ABOUT THE HOUSE. A BIRD'S EYE VIEW. [BY A Casual CRRONICLE.J

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 37, 12 August 1905, Page 9

ABOUT THE HOUSE. A BIRD'S EYE VIEW. [BY A Casual CRRONICLE.J

This week's sittings of the House have made it o.ear that the general public does not <Mre twopence for polities, but hits an ineradicable love lor anything in the shape ol a row. With, the F.isher i tharges stiil hovering round, and lipble j ;0 , , nrst at any moment, Hhe population i has been pouring up to the House in j great quantities, driving the messengers distracted, and filling the galleries, the corridors, and the vestibules. And Mr.' j Hall-Jones kept on asking '"Where is | the public interest,?" The public interest was sitting hunched up in the galleries like s-ardines, or ivas craning its neck hi the remote corners for just one little ' flimpse of "the proceedings, or sitting in i *he corridors reflecting on the early bird and the worm. But it was not visible to Mr. Hall-Jones. ( Tuesday was not a -day to be excited : over. Id the hope of seeing some further acts in the great melodrama now in ' process of, enactment, the public filled i the galleries afternoon and evening, j During the early part of the, afternoon Mr. James Allen arose and obtained permission to lay on -the table a newspaper I clipping containing Sir John Hall's rebuttal of the Premier's remarks about *sthe "memo." system. He then read it preparatory to moving that it be printed, > ' and on the last sentence the Premier arrived, cast a withering glare -at Mr. Hall-Jones and Mr. M'Gowan, under which they visiKy wilted, and asked "Has that been laid on?" "It has," said the Opposition in high glee. "It wouldn't have been, if I'd been Here," snapped the Premier angrily, and glared again at his helpless colleagues while the Opposition howled with Jaughter. Shortly afte*- ! wards Jhe House went into Committee to consider the Estimates. For some" amazing reason it is permitted to talk of everything created and unborn when the first item is under discussion. The House did its best, and the "memo." scandal was dragged up and down the debate till it was worn out and. only a, small piece of gristle was left, so to speak. Now and then the House would drop it, and break off into some other pastime. " Chief of the subjects discussed was defence, but the debate on this point ■was interesting almost solely as an indica- • tion of the wrath' to come. The House plugged away hour after hour, and after the dinner and supper adjournments hastened back ' to" heave more bricks at things. The galleries— packed in /the evening until supper — emptied afterwards, and only r. faithful few remained when, at ten minutes to 'two members left the House to darkness and the mice. . Bright and gay,' on Wednesday mom- , ing the red revolutionaries sailed in with , the sunrise from the South, and the citizens girded up their loins and marched in droves to the scene, of carnage. Would the ftew Liberals effect an entrance into debate? Had the Premier foiled them? These were the questions that agitated the galleryites who, with parted lips and chining eyes, awaited the onset. The Premier was missing, at half-past two, but some tec minutes later he arrived with a wedding-garment on and evidence of haste* in his flustered hair. _ Rumour has it that a wedding ceremony had been rudely disturbed ten minutes before by a portly gentleman, in . response to the whisper of a messenge*, , dashing down the aisle like a. bolting dray-hoiae. But of course this rumour is an irrelevance. Mr. Fisher arose just before thret, aud asked leave to lay on th» table of the House a letter he had •written to the Speaker, having reference to a. mysterious-looking package, wrapped in red tape and sealing-wax. The Pre- . mier was obviously surprised and agitated. Kestlessly moving in his seat in his curiously leonine fashion, he could hardly contain himself while Mr. Fisher read the letter. Then he arose and asked the Speakei what he was going to do about it. Mr. Speaker practically washed his hands of the affair, and then the Premier sailed in with a. voice grat--ing with- anger. He appealed, with an appalling disregard for the aspirates (which, well-placed, signify calm), to the "' members of, his party to defeat this motion. As he progressed he became more excited than ever. A smile from Mr. Taylor nearly sent him into convulsions. Instead, it sent him into hysterical mimicry. "I saw him with his smile," he said, "I saw him," and ho endeavoured to copy this stinging snaky smile. THe House almost fainted with, alarm, but the spasm passed, and the Premier referred to the "sealed packet" ' (which all this time was lying peacefully on the Speaker's desk), and its "r-r-red ' tape and s-s-sealing-wax" — the rolling ' "r" and hissing "s" made one weep' to ' think of what the stage has lost in tho Premier. ' He spoke _ong and lustily, and to the calm, dispassionate galieryite he seemed to have made out a good case < on which to charge Mr. Fisher with [ stealing v the ■ constitution or ' the referendum or some other long substance with !■ a name' like a loudly-banged, kerosene- ! tin. The galleries were breathless with j excitement, and the House was alert and I attentive. Even the snoring brigade \ were awake and taking an .interest in things, Mr Massey made a clear oneminute speech, in which he said he would j vote for the motion to lay the letter on j the table. Mr. Bedford, beginning in j a soft little voice, spoke clearly and I forcibly, ' and ' then the Hon. W. HallJones arose, squared his manly bosom, and asked "Where is the public interest in these charges?" The galleries looked at each .other perplexedly, but Mr. Jones had got, under way. \ He was chiefly abusive and sneerfol, but interest began to wane/ : His speech wouid make anything wane— eVen his comparison of Mr Fisher to an octopus under a sealed , document (a habit of octopi) was not appreciated as it should have been. Mr. Major made a speech which is excellent in its' way, but it is the way that excludes it from immortality. The debate went on, and some excellent talk was produced by the rank and file of the Government party — its quolrty far better than the efforts of '-the Ministers. The Hon. C. H. Mil's was itching to be "up and at 'em." He rose at last, but the PrcmiVr impatiently _ waved him down Mr. Milln sat down like a lamb. They let him speak liter op, however, but he was bfiflly heckled by unkind opponents, -. and sat down hurt The Premier wns constantly ordering documents from his staff and distributing them to Ministers and c6nducting the fight with great ability. An end must come to all things, arid at five o'c'otk or thoieabniits Mr. Fiabrr's motion was lost by 46 to 9A, and the House burked the enquiry for the time being. The rest of Wednesday's sitting was leatfier and prunella-. Until 11.30 p.m members complained about roads and bridges and guns and coal and small birds and other matters Later in the evening Sir William Steward's pet Bill to permit a man to marry his deceased wife's nieco and become his own brothei- , in-law or some other individual -was discussed. The House was frivolous and tied fancy knots and were full of idee)

But they let the Bill through and went home aiter midnight. The feature of the evening was tile mob that came and blocked all the available space of the House. They kicked and i ought and struggled and sat round in droves, but they failed to get in. And those that cou.d not get in were the lucky ones. _The Fisher charges came up again on Thursday, and the population — which , had choKed up the passages on the previous mght on.y to find that it had missed j the bus, and that the only things doing . were the Minister of Lands ana Roads j and Bridges and other solemn substances — did not put in an appearance in unusual quantities. The Premier presented a. petition for .various high officials askiing for an enquiry, and though, he had j fulminated against any enquiry the day before, 'he was as lout) and positive 'this time in urging that an. enquiry was neoeasary. The motion met with the'approval of the House, but a long debate . 'ensued, and various members pleaded i that the enquiry should not be held at in the coal-hole. Anxious for | chanty and fair > dealing, Mr. Buchanan moved to widen the scope of the investi- ! gtitions, but the Premier wrathfully op- : posed the suggestion, and hinted that < Air. Buchanan had evil designs. The amendment was lost, and Mr. Buchanan | explained, with fiery anger, that his amendment was inspired by the best motives, and he was righteously, indig- | nant at the Premier's imputation of disj honesty. The courteous Premier told him "to go out and get cool." The dtfoate Was full of painfu.ness.-HMr. Bduse imputed an unpraiseworthy motive to Air. Fisher, and a legitimate 'retort evoked a million demons of fury in Mr. Buume, who ga.ve an exhibition of excitement more curious thart edifying. The Premier, in his concluding speech, was bitter, and the whole afternoon, that ended with the setting up of a limited private enquiry, was painful to peopla -n-ith nerves. The evening-^-a procession of local Bills till after midnight — was a species of narcotic j i poultice,- and nearly everyone was wrapped "in the arms of Murphy." A locality named Rotokare, where some Crown leases were cancelled, was the dismal fare for yesterday afternoon. The Premier was away, but his henchmen kept the matter going all the afternoon and shelved itf. , There was a motion adverse to the Government's action before the House, and the Government party was divided, so it became essential to elude a division. Estimates came on in the evening, and a pleasant discussion followed about all kinds of things from soap to extra' clerks, coal to clocks, law costs to lady typists— China to Peru — Dan to Beersheba. Mr. Taylor was in' a 'very inquisitive mood, and wanted to know all about \ everything. Most of the debate ■was left to the Premier and Messrs': Taylor, Fisher, and Duthie, and for hours the greatest good humour, unmarred by depth or bitterness, kept the galleries interested, although it did not thrill them. Progress was slow, howj ever. It -was a political "sentimental ! journey" — expensive, but soothing. It ended shortly before 1 a.m.