-i how much it owes to Mr Massey's self-sacrificing efforts on behalf of "every elector —for it is notonly the one class to which his attention is constantly directed; what astonishes mc is the manner in which lie devotes himself to the individual who has any grievance.. As far as the Opposition Party is concerned, it consists of a very fine lot of men, and I have never known in my time m Parliament such unanimity and such loyalty showu by the members of it. "As to the work of the session," Mr Allen continued. ' 'so, far as the Opposition is concerned, it has been extremely gratifying, and the impress of the Party" is unmistakably on the legislation. The Government havo been in the position of having had to seriously amend some of their most important policy measures under pressure from the public and of Opposition criticism. "With respect to other important policy measures, the Government have not dared to face the committee stage with them. Tho Land Bill — uiiquestionably the. mast important of their policy measures—went.through a Select Committee with .some amendments, it is true, but not with. the amendments that tho Opposition would have achieved if it had been more numerously represented on that committee. The Bill is a crude, ill-conceived measure. I believe it is as crude and as ill-conceived as the Government's previous attempted land legislation, and as crudo and as ill-considered as Mr McXab's measure, judgment on uhich was passed by the Hon. 3>r. Findlay when lie described it as 'impossible.' I don't know whether the country realises how dangerous it is to have a Government in power with facilities for initiating important legislation, like that affecting the land, without having any clear and definite opinions on the subject. For my part, I have always understood that tho party in power were supposed to have principles which they were prepared to stand by and that, if those principles were not approved by the country, the party- %oldmg theeS-would consider it their duty to give way to those who had principles on important questions like the land question, of which the country approved. But the changes of front by the present party in -power have been unprecedented in Parliamentary history: in addition to the Land Bill, the Government changed front on the Licensing Bill, on the Gaming Bill, on the Knyvett case, on the Auckland Government House case, and in other matters too numerous to mention —all indicating sheer weakness of political character, a weakness that is detrimental to the political life of the 3>ominion." MR T. E. TAYLOR'S VIEWS. "A remarkable session," was Mr T. E. Taylor's opinion. "It was remarkable," ho continued, "in thafc ifc was absolutely free from any suggestion of haste or of anything of the kind. -The old charge of 'legislation by exhaustion' could not be brought against Ministers as regards the Bession just closed. Up to the Inst moment every detail 01 business received the same careful attention .as if the session was to have lasted another three months. There would, as a result, be a very large 'Hansard.' and a very big Statute Book. The discussion of the Government's administration had been very thorough right throughout the session, and those who claimed that control of the administration was more important than law-making ought to find themselves comparatively happy as far as. the session of 1910 was concerned." SOME GENERAL OPINIONS. Mr Malcolm, the member for Clutha, said that members had been working under a strain during the past two weeks, and party feeling ran higher than he had ever seen it in the House. His chief regret about the work of the session M-as that tio opportunity was given for the discussion of Imperial affairs, especially in view of the approaching Conference. The lack of opportunity to discuss the various departments of the Dominion's services was also a; serious omission. }{r C. A. C. memoer U.r \ Selwyn, said that there had been a tremendous amount of legislation, which he hoped would not have to be repealed. As much time was lost in repealing Acta as there was in putting legislation on the Statute Book, and very often great irritation was caused. Party feeling had been worse than he had ever seen it in the House. Though members wore apparently on terms of friendship in Bellamy's, there seemed to be a tremendous undercurrent of bitterness in the House. This was largely to be accounted for by the evident desire of some members to sheet the pamphlet trouble home to the Opposition. Mr G. J. Anderson, member for Mataura, said that the general feeling among members was that a lot of profitable work had been done. The waste of time at the beginning of the session had resulted in very hard work being the rule at the endr If the Government had had the work isaady when the House opened in June, members would have been away a couple of months ago. Mr R. Scott, the member for Tuapeka, said that some good work had been done by Parliament. The second session was always the working one, and he believed that with a five years' Parliament the country would get better results, and with at least three years' good work out of their members.

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