FROM THE LADIES' GALLERY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 888, 6 August 1910, Page 11

FROM THE LADIES' GALLERY.

GLEANINGS FROM PARLIAMENT.

The debate upon the Financial Statement has been occupying the attention of members .this week, but it is quite open to doubt as to'whether any particularly new or illuminating light has been shed upon the various subjects embodied in it. , JJuch of what has been said has been heard before, and will he said again and again before the session is "at an end. That, however, is a minor detail compared to the immense satisfaction obtained from the consciousness of duty nobly performed. Member after member has arisen, said his little say, and then not "sunk silently to rest,", but remained upon the qui vire to trip up and catechise the next speaker'and so excite a duel of argument. "Tammanyism." This week the word "Tammanyism'' has been very much in evidence, and on Tuesday . evening a time of considerable tension and heat followed tipou Mr. Hine's allegations of Tammanyism, feeling running somewhat high. Mr. Hine is extremely tenacious, and has on more than one occasion come into conflict with the Prime Minister. For some reason or other, the galleries were particularly i crowded on this occasion, and members seemed to be somewhat more alert than usual. When Mr. Hine, after defining several things as "Tammanyism,". made his chargcs, there was a conspicuous arresting of all attention, and storm signals were at once visible. The Primo Minister challenged Mr. Hine to give the name, aud Mr. Hine replied by challenging him to set up a Royal Commission. After a stormy ' interlude • the matter stands, at that for the. present, but will probably be heard more (of later on. Biblical History to Date. Considerable amusement was caused in the House the same "evening when Mr.-Witty, the member for Riccarton, roso to speak. In the afternoon Mr. David BuicU had, in the course of his speech, described Sir Joseph Ward as wearing a coat of many colours, and Mr. Witty felt it •incumbent upon him to appear as the Prime Minister's champioti. In the course of his oration ho brought into the light of day somo decidedly original and, interesting facts concerning: Biblical history. Biblical history is not often trenched upon, although Mr. Massev sometimes makes excursions,into those distant regions with considerable elfect. With emphasis and due deliberation, Mr. Witty.-in-formed tho House that .the Joseph of ancient days led his people into a land of-plenty and through the Ited Sea, where ho was "washed out," a fate he predicted-for-the'Opposition at tho next general election. Evidently he was confusing Moses with Joseph. Nor was he .satisfied with that. . Members wero then informed that' David of old (this with his eyes fixed upon Mr. Buicli) was a Goliath, and then becoming aware by tho smiles and laughter around him that ho had said something rather extraordinary, hurriedly explained that ho meant to stale that David had killed Goliath. David, too, was a great man, but, with a warning look and an evident desire that Mr. Buiclc should not he too elated at the comparison that did him honour, added that ho fell away and died a miserable old -man. , Mr. Buick appeared to ho thoroughly delighted with tho novel information bestowed upon him. ' . ,

Other Mambofs and Divers Matters. ■ Mr. ..Russell, of Avon', was a speaker who was heard on Wednesday evening.' Mr. Russell's, voice has been uplifted very often, -very, -loud,and ; for long periods of time. It takes but little to induce him to rise to his feet and bo cither heavily humorous (for there is no. subtlety-.'about Mi - .. Russell) or elso vigorously attack the other side. Oil Monday evening,' however, lie was almost radiant in his predictions, for a brilliant outlook • for New Zealand. Tiio staple products were -,bringing in good prices, the harvest prospects favourable, and all was as lovely as could be. ,In spite of the fact that ho complained that members '.had cot paid sufficient attention to tho-Finan-cial Dobate, he followed in the footsteps of those who had goup, before' him and talked at . length upon the land question. The Maoris. Ono cannot help thinking that t)ie Maori members in the House must at times furiously rago against the things that arc sometimes said in Parliament about tho Maori race, but' if they do they outwardly, at least, preserve a calm exterior. It must bo rather curious to sit tliere aud hear almost unanimous 'opinions-expressed about the necessity of acquiring their land, and uncomplimentary statements made about Maori landlordism, and the deterioration ..of the Maori of-to-day. Mr.'.Anderson, of Mataura; in his speech, referred to tho necessity of Maori lands being thrown open for settlement, and condemned the system of ■ Maori landlordism or aristocracy that was existing, to which .Dr. -,Te Rangihiroa interjected that there always had been Maori aristocracy. Mr. Anderson admitted it, but said that the ono of to-day was riot t-o bo compared to that of years ago. On Thursday evening, Dr. To Rangihiroa made an interesting speech, partly on behalf of the Maori racc. ■ In some way or another his voice always comes to one as rather a shock —it- is ! -so peculiarly reedy, with such a minor note-in it that instinctively ono thinks of wild, swampy lands and of- tho call of the wild fowl just' after sunset. One cxpects a different voice from ono of his appearance. ; Parliamentary Manners. So far most of the remarks that have been made upon Parliamentary manners have been made by non-Parliamen-tarians, so that it was doubly interesting to hear Mr. Arnold, tho member for Dunediri Central, hold forth about thorn. Although lie had been in tho House for eleven or twelve sessions, he had never known a Financial Debate in which .there were so many unpleasant interjections during speeches, so much party bickering and flat contradiction as had taken placo 'in this debate. If members would only look to the welfare' of the Dominion' and the constituencies they represented it would bo .1 distinct gain. "Tammanyism" and Mr. ■ Hine's chargcs were again tli'e subject of discussion on Thursday, Mr. Poole'holding forth vigorously in criticism of Mr. Hine. Indignantly ho asserted tbat the impression Mr. Hine left upon the minds of members was that some of them had been guilty of Tammanyism—ho had left a dark-brown taste in their mouths. Mr. Poolo spoke under the misapprehension that tho member Mr. Hine referred to in his charges was dead, and he waxed loudly and dramatically eloquent upon the meanness of hitting a man in his coffin. It was somewhat nonplussing t-o learn, when Mr. Hine entered the Houso (lie was away when all this was being said) that it was not a deceased member of whom Mr. Hine spoke. Tho member for Stratford still adhered to his statement that if Sir Joseph would appoint a' commission to inquire into tlie salos of all private estates .to the Crown ho (Mr. Hine) would fully substantiate his. charges.