FROM THE LADIES' GALLERY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 858, 2 July 1910, Page 11

FROM THE LADIES' GALLERY.

"JENNY WREN" IN PARLIAMENT. The silence and the gloom that have brooded for somo months over those ancient halls of wisdom, the Parliamentary Buildings, .were once more disturbed on Tuesday, and, routed and dismayed at the influx of our country's —saviours, shall we say?—fled to more congenial abodes. All' about the corridors, tho staircase, the various rooms, clusters of members were to be seen meeting and greeting one another most cheerfully, and exchanging views as to the work of the coming session. If they were haunted by the dismal tale of Mr. Jennings, wherein he chanted of the mortality of m»mbers during recent years owing to long hours, hard work, abd an over-heated atmosphere, they heroically and successfully hid their misgivings and played the part of men. The Romans of old, in the glory and the power of their great Empire, were surely not more patriotic or more self-sacrificing than are these, who legislate for the good of their country —or their constituencies. Outside, coldness, dampness, and depression settled . heavily : . over everything, but inside the atmosphere was full of. life, of warmth, of a, pleasant air of intercstedness in coming events. All the members had taken the oath of fealty to His Majesty King George the Fifth some time previously, save Mr. Myers, the new member for Auckland, and were waiting for the arrival of the Governor, who was duo at 3.30 p.m. Several of the members' wives, who were unable to gain access to the gallery of the Legislative Council, where the. Speech from the Throne would be read, were conducted to a room where they would be able to see his Excellency arrive, but nono were enterprising -enough to follow the example of a member who scaled the rriddy heights leading to the tower. The King's Representative. The gallery in the Legislative Council Chamber is very limited, aud soon got-very stuffy and very crowded. The Chamber itself was certainly a very comfortable and cosy place to be in on such a day, its crimson canopied throne and crimson curtains looking very cheerful.and bright. . Somehow there is an air of leisure, of repose, of well-being that pervades it all, and one really finds it difficult to imagine that life during the session ever proves the mad, scrambled, heated affair that it sometimes becomes in the Lower House. It strikes one-as being rather odd, however, that,, so far as oife can see, there is no sign of mourning to be seen there. ■ It was with joy and relief that the strains of "God Save .the King" wero heard, and shortly after the Governor made ,liis_ entrance into the Chamber, accompanied by his aides-de-camp, Captain Crichton-Maitland and Captain Shannon, his private secretary, Mr. Kerr Clark, Captain Blunt and SubLieutenant Joyce, of H.M.S. Pioneer, and Colonel Robin,- all of course being . in uniform, the . vivid colouring of which stood oul in striking contrast and relief to the sombre attire of everyono assembled there. Lord Islington, as ho sat in state, was a very gallant-looking figure in • the navy blue and silver uniform specially designed for oversea Governors. A. gasp of dismay went up from all those unfortunates.standing at, tho back of the gallery as -those infront,- stood - up * at t his. entry—not tho longest or. most .pliable neck in 1 the 1 world was of any avail—how could ono see past those doubtless but not diminutive, hats? Like thc Ccntlc Rain From Heaven. Thei' indifference and' imperviousness of; a ;Caesar would have been needed ■to* have sat for so long waiting . tho arrival of tho lagging "Commons," for his. Excellency." was . undoubtedly the cynosure of every oye. • If there wero any discomfiture felt, it was not apparent. when. the _ Speech came to be read. _ .Of all ■ things •: that appeal to many-people and undoubtedly influence' them,'the voice and its inflexions,take a foremost-place, and when Lord Islington began to read one became aware of a-feeling of the keenest pleasure in hearing him, eo attractive '- was his voice and manner, of delivery. The Speech itself, its matter —much of it being a resume 'of last session's work and the effect that a great deal of it was already having upon the country— was of course optimistic and indefinite, save for the -airs of gentlo selfappreciation that. pervaded , it everywhere 1 on'the'part of a Government responsible for all these wondrous blessings. Like the gentle rain from Heaven, | one realised, its blessings fell upon thirsty country—but with SUCH 1 discrimination I The Speech read, his Excellency, and all 1 save the members of the Legislative Council departed, the members of the House to their dwelling-place aud to their various assignations.A considerable amount of ■ interest was taken; in Mr. Myers, who, represents Auckland East owing to the death of Mr. Baume, and who, after the House resumed' business, was called upon to take the oath of fealty, Mr." Greenslade, the member for AVaikato, and Mr. MacDonald,'member for the Bay of Plenty,' being sponsors. A Mournful List. The proceedings for the afternoon were of a very . mournful / character, speeches upon- the death of the late King Edward the Seventh being ma-do by Sir Joseph Ward-and Mr. Massey. A resolution was passed lamenting the death of a King, "whose name and memory-would bo held ;in lasting remembrance by his sorrowing aud loving subjects in New Zealand," a>nd congratulating King George V upon his accession. So the world goes—"Le Roi est mort, vivo le Roi," is saii all in the same; breath, and life goes merrily on in a while. A cure, for- vanity, ■ suroly. Resolutions expressing regret at tho deaths of the Hon.'F. Trask, of Nelson, the -Hon. Jas. Holmes,, of the West Coast, the Hon. R. H. J. Reeves, of Nelson, and-of Mr. Baume, of Auckland, were also passed. As the mournful procession ' of, names followed one upon another, ono wondered if indeed Parliament did not exact a heavy toll from those who entered its precincts. Perhaps Mr. Jennings was right after all. At any rate it is perfectly.certain that the late Mr.-Baume placed no reservo upon his services, in spite of overwhelming ill-health—thought, . energy, talents, and vitality being expended in doing what lie considered his duty, without regard to cost. Several members spoke earnestly and in tho highest terms of his qualities and of the work he had done to further the interests of the Dominion as a whole. Probably no member had a higher conceptio-n of what was Hue to Parliamentary life than Mr. Baume, and few upheld its dignity better.. The House them decided to adjourn till Thursday afternoon, as a. mark of respect to tho memory of his lato Majesty King Edward' VII, a.r>d also to tho memory of those legislators who had so,-recently died. Auckland Again. Mr. Mander, Opposition member for Marsden, vented an old, but. very acute, grievance on Thursday evening, when the Imprest Supply Bill was . introduced. The dov.iation of tho North of Auckland railway from Marsden to ICaipara, a Government stronghold, at tho command of an- arbitrary Minister for Public Works, in tho face of expert advice, has been the cause of untold heart-burning, of lifelong .friendships broken, of families even divided against themselves. Mr. Mauder made ono more appeal to Caosar, otherwise the Hon. R. M'Kenzie, for the reversion of his inexpert judgment, but in vain. Caesar was deaf to all blandishments

and threats. It was Quits a night out j incrovbors of tho Auckland districts, vidwL wore somewhat diT) Friday aiternoon tho Address-in-ply was moved by Mr. Macdonald, member for Hawkc's Bay, newly . appointed to tho position'.of Government ■\Vlup, together with Mr. Ell. Mr." Macdonald is popular, but has only been aUw 0 l' ar l' a ment for 12 months, so that iua advancement has been somewhat rapid. Mr. Masscy seconded it in a spcech that covered much ground, and dealt with much that had been said by the Prime Minister at AVinton in his policy speceh in regard to coming legislation. Mr. Carroll's Advocate, , : Mr. Ngata, wlio was ono of tho speakers in the evening on tho Addrcss-ln-Reply, was an eloquent advocate of the work donp by Mr. Carroll in regard to Native affairs. Gifted with a clear, resonant voice which, when he gets worked up in his subject, rings out strongly through the Chamber, and rivets attention, a somewhat deliberate delivery, .and with clear-cut ideas and opinions upon the matter in hand, he is one of the somewhat limited number of good speakers in the House. Ho dwelt at some length upon the immense facilities that had been afforded by the recently-passfed--'Native Land Act in.dealing with the surveying ana sale of Native lands, and said that tho Native Land Department was tho least advertised Department in the country. Not one of those present, he said, had the faintest idea of the value ol wlial Mr. Carroll had dono, of the immense amount of work involved in these affairs. All or most of those present gathered their information of Native matters from the press—they wtmld not take the trouble to analyse them themselves. _ The last twenty years had been a. time of transition for the -Maori race, requiring most delicate, deliberate handling. A diplomat only could deal with them, and that diplomat was Mr. James Carroll. Not one other man in tho whole of New Zealand could possibly have done what he had done, 'and ho is the' only man : now who can deal with tho Taranaki .Native trouble. When the.Natives of the Bay of Plenty, after selling quantities of their land to the pakeha for rusty guns, for spades, for blankets, and beads, refused some timo after to let their lands go . through' the Land Court, it. was Mr. Carroll who brought things to a satisfactory conclusion. When the dog tax troubled arose, Mr. Carroll smoothed it over, and, when trig stations were being established through tho North Island, and the Natives objected to their being placed upon their lands, it was he who poured oil upon the troubled waters. When the Waikato Natives flirted with civilisation, and becamc surly througn' their experiences, with the white people, ho calmed matters. ; When the Maori race, ,after fighting 'the white people, made tentative approaches towards civilisation, and began to forsake their oommunal : system, their progress could only be slow, and they could not, nor , should be, hustled. Dealing with the Native reserves would probably be "the last great work of Mr. Carroll." Tho Maoris throughout all' New Zealand trusted him implicitly, and, he thought, so did many pakehas. He felt it was time that 1 some friend, who knew intimately tho mind and the aims of . Mi'. ,Carroll, should speak out what he knew! ;of him. j