"FAT AND GREASY"

Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 85, 8 October 1915, Page 3

"FAT AND GREASY"

A SHAKESPEARIAN QUOTATION. DR. THACKER WITHDRAWS. Out of the slumbering embers of the " hold-up " of a Taranaki Bill in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, there suddenly sprang flames. Dr. Thacker interpolated some observations about the Bill, with the remark that the Taranaki members were " fat and greasy citizens." An ominons silence fell over the House, which had been displaying much good feeling, and the Chairman of Committees (Mr. R. Malcolm) peremptorily ordered the member to withdraw the remark. Dr. Thacker: Sir, I was quoting Shakespeare ! The Chairman : The hon. member must withdraw and apologise. Dr. Thacker: I will not apologise. A member : Be a good boy ! Another member: I don't see why he should apologise! The Chairman : I represent the authority of the House, and I order the hon. member to apologise. Dr. Thacker : Sir, I will withdraw, but I will not apologise ! The Chairman : Then I must ring the bell and call the Speaker and report the hon. member for dishonourable conduct. A member : But he was quoting Shakespeare ! The Speaker was summoned and took his seat, and the Chairman of Committees made his report of the incident. The Speaker : I understand the member has been reported for dishonourable conduct. He must withdraw the remark and express regret. Mr. T. M. Wilford said that the words reported were the words used, and the incident was correctly reported ; but the hon. member had said that he used a Shakespearian quotation, and withdrew it. He then had refused to apologise ... The Speaker said that the ruling of the Chairman must be obeyed. (Hear, hear.) The hon. member was told to withdraw and apologise, which was the usual way under the circumstances. He must do that. "I ask him if he will." The Prime Minister: And express regret. The Speaker : And express regret. Dr. Thacker replied that if what the Prime Minister said was desirable, if his words were offensive — he had not meant them to be offensive, seeing he had got them from Julius Caesar The Speaker : The hon. member i Dr. Thacker (interrupting) : And if I must express regret, 1 shall do so. (Hear, hear.) The Speaker remarked that the hon. member must not make quotations if they were offensive to any member. The dinner adjournment intervened. At 7.30 o'clock, when the House resumed, on the motion to report the Bill to the House, Dr. Thacker said he would like to place on record the effort made by him 'on a previous occasion, on behalf of the Democratic part of the community — he referred to the wage-earners. They were the people who were unable to defend themselves. It was only right that when they had a- champion or champions in the House that those champions should step forward on an occasion like this to help them when part of their birthright was being taken away. They (the opponents of clause 31 of the "Washing-up" Bill dealing with Te Aroha leasehold lands) had saved part of the people's birthright last night, and they were trying to do the same thing that afternoon. No word of his could express his gratitude to the Chairman of Committees for the position he had placed him (Dr. Thacker) in that afternoon, for it would demonstrate to the Democrats and wage-earners of New Zealand that in Dr. Thacker they wonld always have someone who would stick up for their rights.