NOTES FROM THE GALLERY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3726, 25 June 1883, Page 2

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY.

AVith that punctuality which is conspicuous in Irish gentlemen when they get beyond the confines of their native land the Speaker took the chair. A goodly attendance of membors was only what was to bo expected when the debate would be on the Acldress. AVhat memories the very name recalls. Ministries have met their fate on those addresses. Feeble Ministries, by their boldness and daring, havo been strengthened ; thcj r , by their daring, have literally silenced thoir opponents, and today, when such an address is to be moved, it is but meet that our tensions should he strained to the utmost to listen to that which has often made or marred a Government, which has given a new member his opening, and which to one and all of us, be we young or old, has a strange facination. It seemed as if the preliminary business was dragging more than usual. It seemed as if that preliminary business was more than usually dull and uninteresting, or was it the thought of the after-piece that was crushing the life out of the introductory ? I know not. Of what interest was it to-day to learn that one member wished all enquiries in reference to railway ascidents to be open to the press; that another would like to know how many days Ministers were not at their posts, and what their travelling expanses amounted to; and that a third would like to know you know why the Hinemoa had to go twice to Auckland to bring members down, sarcastically adding where was the saving. So far silence reigned, but li3re a member gave notice to abolish licensing coinmitt3es, and was re» warded with a cheer. A proposal to cut clown Hansard one-half was met by the rejoinder to post it to every individual in the community. This must have been in the interest of cheap paper for the butchers. And then tho House adjourned. In the evening the galleries were thronged, ladies crowding in, each apparently having the half finished leg of a stocking she was knitting to keep her awake. Mr Shaw began well by craving the indulgence always oxtended to novitiates, and congratulated the colony on having got for its Governor a man who did not owe his position to an accident of birth, fortune, or political favor, but who, by his military career and administrative qualities, was well qualified for the high post he now adorns. And hero I could have wished that j\£r SJiaw had finished. The barrenness of the speech was too much for him, and a new' member is scarcely cgmpetent to talk the twaddle which experienced members can spin out by the folio. His references to Mr Bryce wero particularly happy. But for a lawyer to compare tho colony's export of gold with its wool, and to say what it had cost to produce the latter as compared with the former, M was scarcely logical. Gold wo cannot manufacture, but wool production we can force. ■ His reference to public opinion pointing to an elective Upper House provoked strong dissent. His next was an unkind cut, "The House will notice no direct reference is made to any particular bills to be laid before the House by the Government of the day." There shone the lawyer, though it was scarcely right that in the eternal fitness of things the most damaging charge of the debato should come from the proposer of the address. I must withhold my opinion of Mr Shaw till another day ; his task was a difficult one, and might have appalled an abler man. Before to-day we knew the difficulty of making blicks without straw, and how revoluti'Qi; I'esulted. Mr Lee, who' seconded the motion, like Mr Shaw, is possessed of that great qid th public speaking, a good voico; 'His speech was brief in the extreme, and 0n66 only did he jn-ovoke dissent, and that was when he hoped the prcsont immigration system would havo added to it that of free immigration. J Mr Montgomery, as loador of the Opposition, then rose. Nature has denied him a, voice, and, sitting over his head, I could not but wondor as I listened to him what ■<v'cro" r! his' cmaliflcatiqns for his present position. Then' "th'ei. rushed to my recollections tho names of men,'conspicuous for J the polish of their fiddresses, who top / lacked voices, I thought of Stuaifc Mill and Gavan Duffy, aud a host of others. The men who read their speoohes and were charmed little knew the difficulti-H under which the knights of tho pencil—not the metallic —labored in catching their _r Montgomery hit out •ioh docs not sceiii to be |c. dor. Ohcehioro a little tact could tyopomround, confining himself cent nor the future, hui "ocable and useless past, ie Houso laughed with be confessed, now and im. He dealt more with lie speech than its com:ech he described as the >resented to a Parliament, s matter than any speech House laughed hero in one side at the sally, the t of their present inflict maintained their exises to favorite districts, 'hioh memiiers thought and here lie instanced tho . a, and tho dinner -wliich Rolleston, ab whioh the 1 was silent, but on tho llookcr lie blushed, this ehing the House. Iv ' ' y, 3lr Montgomery is au I this by adding ho told justice to the Minister v i 'nr'ovokcu ' -raievrpi \ for tho reform'of *tiie f bo something to talk ever be brought down. I to tho Upper House .tion of the very men em in contests for scats

for the Lower. And thou once more Mr Montgomery railed all round—at tho Upper Houso, who are, it appears, all AVellington men, at AVellington selfishness, and at things in general. The leader of an Opposition must bo more conciliatory in tone; ho has no plums to give away like Ministers, and ho shoidd remember his mission is to gain votes, not to lose them. Mr Fergus next caught tho Speaker's eye. This gentleman has a good voice, speaks well, and to tho point. Then again he had a good opening ; his honor was at stake, for ho had been charged with bringing pressure on tho Ministry. His speech was a good one, and he caused roars of laughter by alleging that a dinner had been given to the leader of the Opposition. Things had evidently been mixed, or native whiskey had taken the place of gold-top, for the gentleman to whom tho dinner was given denied having had it. Mr Bathgate denounced the speech for its thinness. The Colonial Treasurer's fishing tour had only resulted in an empty basket, and it was evident that the bait was all wrong. His picture of tho colony was dismal in tho extreme. Mr Bathgate read out the list of last week's insolvencies in Dunedin, giving all the details, to which an irreverent scribe in the gallery mumbled, to beware of all Scotchmen. The prosperity of the colony could not be restored by a dry hash of consolidated stuff. lam afraid Mr Bathgate's experiences of dry hash are not numerous, or he would know it always is a mass of consolidated stuff. He protested against immigration of mere laboring men ; tho men that were wanted were capitalists, but he did not tell us how to get them. Prosperity had ceased the day this Ministry took office.

Sir George Grey twitted the Government with allowing the debate to pass in silence from their side of the House, and, such being the case, he was not disposed to speak at length. Differ as one may from Sir (Icorgo in politics, one cannot but admire the "grand old man." What a standing lesson he affords to younger members. His attitude, his tones, and the manner of his address are excellent. Before the session is over I will havo more to say of him in these notes from the gallery. His " hear, hears," are a feature in the debate. They come at the right time, and aro appropriate. Sir George Grey having sat down, Major Atkinson rose. The Major is just the man for a popular assembly as regards speaking; his voice his well inodidated and thoroughly under control. Ho proceeded to lecture the House the Opposition, and tho Opposition leaders, and threatened, if they did not make up their minds how they were going to manage their part of the business, tho Government would do exactly what they thought fit, without consulting Mr Montgomery. Tho debate had given him ; nothing to reply to ;he might have added , lie had withheld everything on which to dobatc. Sarcasm is the forto of tho Major He is clever at saying he should like to say , this or that, it might not be parliamentary to do so, but all the time taking good care ho ; does say it. He twitted Mr Montgomory with being in the shades of Opposition, , where he was likely long to remain, adding,—we allow him great latitude in consequence—of course, he said, we know i all virtue is with an Opposition, and all corruption with a Government. "Tho hon. i gentlemen (Mr Montgomery) makes a grave ; charge against me, and if I did not know - him I would think he believes it." \ That is parliamentary, but elsewhere ; would be apt to bo called by another name, j His defence of Mr AVhitaker's appointment to tho Upper Houso, as well as tho recent ; appointment of Mr Brandon, was spirited ] in the extreme, and in this ho evidently had ( the House with him. Mr Fish followed, getting slightly mixed ] at the start of a manly speech by remarking l that "the cold perspiration ran down his , spinal marrow," when he considered tho j silonco of the Government side of the House. He was not going to bo dictated to by a Ministry that had no policy. The ; Major's great forte was abuse, and he must j tell him (the Major) he had mistaken his j vooation ; his place was on the boards of ] some largo theatre, for ho was an inimitable , actor. Mr Brandon, instead of spending ; his late years in the Upper House, should be preparing for another and better sphere. , Supper time having arrived, I gladly left , my scat in tho gallery. :

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