ALL=NIGHT SITTING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 940, 6 October 1910, Page 6

ALL=NIGHT SITTING.

LEGISLATION BY EXHAUSTION. THE OPPOSITION'S PROTESTBUSINESS* HELD UP TILL BREAK. ' FAST TIME. • ■

While the. outside world slept' on' Tuesday night/a battle royal was proceeding' iii Parliament. .The issue was as/to the expediency and propriety of considering legislation after 3 a.m., and the contest was almost; though' not, exactly, -a party one, - The House had been engaged , almost all' day on the .and after a, considfcrablo number of members;on both' sides of the Hou.-a had Hansardised, their opinions it was passed. About ,1.30 a.m.. the Education Amendment Bill was -also ,read, a third time and passed. Then the House went into. Committee on the Land; Settlement Finance; Bill, .and worked ;on : it conscientiously'' enough, till; 2.55 V ;a:iu., * when 111'. Herries ;■ moved to : report-- progress. Backed.by the full strength: of :the.Opposition'parfy, he'toek; up thes'tand'that .bers , had earned their "rest,'aiid that legislation; passed. at ; such'an'hour.wheni members were .physically, unfit, for , the. 'analytical/work .of criticism was likely to be'faulty. ', Tlib.' Priine'.'Minister refused to .agree to an adjournment until further progress liad: been 'made,' and/ as both sides. were... obdurate'. each settled down .to tire the other out./' V

For a time it seemed there might, be a compromise, but .'when the Prime Minister refused, in : answer to Mr. Fisher, to commit himself beyond saying that he would 'adjourn when: reasonable progress had been -made, the, patience .of, the :Opposition seemed to becometexhausted, and' warfare'^was, formally declared'. .. Attend: ants.brought-in cushions* and with these 'solaces members- waited for-their opponents'to do their, best in : the way of verbal pyrotechnics. Through the . dreary' hours of- the,-night each. side, accused the other of wasting time.Some • members earned the envy of; their 'neighbours by dropping into ,a'-slumber,' and. others found.ho di-. version until-the: arrival of the morning' papers. ... Daylight stole; in ■' upon a. thin: and drowsy.. and/ somewhat, bad-tempered House, .but.'still./,the, debate.:.on ,the.;ino-. tions to/ report'' progress' continued. ; . !•-. At 8.5 a.m. the House adjourned for' breakfast, 'and on resuming an hour, later the Opposition, thinking 'its protest had' been made emphatic enough,: agreed to; let the Bill;so through. All but one', clause/was /passed; and at 9.12 a.m;/ the. House; rose until 7.30: the same , evening,, the' afternoon; sitting being /disjwnsed' with, 'and..! all .: committee - work - going •:, by / the, board. " . ' . -./;/'//'■■ "V:;;//./'

"Who would Last Longest." :• "It-is ai most' disgraceful / way of .doing, business/'j'declared Mr:' Massey at 3; a;m. ''There'; is'. : not; thb//slightest,, doubt -abbut that. We have - done 'really.; good/work. There has been no protracted discussion andrno obstruction.' /Mr./. Massey asked! ; ifrthe';:Prime/;Minister '.waited' the'- com!mittees to/sit: in' thb jnorning., /-'. ..'■ /i "Up to:the present, I do,"' said Sir Joseph Ward. ' ' ' . ;. 'M^;; Massey.'said -that if the Primo Minister 'would not / be; reasonable,it - would be" a case;: of who would last longest.: It .was; reminiscent /of the bad v old:' days, which had shortened 'the lives.of some •o'f:-/the, best men in/the/, colony! It was. impossible, to do justice: to! the business' of the country at that hour. / . > : Sir Joseph . .Ward .' said , that.- up .to ; that',: iKdnr.,o{ the session ,he hadUriea to/keep .early ' hours, ' with ;,/the 'result/; that/,the' Opposition" had-, talked' measures iout. 'till 0.30 a.rn.,; after which fresh business could .not bo -brought on. ; - / ';:'/ 'S ', Mr;' Bucnanan.;,(Wairaxapa); ■ remarked that. hb;„was;supposed../t0 attend:commit-.; i'Hbw' could he/.do /them/ justice aftbiisittihg. in .the House till/that hour? / //:'.- i-r ~;/ }~Mr.,;HardyjtSehvyn) said tho greatest -.waster';of,''timb'i.'was . the Prime Minister.':

fv'Mr.; J.yAileri''(Brueej i'iised.'the'.. 'PrimeMinister's /lriooH-.' as : ari. argument. in :fay r .,- our 'of' adjourning'. /- Ho said that at that; Sir •;' Joseph •/•Wjrd'-j (wi&r :.ths; Bill/through/and'' I^oMd^o^topfcVaiiyraiijtfiiM^fe/'Tlwt' did ''not 1 -!; make, for : good legislation. : Mr. F. M.. B. Fisher -; (Wellington, Cto;.tral)/asked:.the PHme> Minister at ,'wluttstage'ho intended to adjourn. . • ! "Wlien ■; reasbriablo.iprogress has' been ; made,": .replied ;.Sir/'Joseph -Ward; and, ,al- : 'though .pressed, to ..define.''reasonable pro-; Egress,".he.iiefused ,; tocommit 'hiiriself iur- ; ther. .' /:K/&-V/^'/ ; :t/-/'v: V ; • . "Out for a Fight." : Nr.Massey.. . evidently thought .. the gauntlet had been thrown do^n.';;"l;am' : out for a /fight ; if the leader. on tlie/other' side is outr.for. a/fight," he 'exclaimed!'-' ■/' :, : -f'That: is:' a' threat,";'said; the.Hori.'R.; JUKenzie. >,'!y >'.'Mr. Massey said'that no ,'self-respecting; set ,'pf . men, could, .standwhat they.. were - .supposfed-'totsubmit to.' 1 What' was'going. pn;was a perfect, scandal. The' Opposition.!, were.yiot /going;'.to ; tolerate legislation.: byexhaustion; /'arid - if. .they were going! to ■have"a trial of strength; well he. .was/will-• iiig:;* r!'A: "co'nilict- had -been avbided in l : preyio.iia sessions,'and ; he;: was sorry.'it*. iiad ! come, /biitj,lie could probably take':his share, in.'/it .as well' members.'

, Sir Josepli ;Ward:.saiii. he'.was not /delay- 1 ing'-buaness, /but- Mr: ; . and his friends/were;,,,/He/:had necessarily to 6peak!.to.:reply,.to what came from/, 'the other side of .the' House. ;/':/: ':/ ' i ;■/';

/ Mr. Massey: It has -.become a 'disease: with you.' '•/ ":' //!/■/' ; /' . .Sir. Joseph..'Ward:; Then I- must /have taken it from the lion..'gentleman.; Sir Jqsephr theri//'suggested; tliat- 'the :/Hbuse -should''go .dowh\,to ./Clause 8' oh . the su'pplemchtary,; ,arder-'papbr,' - Avhich,' ; lie Mid, . really/; meant / passing four noncontentious clauses.' ' /V' :

'j • , Mr.' Massey: Do you propose to' ad j ouin ■for/brealffak then!?!, :,(Laugtter.) i Mr. Hardy/said'he/could' hardly.tell .tbo--time' Ijjr tie. clock, r ;a'nd .he "was sure'other; members could hardly; teir it.- '' ' Mr. Wilford" (Hutt) started /to- quote from : the 'annual .report /of the ./mental //iqspitals of: the -Dominion. When pulled upi by. 'the Chairman;.he'said thereleyahcy. of his remarks-lay'in l the. fact, that mein■bbrs • would soon be joining that brigade. ■ He intended; to ! vote,.for the motion' to report'progress. 'These''li'ours,. produced' ;a buzzing in tho . headthey, produced 'slebpleMness. (seVeral-"hbnourable i members, were snoring).; 'they made men 'who 'had been/friends for years look askance at each 'other. ...

Mr. i'isher (Wellington Central) suggested , that.. the/ leaders.. of•. the House sTiould .confer and 1 come to some compromise:/:' '■ !/•■ ,// 1

Snoring. : Mr. Hardy/pointed, out that a Cabinet Minister was '■ asleep;! and that 1 snores were .'coming- from .various parts, of,. the' House. Snoring . was 1 - not Parliamentary .language. ; Iri ; serio-comic./vein, ; Wilford de-. 'scribed! the, effect.Jthe. metallip ' filament lariips -had upon /the' eyesight-, and . in-, directly . 'on the v brain. ■ He, prophesied .the ultimate result would be that described in the report :he: was. not allowed to'- quote. ' :• . '•; ~ .'• \ : -j / Mr.- Massey said that; / speaking seriously, there, was. 110 doubt the electric ■ light had: a-.-very-.bad' effect on- the. eyesight - of. members: when the; sittings -were prolonged.'He . asked; what.: ,members' constituents 'would.', think if: they., could see tliein playing the fool at that 'hoi<r. of the,, morning./ Ho was honestly'ashamed of fho proceedings. ' • ." ■' -,

Mr. Anderson ridiculed, the - scene which hadbeen "enacted of attendants, bringing in cushions, to allow, members to make •.themselves comfortable to snatch' an unsatisfactory sleep. ■ ■•: ; " , OVa'division the motion : to report progress was defeated by 28 votes to 21. .'After a., contentious , amendment . to Clause, .3• had been carried Mr. Malcolm moved ,to report progress. Mr. J. Allen (Bruce), in supporting the motion, declared, that some members had reached such', a. stage that, their brains \yould not act. ' , Tho Chairman (Mr. Colvin) - ruled this ■ reference out of order and Mr. Malcolm moved ; to get the-'Speaker's ruling on the point,' but the motion- was lost. And so tho night wore on. Pathetic appeals were made by members who wanted to go. homo , and . who fearedi their health would, suffer from the all-niglit sitting and the heavy atmosphere. There were occasional disputes, as to whether particular members were asleep or not and -on- one- occasion even the Prime Minister's wakefulness was challenged. . . At 7.30 a.m. a motion to report progress was lost.by HO votes to 18, but at 8.5 a.m. the '■•House adjourned for. breakfast, and on resuming tho Bill was proceeded with.