PARLIAMENTARY LIFE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 16 November 1929, Page 7

PARLIAMENTARY LIFE.

)TS IoUSiNESS AND ITB IiUMUUK.] TALK BT Mil. M. G. DICKIE, M.PJ j in breezy and interesting style, phases in the lire ot .Parliament in VNew Zealand were sketched by Mr. H. 'G. Dickie, M.P., on Thursday to a meeting of members of Ladies’ Guild of the Hawera Methodist Church. Mr. Dickie dealt with the various . aspects of Parliament in a way that delighted his hearers. • Itev. El. S. Emmitt presided and briefly introduced the speaker. Mr. Dickie said; that he would give his audience some information concerning the origin of Parliament, the work done and the forms of procedure, and, incidentally, something of the lighter side of life in the House The Mother of Parliaments, he said in opening, was really the Orthing of Iceland, founded in 929 A.D. by a Dane, but the Parliaments of the Empire dated their initiation from the time when King John signed Magna Cliarta in 1215. The New Zealand Parliament, he added, more closely resembled the British House of Oomjinons, in his opinion, than did that of | any. other in the Empire. But, lie ‘said, it. was freer*frqm the hurly-burly tjiat sometimes marked proceedings, at Home. r '

Referring to the present session, Mr. Dickie said that all the talk would not lie recorded in Hansard, because the stonewall which occurred is not so recorded. He referred to the Governor's address at flic beginning of the session and the Addrcss-in-Reply, on which each member was entitled to speak for an hour, and if that were extended, as long practically as lie liked. 1 lint, lie added, no one was allowed to transgress the rules of debate, for Mr. Speaker, Sir Charles Sfatham, was very strict in his control of the House.

He referred to the opening prayer, which lie read, and added that he scald not «eu why members should approve of that and object to a prayer in schools.

Interestingly Mr. Dickie turned back the paces of the history of the Dominion to the time when Mar.sdeu in 1818 preached his first sermon, and when in 1820 New Zealand was proclaimed a Crown colony. He then traversed the various stages,, the provinces with their executives, until in 1850 a change was made to one Parliament. The number of members, lie added, had varied from 40 to 90, and then back to SO, as at present, and in 1597, lie said, New Zeeland was proclaimed a Dominion with a Governor-General ' He hud often been asked ' when abroad of th 4 result of the introduction of the women’s franchise, and he

said lie had always affirmed that the results had been decidedly good, because lie believed women were not so easily influenced by party in tlieir voting. ‘ Incidentally.i too, he paid a glowing ti’ibute to the lady members of Parliament in England—Lady Astor, Miss Bondfield, and othersHe described the passabe of a Bill, and said that with all the detailed discussion on each clause it was extraordinary that there was still so much slipshod legislation. Mr. Dickie then referred to bis “Book of Blunders,” and extracted therefrom a series of examples of mixed metaphor and amusing remarks made by members, and he kept his hearers intensely amused thereby. Concluding, Mr. Dickie said that lie was very pleased to talk to members of the Guild oil the subject of Parliament, for the life, though strenuous, was most interesting, ancl he considered it a. high, honour to be elected a member. He urged also that everyone should take an interest in the doings of Parliament and discuss its affairs from time to- time. A cordial vote of thanks was accorded Mr. Dickie for his able address, on the motion of Mr. T. J. Hurrell.