THE HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1246, 30 September 1911, Page 8

THE HOUSE.

MR. KAIHAU'S ABSENCE. DEBATE ON THE ESTIMATES. - Tho House met at 2.30 p.m. Mi. A.. E. GLOVER (Auckland Central) moved: "That • fourteen days' leave of absence be granted to "Mr. Kaihau, member for the . Western Maori district, on account of illness." ■'Mr.'W. T. JENNINGS ' CTaumarujiui) paid that some steps should be taken-.by tho House in the uiatter of Mr; ICaihau's continued absence. ." During the'last five or six years ho had .devoted .vmy littio time to his Parliamentary duties. ' Mr.' Jennings suggested-: that. the- Houso waS entitled to some dvidenco of the member's illness, such tis'.oould be 'satisfactorily given by a medical'certificate. Mr. H. J. 11. OKEY (Taranaki).. said that during tho past two.or three years Mr. Kaihan had attended only- about, onequarter of the sessions. This was n<jt only farcical, but wag to the other, members of the Ho'tid and to tho, Nativii' race. It was the duty; of members 'to protest. They had ■ been • informed that Mr. Kaihau had been seen walking in Queen Street. Sir Jas. CARROLL said it was for tho House to extend this cpur ( tesy if it so pleased. Ho regretted . that thero. wero those in tho'House : who would not extend tho privilege of leave, at least to members of the Maori' race. .The people to whom Mr. Kaihau was ■ responsible woto his constituents. They, had Tehirnod Mm timo after ■ time although he had absented himseil from tho v Houss on private and public ■business,' and now .absented himself on account of ill-koalth. Tho Honso could be generous if it liked, or ungenerous; This ho left to members them'silves. It was unusual that, on theso occasions, a. doctor's certificate should bo shown.; He took it that the member who had introduced this motion had done so knowing that Mr.',Kaihau was ill. Personally, ho could assure tho House that Mr. Kaihau ■was suffering from gout, and n kind of Thcumatic' fever. As to the absence of members in general, it was a fact that ni.embers—not Maori members—had been' absent from the country for weeks and weeks, and absent from tho House for similar periods on private business. ' This had never been questioned by anybody, and ho did not seo why, in tho present instance, members should take umbrage at Mr. ICaihau's absence. It was a mattor between himself and his constituents, and. not between himself and European mombors. . -

Mr. W:' F.' SrASSET (Leader of tho Opposition)' replied that the' suggestion that members woro not prepared to extend courtesy to the Maori members was not deserved. If Mr.'Kaihiiu was really ill there would not bo the slightest objection on tho part of any member to the application, but in spito of the Native Minister's apology, members could not liolp thinking of tho manner in which Mr, Kaihau had in years failed to put in an appcaranco until tho last week, and sometimes the last day, of tho session. A public, duty was', imposed on every member, and tho House was entitled to know whether the member for Western Maori was really, ill, or merely attending to his own business. ■'Sir. W. C. BUCHANAN (Wairarapa) also took exception to Sir James Carroll's accusation' of discourtesy. Kir James Carroll interjected that no other interpretation was possible. Mr. Buchanan: Mr. Kaihau himself is alone responsible for this "discission. 'Sir James Carroll: The suggestion is that ho is making a bogus application. In personal explanation, Mr. Jennings protested against the suggestion that ho had intended to cast a rullection on the representatives of the Maori race. .Sir. GLOVER said that ho had visited Mr. TCaihau in Auckland a few days ago, and found that the momber was suffering from a severe attack of gout, from which ho would not recover for some months. The desired leave itvis granted on the roicos.