PARLIAMENTARY NEWS AND NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXII, Issue 64, 12 September 1901, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS AND NOTES.

THE PRKMITH AND MR. FISHER. One of many odd features nbout the* privilege debate labt evening was an incident in which the thunderous voice of the Premier was raii>ed in protest in regard to tho Fibber defection, and angry interruptions c.uno from Mr Fisher hiiubelf. Both gentlemen assumed a scarlet complexion, and there was no blinking the fact that just, then they did not love each other. Wellington's elected rubbed it in # at the outset by terming the Government's motion with respect to the Dunedin Star breach of privilege "a pitiful climb down." The Premier had, he added, failed to fulfil his duty as ■Leader of the House. Mr. Cohen fiad become a myth, and tho Government's efforts were not in defenco of him, but of tho position that Ministers had voluntarily assumed themselves. Had not the Premier summoned a meeting of his party and prevented dispassionate discussion, his (Mr. Fisher's) amendment would have been carried by 42 to 18. In. defending tho privilego of the House he would accept dictation from no one, and he would abstain from voting on the "humbug motion" that the Government had put before tho House. This studied declamation by a momber of his following brought tho Premier promptly to his feet. He searched at once for a raw spot by stating that Mr. Fishor's speech was that of a disappointed man; disappointment was in every word of it. He also tried to rob Mr. Fisher's amendment of originality by ascribing it in the first place to a suggestion of Mr. Allen. (The ungrateful member for Bruce promptly repudiated the construction put on his words by tho Premier.) Then Mr. Seddon, in response to an. interruption by Mr. Fisher, thundered forth that no man should prevent him from expressing his mind. He was not of the material to climb down, and the member for Wellington knew it. (A voice: What are you doing, then?) Presently^ the Premier condescended to accept a denial by Mr. Fisher. Mr. Fisher : " I don't want you to." More wrangle, and then the recalcitrant member said he would please himself, and no one but himself, how he voted. Presently things simmered and finally cooled. But the passage was a warm one, and there were present for a time all the elements of a rousing storm between the most dictatorial and the least governable personalities in the House. AN EMPHATIC DENIAL. Second in interest to the Seddon-Fisher conflict was ' a passage-at-arms between Messrs. A. L. D. Fraser and M'Lachlan. Criticising Mr. M'Lachkn's attitude as to the Government's privilege motion, Mr. Fraser said that the honourable member had not been too careful of the honour of tho House in the post. Mr. M'Lachlan said that if these words had been spoken in committee he would have been content to let members judge between himself and tho member for Napier, but as the statement would appear in Hansard, he would give an emphatic denial to any, aspersions sought to be cast on him. After asserting tho existence of kinship between Mr. Fraser and an ass — an assertion promptly withdrawn — Mr. M'Lachlan said that Mr. Fraser had used against him a paper that came from ihe Premier's office. Tho Premier denied tho statement. Mr. Fraser denied that he had intended any special refer- : enco to the member for Ashburton. Mr. M'Lachlan : " I accept the hon. gentleman's apology." The Premier thought that Ashburton should also apologise for his statement about the paper from the Premier's office. Mr. fti'Lachlan : "I withdraw willingly, and I am glad that the Premier is innocent in the matter." QUEER TACTICS. The Premier delights in scoring against an opponent, and he is not always very particular in the methods he adopts to effect his purpose. In discussing the breach of privilege by tho Dunedin Star yesterday, Mr, J. Hutcheson expressed the opinion that if the reporter of that journal had given up the source of hit information he would have been, a "skunk." That was quite enough for the Premier. He spoke soon afterwards, and actually had the audacity to distort Mr. Hutcheson's remark so as to make him refer to pressmen as "skunks." Of course, the senior' member soon. pot the Premier right— it doesn't do to waste time in such matters-— but such tactics aa those do not appear altogether fitting for the Leader of the House and the head of a party with on overwhelming majority. TEA IN PACKETS. Tea merchant? and grocers of Dunedin in a petition to the House ask it to pass, such legislation as may be necessary to' suppress the use of coupons in connection with the sale of packets of tea, as. being injurious to honest trading, and demoralising to the community. They urge that the sale of tea by such questionable methods is improper and unbusinesslike, and is injurious to tho honest and legitimate trade carried on in connection with the sale of tea in Dunedin ; and that the use of coupons in packets of tea gives a fictitious value to the article sold and militates against honourable trading and competition. AGAINST CIGARETTES. The Hon. Colonel Pitt's Cigarettesmoking by Youths Prohibition Bill provides" a £10 penalty for every person who sells, gives, or supplies any cigarette to any youth under the age of seventeen years. Every youth under the age of seventeen who smokes a cigarette or any part thereof, is to be deemed to be guilty of an offence, and will be liable to a fine of 5s for the first offence, 10s for the second, and £1 for the third. After the third offence, the Court may order a whipping. THE PREMIER "RILED:" The member for Selwyn has a happy knack of worrying the Premier. He spoke for only a few minutes yesterday, but in that brief space he brought the Premier to his feet red hot with anger — and the Premier can be very angry when he lets himself go. v Mr. Hardy referred to the Premier's speech on the privilege question as a most painful exhibition, and he went on to say that the Premier had lost his temper in a most scandalous manner. This was too much for Mr. Seddon, and in angry tones he asked that tho words be taken down—" and I shall ask for an apology," he declared. The Act> ing-Speaker ruled that the word " scandalous" must be withdrawn, and Mr. Hardy promptly withdrew. The ActingSpeaker said he thought that would be sufficient, and tho Premier magnanimously said he " would not ask for an expression of regret this time." " Oh," said Mr. Hardy, " I withdraw with regret, I am quite prepared to please him," and after a few brief remarks as to Mr. Seddori's failure to uphold the dignity of the House he resumed his seat. It is very easy to "rile" the Premier just now, and Mr. Hardy appears to have learned how to do it. CHOICE LANGUAGE. The excellent ohoice of language for which the Premier enjoys a well-earned reputation was admirably exemplified yes- j terday. Mr. J. Hutcheson had insinuated that Mr. Seddon was not a "wordpainter," and the Premier took an early opportunity of proving that the senior member for Wellington was wrong in his estimation. He informed the House

that " Ike language iv Avhich ho (Mr. Hutcheson) shines is that which is generally heard in the ' neighbourhood of Billingsgate, and then generally from drunken sailors." Mr. Hutcbesou raised his hat in reply to tho compliment, but Mr. J. Allen rose to a point of order, and wanted to know whether that sort of language from the Premier should be allowed. Tho Acting-Speaker ruled that it ought not to bo used in Parliament, and the Premier, of course, withdrew it. Mr. .Pirani referred to the incident as equivalent to " Satan reproving sin," and he went on to give Gome of the epithets the Premier has applied to members — " political sneak," " political ferret," " political wasp," " political Judos Iscariot," and "political Antonio Bresci." That was the sort of language they heard from one who wanted to set an example to the House. Apparently, the Premier is a word-painter, after all. A MINISTER'S SELF - DENYING ORDINANCE. Speaking on the Physical Drill in Schools Bill yesterday, the Minister for Education advocated striking out the clause providing that Education Boards shall furnish to the Minister quurtcriy reports showing that the requirements of the Bill aro being complied with. He stated that the Boards were statutory bodies, and had duties just as the ivunIster had. If they did not do their duties even the Minister had. no power, I short of the Supreme Court, to interfere or bring them to book. He deprecated the inducing by this clause of unnecessarily strained relations between the Minister and the Boards. Surely the Boards were to be trusted in small matters like this. It was no use attempting a centralising system by alterations like this in patchwork, especially when, no power was given to the Minister to enforce the clause. The Hon. Col. Pitt, who was in , charge of the Bill, fought for the clause. He said' that the Minister's speech was likely to create a very dangerous precedent. The principal Act already contained similar provisions, ordering that reports of three different kinds bo furnished to the Minister, and providing no penalty for failure to do so. If in future a Board or a Committee refused to forward its annual report, it could quote to the Minister his own speech, in which he stated that there was no penalty or power to compel. If it was deemed necessary, though he did not think it was, a penalty could be . added to the clause. Finally, tho clause was recast to prbyida that a statement as to how the Bill is being complied with shall be included in annual reports of boards. SMOKE WHIFFS FROM THE COUNCIL. ' "I have at lost got a Bill that I can givo my hearty support to." — Hon. G. M'Lean an Youths Cigarette Prohibition. ■ "A man cannot annoy you much drinking a glass of good grog, but he ■con. annoy you with his pipe."— Hon. G. M'Lean. "My first attempts at smoking were made at considerable personal sacrifice." — The Minister for Education. "If boys are to be taught not to smoke, men, must be prevented from smoking." — Hon. T. Kelly. "Tobacco-smoking is more serious to our youth than- opium-smoking, because it is wider- spread." — Hon. G. Jones. "It tends to weaken the race and reduce the birth-rate." — Hon. Mr. Jones on tobacco. "I commenced smoking, when I was twelve years old. It never stopped my growth. I never smoked a cigarette in my life."— Hon. R. Reeves, who is over 6ft tail. Tho Hon. Geo. M'Lean thought that the Prohibitionists should leave the liquor traffic to regulation, and should apply prohibition to smoking. The Hon. G. Jones observed that in any case prohibition might, be held to be an interference with that liberty of the subject which Mr. M'Lean on other subjects held so dear. *' "A cigarette made of good tobacco is a clean smoke and better than a cigar." — Hon. H. Feldwick. "It is a disgrace to the colony that the Adulteration Acts are not enforced." — Hon. Mr. Feldwick. AMERICAN RAILWAY OARS.~~ The Hon. C. C. Bowen asked the Minister for Education yesterday whether the railway carriages recently imported from America had been built according to the specifications sent from New Zealand, and whether faulty construction had occasioned considerable expense to the Department? It had, he said, been stated that the specifications had not been complied with, although an inspector was sent from New Zealand, and that the wheels and the axles did not fit, and had to be altered. The Minister replied that the carriages were built absolutely according to specifications. There had been some expense in testing the fit of all the wheels on the axles, but this extra testing expense was borne by the builders, not by the Department. THE GRAINGER-STREET BLOCK, The Bill introduced by Mr. Field providing for a rehearing of the claims for compensation by the owners of the Grain-ger-street block taken by the Wellington Harbour Board was before the Local Sills Committee this morning. As the, Harbour Board is urging that the measure is a private and not a local Bill, ' the Committee, at the request of Mr. Field, postponed consideration of the matter for a fortnight. JOTTINGS. In the Legislative Council yesterday the Hon. W. Jennings presented a petition from 43 Wellington shopkeepers against the Shops and Offices Bill. "You could," says Mr. Pirani, "get as good a collection of abusive terms from^ tho speeches of the Premier as from any slang dictionary; " "The danger of an adverse vote is of more consequence to the right ton. gentleman' than all the interests of New Zealand."— Mr. Jl.J 1 . Hutcheson on the Premier. "A member who makes an incorrect statement in this House loses his dignffy," said! the Premier yesterday. And another member insinuated' that the Premier's dignity must have arrived at the vanishing point. "I have been very pleased with ' the speeches in this debate," said Mr. Witheford yesterday. "They have been as good on one side as the other— and better." And the House roared. Mr. Hardy wonders why the Premier's constituents ever sent him to Parliament. He finds the explanation in the Estimates. Mr. Fisher on the Premier's "humbug" motion. "I will cut the Gordion knot by abstaining from voting." The knot has been similarly cut before. "I am not responsible for my opinions to the gentlemen on those benches." — Mr. Fisher's tribute to the Press Gallery. Mr. Witheford's remedy for, late sittings is that whenever the House cits after midnight the Premier should be fined £50, to be expended upon refreshments. In return for tho financial warning in the Budget, Mr. Fisher offers the Premier another, and it is — "Read the times." "A disappointed man's speech, disappointment in every word of it." — The Premier on Mr. Fisher.

Mr. Ell — "The Party system has given' rise to a senseless and stupid debate for tho lo&t two days." The Premier — "Have the elective executive." Mr. Ell— "We will have it." Mr. A. L. D. Frasor speaks of Messrs. Pirani, Hutcbeson, and Atkinson as "tho trio," and says that they are a phonograph, of one another. But they constitute a phonograph that secures a good deal of the Government ear. "Whenever the Premier is outgeneralled ho first of all climbs down, and then calls a caucus of the Party so as to lighten his fall."— Mr. G. W. Russell's dictum. "I have been too long in this House." — Mr. G. W. Russell. "Hear, hear," interjected Mr. T. Mackenzie, and the House roared. Mr. G. W. Russell went on to say that he had been too long in tho House not to know what the Premier meant, and what power, he had. Cecil yon Blaremberg recently petitioned Parliament for xelief on account of his alleged unjust and oppressive treatment by the Wunganui Education Board. The Petitions Committee of the Legislative Council reports that it sees no ground for acceding to the petitioner's prayer. The Hon. Wm. Jennings has given notice to move that tho report be referred back to the Committee for