SCENES IN N-S.W- PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1522, 19 August 1912, Page 6

SCENES IN N-S.W- PARLIAMENT.

THE SPEAKER'S IRON HAND. IBr Telesraph.-Stwotal Correspondent.! ■ Auckland, August 18. The Mayor of Auckland (Mr. C. f. Farr) during his recent stay in Svd'ucy. was vastly amused, though a 'little' shocked, at scenes he witnessed in the Parliament of New South Wales. Dew scribing scmo of the incidents, ho said:-» "Tho proceedings verged from burlesquo to tragedy. Mr. Speaker Willis' was in tho chair. Last year it was quite a common thing for former Liberal associates to be removed by his order. On I one occasion it required a body of 30 policemen to eject half a dozen members from tho House. -On that occasion one member, while struggling with three burly policemen, threw a water bottlo at the Speaker's head. "The bottle missed its mark by half .an inch, otherwise it is probablo that there would have been, an end of Mr. Speaker. I expected that after tho interval of rest afforded the Speaker (hiring tho recess, he would have met the House in milder mbed, but with tho first work of tho session I found oi\ niv visit to the- House that ho was agaiti disposed to exorciso his inflexible deters mination to maintain what he calls or-' der. The Leader of the Opposition imti a question as to three clerks in Parliax' ment House who had been summarily) suspended by tho Speaker, much to then disgust of a number of Parliamentarians.' Tho question was an awkward, one for the Speaker, so lie neatly, parried what was really an attack on km by inform* in" tho hon. gentleman that tho matter was in the Premier's Department, anil ho therefore could not allow tho question to bo put to the Attorney-General, flw subtleness of the reply may he judged by. the fact that the Premict was away from the House at tho time. "Something, howovcr, happened. The! Vremier a few minutes later unexpected, iv entered the House. Immediately tho Leader of the Opposition roso again and .nut tho question, and interesting rove alions were expected. 'There is a r « that an lion, member cannot ask Uix* same question twice,' declared tho( Sneaker. 'I rule km out of order. .vj„t * said tho Leader of tlin Opp<M sition. 'Sir,' said-the Speaker, 'lou an» most disorderly. If you repeat your coiw( duct I shall have you wuoved. . "Mr Wood, who has more than onceri crossed swords with the Speaker, alsoJ a«ked an awkward question. He was perenptorilv ruled out of order. On mak-l ™" protest he was ordered to resume,, his seat tinder penalty of ejection. Mr., Wood sat down, but the Speaker observed that his lips moved.. 'Sir, said tho Speaker, 'You are trifling with me. If vein do not immediately desist you shall U severely dealt with.' Mr. Woods lips promptly ceased to move, and he becamelike n craven image. 'Tan it be wondered at,"'Mr. Parr concluded, "that with such scenes nlS nightly taking P^V^r I ,'?.™™* House is looked upon by the public a? n more entertaining, place than ti><J theatre*, and that the galleries tirtf thronged there as never before.