WORDS AND WORK,

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 62, 10 September 1910, Page 9

WORDS AND WORK,

IN PARLIAMENT. THE WEEK JN BRIEF. (By Eareye.) PRESS GALLERY, Saturday. This week beca-n with a shower of Bills from the Governor for the House, and it ended with a rain of bills from the Government, for t.he Prime Minister at last set himself to push bis Estimates through the Opposition phalanx. The wheels of the Bill machine have gone with a whirr iv both Houses this week. The work proper ol the session has at last begun. After the ten weeks of play Parliamentary Jack was no longer a dull boy, and was ready for work. "OWEMARU." A member murmurs or mutters for half an hour ; he is reading from a paper ; not a word can b.e heard by anyone more than three seats away. Thui did the Hon. T. Y. Duncan introduce a Bill of a nature to make New Zealand's credit shako with oscillations sharp enough to be felt in London, where the big banyan money-tree grows for the hungry nations. This Bill requested •Parliament to allow Oamaru to compound with the creditors — to "compromise" for a release from half of a d^bt of £100.000. Oamaru gently desired io take a leaf from the book of one or two of the South American Republics, and got a soothing solace of sympathy from various members. However there is •mall hope that "Owemaru's" prayer for Parliament's co-operation in an offer of "'ten shillings in the pound" will be favourably answered. MR. HINE'S CHARGES. Mr. Hine has a fire-arm, but there is not enough of it showing to the public eye to indicate whether it is a blunderbuss of a repeating rifle. It is not known whether the weapon is loaded with powder and ball or powder and paper-wads Mr. Hide's charges about Tammanyism— statements thah certain Parliamentarians' palms had been nicely anointed with land oil — were again lengthily before the House on Tuesday ■while the Chairman of Committees, Mr. Colvin, was off hi* guard. Mr. Hine •ays that he will name the accused after a tribunal has been set up. The Government says that -the specific indictment of alleged culprits must precede the appointment of judges. Each side has finessed to draw the other out. It has been, a pretty game of political catch-as-catch-can, with neither getting a holding grip of the other. Thus they were sparring round and' round each other on the mat on Tuesday, and Wednesday shifted the charges almost as far out of sight as the Stone Quarries, which have crashed down near the bottom of the business portion of the Order Paper. The Land Bill has totally eclipsed Mr. Hine's mysterious fire-arm, for the present. ■ THE LAND PRESCRIPTION. Sir Joseph WaTd should be happy. He has written out a diplomatic prescription — one drachm leash;, one drachm freeh. The leaseholders say that the medicine is compounded to benefit the freeholders. The freeholders declare that if the bottle is well shaken it will be found that the contents are obviously intended for only leasehold stomachs. If each side thinks that the other has | gained an advantage should not the j Prime Minister feel that he has wrought * work of art ? Leasehold says to Freehold : "You have got the six." Freehold Tetorts to leasehold : "You have got the halfdozen." Already there are rumours of a dissolution, to be precipitated by a plot of superhuman subtlety by the Opposition. Some leaseholders say that duty to themselves and Ne.w Zealand will induce them, to s*ifc out the long watches of the night, week after week, month after month, and year after year, if necessary, to keep such a Bill out iof the respectable company of Gentle Annies and Maries in the Statute Book. But these are political emanations, mere surface indications. The beer which remains concealed behind the wood of the cask has to be distinguished from the froth that sizzles from the bung. The people have to be aware of "attitudinising," which, next to "platitudinising," is the most conspicuous feature of politics in any country. .WELLINGTON'S "DUMB DOGS." One of the sharpest debates of the 1 leeek was on the venerable Hntt railway and Toad works, for which the Government has asked an additional £35,000 to push, the slow length to its end. Sir Joseph Ward returned to tie House on Thursday evening from a dinner which had liked him well, apparently. He genially chided the Wellington members for not rushing to the defence of the much-as-eailed works, and he playfully described them as "dumb dogs." The Prime Minister mixed up much jocund patter with his politics, and the penalty was an indictment by Mr. Herdman and Mr. Wright for lack of dignity. It is respectable in the House to be unconsciously funny — and there are not a few eminently respectabl members by that standard — but he who deliberately seeks to joke courts disaster. Two of Wellington's "dumb dogs" found their tongues, without much search, and barked with awesome ferocity. "A DEED OF DREADFUL NOTE." By originating and passing the Crimes 'Act Ameudment Bill the Legislative Council committed a crime, according to a complaint by the Opposition, because the Bill contained a money clause. The Prime Minister urged the Representatives to forget arid forgive, with a gentle warning to "another place" to be more circumspect for the future. Mr. Massey, armed with large tomes from the library, offered battle yesterday as tho champion of the people's rights. Sir Joseph and the Leader of the Opp-W tion threw the same big books at each other. Sir Joseph quoted Todd at Mr. Must-ey, and Mr. Massev quoted Todd pt Sir Joseph. Between" the two Todds a languid thin House mumbled "odsbodikins" to itself, and sighed for ths Speaker to do something sensational, such as an order for the summary execution of two or three Legislative Councillors as a "horrible example." The Council cvenually escaped lightly. « AN ERUPTION. Last night came a whirlwind of words, and the gale blew far into (.his morning. It is the privilege of the House of Representatives to have a 'night out" on the first item of the Estimates. Any disorder is then order; the irregular is regular; nothing is anything; any extremes ran meet on that first item. The Government has to stand against the wall and beat off, as best it can. all the political cabbages, onions, jam-tins, fish-heads, and other things that may be thrown. Anybody can say anything about- anything or nothing, or nothing about anything or nothing. It is a time-honoured custom. Possibly the Government enjoy? it as much as the Opposition.