TRYING SESSION.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20223, 29 April 1931, Page 10

TRYING SESSION.

CONDUCT OF PARLIAMENT. MB SPEAKER CONGRATULATES MEMBERS. LFaoU Ott* Smsciac. UsroaTKE.j WELLINGTON, April 28.

With remarkable spontaneity, members on all Sides of the House joined today in paying graceful and grateful tribute to the ability and impartiality with which Mr Speaker (Sir Charles Statham) had governed the conduct of Parliament during the most strenuous Session on record. Sir Charles acknowledged the difficulty of his task and admitted that at times he felt in need of & kindly word.

The Et. Hon. G. W. Forbes complimented Mr Speaker upon the manner in which he had manoeuvred the House through many of its vicissitudes during the past seven weeks, and upon the skill with which he had handled some situations of extreme delicacy upon most con- J tentious questions. Members would feel grateful to him for the impartiality and tolerance and, so far as the Government Bide of the House was concerned, he was very proud to offer his congratulations. The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates said Sir Charles had been fair and just in hia decisions, kind in his dealings with members, and impartial in his interpretation of the ruleß and forms of the House. Sometimes members felt hardship in being curbed by Mr Speaker, but everyone realised that his administration from the Chair had been fair and in the best interests of the good conduct of Parliament. Mr H. E. Holland added a tribute from his Side of the House and said members of the New Zealand Parliament always entertained feelings of pride at the manner in which the affairs of the House wore Conducted from the Chair. "Why, even lam ruled out of order at times," Mr Holland went on amid laughter, "but I want to say that when Mr Speaker gives a ruling it is Safe to say that it is the correct one and, further, we always Obey Mr Speaker's decisions." Reference was made by the Prime Minister and other Party leaders to the fact that Sir Charles was about to take a holiday for the benefit of his health when the emergency session was called, and all expressed a hope that the belated holiday would prove successful and fully repay Sir Charles fof the long delay.

Mr Speaker's Reply. Mr Speaker thanked the Prime Minister and others who had expressed appreciation of his services. "I can assure members that there have been times when I have felt the need for ft kind word or two during the session," he added amid laughter. "As a matter of fact the questions placed before Parliament were highly contentious, &nd I heartily congratulate the House upon the manner in which members conducted themselves and in which the debates generally were conducted. In the course of my duties, especially during the strain of a session, there are possibly times when I might seem to be harsh or stern, but I can assurtf mem* bers that there is always a lot of affection for recalcitrant members." : A Difficult Session. Touching upon the lighter side of his duties, Mr Speaker said members might be surprised to know how well he could hear from where he sat. From his vantage point he could hear members speaking among themselves at the far end of the Chamber. No doubt he was not supposed to hear all that was said. He was afraid that at times the terms used were unparliamentary, but he took no notice of them. His task had been particularly difficult this session as certain members were using the forms of the House to delay certain measures going through because they believed they were not in the interests of the country. He'had to listen to some members making rather heavy weather in order to speak for the full time allotted, but he had a duty to do and time and time again he had to bring them back to the point on account of irrelevancy. The strain of the session had been great. He considered it was the hardest session he had put in since being elected Speaker. Members had told him that judging by the crowded galleries the session had been popular, but Mr Speaker added amid laughter that no doubt the Prime Minister would like to look back on it as one of the most popular ever held. "I would like to say to you, my brother members, that I wish you a very pleasant holiday between now and the session in June," Mr Speaker concluded. "I hope the June session will not be so strenuous, as there is a strenuous time coming after that." The Prime Minister moved the final adjournment, but with time-honoured levity members opposed the motion and a division was called for. There was much amusement when Mr Speaker appointed Mr E. J. Howard, and Mr T. W. McDonald as tellers of the "ayes" and Mr W. D. Lysnar and Mr D. Jones as tellers of the "noes." The motion was lost and with the re--mark "I will leave members to settle it themselves," Mr Speaker left the Chair.