WOMEN'S DISABILITIES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 9819, 19 July 1900, Page 8

WOMEN'S DISABILITIES.

A Couple of HoursfFun.

Mr "Riccarton" Russell's

Bantling Killed.

(FROM OUR PARLIAMENTARY

Rtl'UaiMti.)

[BY TELEGKAPH.]

Wellington, This day.

As soon as the House got into Committee at a late hour last night ou the Removal of Women's Disabilities Bill, the members trooped in from the lobbies and filled the Chamber, in the hope of having a couple of hours' innocent fun. Their expectations in this respect were realised to the full, the proceedings being quite as amusing as an ordinary Christy Minstrel entertainment. In the hope of staving off opposition to the measure Mr G. W. Russell agreed to add a proviso to his bantling preventing women becoming eligible for seats in the Legislature, which provoked dissent from auch staunch allies in the movement for equality to the sexes as Messrs Ell and Flatman, and they urged that the member in charge should stick to his bill. To this appeal " Riccarton " complied, explaining t hat he had only offered a suggested comDromise to save the honor of Parliament, as he conceived members had degraded themselves when the bill was in committee last week.

Mr Lewis was particularly amusing. He urged that if women were to be barred from sittiug in the Legislature the only new avenue open to them would be that of policemen, and he pictured a s°ene of members of Parliament falling over one another after a late sitting in order to fall into the arms of Amazon "Roberts."

Mr Hogg declared that the frequenters of the ladies' gallery were averse to the paseage of the bill, and hinted that the member in charge had some covert object in view, which drew from Mr Russell the remark that such an insinuation showed want of refinement on the part of the eleot of Masterton.

There was also a sultry passage-at-arms between Captain Russell, the " Laird of Hastings, " and his namesake of Riccarton.

The bill was killed by the adoption of a motion that the chairman leave the chair, and is not likely to be resurrected during the present Parliament.