MEN AND POLITICS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 135, 5 December 1910, Page 7

MEN AND POLITICS.

» A GLANCE AT THE SESSION. RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT. (By "Eareye.") A session that ran from anemones and jonquils to gladioli and Christmas lilies— a transit of five long months — and incidentally filled more pages of Hansard than any 01 its predecessors, is not easy to compass in a sentence unless one reports to cynicism, which is not the purpose of this article. However, it may be said, respectfully, that the session chiefly brought a new Defence Act (increasing the scope of compulsory military training), a Public Debt Extinction Act, a National Annuities Act, a Gaming Amendment Act (banning bookmakers from racecourses), a Licensing Amendment Act (providing for a' poll on national prohibition, the abolition of the locker system in no-license areas, the gradual extinction of barmaids, and the elimination of the reduction issue), a Crimes Amendment Act (designed to catch the criminal young and employ him usefully, on indeterminate sentence), Acts to regulate trusts and secret commissions, an Indecent Publications Act, the Tramways Acfc, the-"E. A. Smith" and Knyvett debates, the Hine inquiry, and the five-million, loan. .Nothing, notable was done on land (except the dropping of the Land Bill), and there was comparatively a rest in industrial legislation. The tariff was not touched. A BOUGH CLASSIFICATION. Members may be classified in various ways — town and country, loquacious and taciturn, parochial and national, pessimistic 'and optimistic, grave and gay, leasehold and freehold, Protection and Freetrade, and so on. Appalled by the size of Hansard, the jiublic may not readily believe that there are about twenty members who have talked very little at Hansard, but some of them have done their share of wor,k at the business end of a Bill, in ■committee. That is the anomaly of Hansard. It overflows with second-reading verbosity, but gives only the bald minutes of the important part of a Bill's history — ihe committee stage. Thus a flashy superficial member may enjoy limelight on the second reading, and do nothing in committee. A more solid man may sit still ■ during the vamping on the second rea/1- ' ing, and toil valuably in computtee. Mr. L. R. Phillips, of Waiteunta, ta& been pre-eminently the Silent Mernbpr. .This title was lost long ago by Mr. C. A. C. Hardy, of Selwyn, who is now one of th.3 most talkative members. Mr. Phillips amassed a large pile of the gold of .silence. Others who were sparing of * words (generally) were the Hon. A. K. (juiness., Messrs. Bollard, Graham, Lawry, Myers, Rhodes, J. Duncan, Sectt, Smith, Seddon, Davey, Craigie, Buxlon, Parata, Kaihau, and Colvin. , The most talkative members (excluding the Prime Minister and. the Leader of the Opposition, whose duties compelled much speech-making) were Messrs. foole, ltussell, Ell, Laurenson, Glover, Hardy, Hogg, Hogan, Eoss, Poland, Stallworthy, Allen, and T. E. Taylor Under the grouping of provinces, Auckland easily led in the volume of talking. Next came Canterbury, Wellington, Otago, Taranaki, Southland, Hawkes Bay, Marlborough, Nelson, West Coast As "The Coast" -furnished ootb -the- Speaker and the Chairman of Committees, a reduction in talk was inc/&able, and in addition there was Mr. Seddon to help in sparing the Hansard men. Usually, members took themselves vary though their speeches-were notall of a kind to make an onlooker keep a grave face. Among the members' least disposed to 'joke were Messrs. Allen, Uuchanan, Herdman, Fraser, Malcolm, 1311, E. H. Taylor} Frasei, Stalhvortiiy, and Sir William Steward. The most amusing or entertaining speakers *vere Dr. 'J'e Jtiangihiroa, Messrs. Giovei, Hogg, Laurenson, Brown, Buick, Dillon (toi^ too rarely on his feet), Lawry, and T. L. Taylor. VARIOUS FEATURES. The tensest moment in the session was when the House thought that Mr. Hine J was about to give names for his charges J of "Tammanyism." The most memorable incident was the cheering at the close of yir Joseph Ward's reply to the Black pamphlet. The dullest hours were on "Northern needs" during the debates on the Address-in-iieply and the Financial Statement. The most enjoyable oratory of the session came from the Hon. J. Can oil (a speech ia general defence of his administration), the Hon. A. T. Ngata (in reply to Mr. Maesey in the Address debate), Sir Joseph Ward (speech on the pamphlet), 'Mr. T."\E. Taylor (against some features of the Defence Bill), and Mr. Laurenson (a proGovernment hour in the Address debate). DEBATES AND BILLS. Some of the debates, on licensing and gaming, for example, were interesting enough, because the- members were on familiar ground, 'but the discussions on new policy measures were ineptly disappointing. • There wae no great quantity of illuminating criticism (friendly or hostile), on the Public Debt, Defence, National Annuities, Aid to Water-Power Works, Crimes Bills, and other large orders. THE STATE OF PARTIES. Mr. M'Laren began the session as the whole Independent Labour Party, and he finished in the same isolation. It waa thought at one time that Messrs. TTogg, Poole, and T. E. Taylor would oe bracketed with, him, but these three do not yet bear the straight-out Labour label, though it is understood that Mr. Taylor will bear that badge duripg his next campaign. The "North Island League " mooted by Aucklanders in the early days of the session, did not extend beyond the members from Auckland Province. One feature has been the strength of the country members, on both sides of the House. On occasions, notably on the land question, Government and Opposition members have vvorked together, and the result was that the freeholders commanded high respect »rom the Ministry. The primary industries got most of the consideration. All that was said about the secondary industries was not very helpful, and nothing was- done. This Parliament is not one tp touch the tariff, materially, xov further protection. Several times the Government' was defeated on clauses in Bills and items in Estimates, but too much significance was attached by some critics to /those reverses. The explanation is a very simple out. The defeats were due to poor whipping. The Government Jailed to get the party into anything 'like full fighting line. It was very noticeable towards the close that the Prime Minister had a tight hold ot his followers. Even the " r evolutionaries," Messrs. Roes and Poland,' had their coat-collars in bondage at the finish. ,The five months were remarkable for a more than normal development of party bitternesSj and the rancour seems likely to intensify rather than decrease during the recess. Each side has said thing's that the other cannot forgive nor iorget: This is a time of palpable politicaJ evolution, and many theories are baa-

died about. The most respectable one is that "Independents," real independent "Independents," will be reinforced in the next Parliament, and they may be strong enough to give the Government some anguish. At present the "Independents" are a negligible quantity. ___,„__.»_«____,