IN THE HOUSE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 9510, 4 September 1891, Page 5

IN THE HOUSE.

A BATCH OF LOCAL BILLS. GEEYMOUTH HAEBOUE, WOMAN SUFFRAGE. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.! WELLINGTON, Sept.'s. A solid block of local Bills, solidly gone through. Such is the bulk of the afternoon. Nine of these measures are read a second time, and put through Committee, with composure as well as expedition. Very dull it all is, but highly dutiful. Half a dozen citizens of Wellington in the gallery prick up their ears when the Bill for vesting the Botanic .Gardens in the Corporation comes up. Dr Newman makes care-fully-pitched protest when the Wanganui Eiver Trust Bill is going through, in the interests of the “ National Park,” and Mr Fish makes a characteristic stand against the Bill for enabling the GEE yMOUTH HARBOUR BOARD to raise another .£50,000. Mr Fish gets up a slashing discussion. In fact, his hair stands on end at the prospect of this “ pernicious, hasty legislation.” He fumes because ‘-our courtesy has been imposed on.” He fidgets by reason of the imperfect explanation of the Minister. The Minister’s general demeanour is a thorn in the side of Mr Fish. (The Minister, Mr Seddon, sits peaceably laughing on the central chair, while Mr Fish explains that ha has observed that whenever the Minister is mild and pleasant in his demeanour there is something on the Board.) "A joker up his sleeve. Sir,” is tho significant remark of Mr Fisher. Mr Seddon looks at the Order Paper. His expressive eye lights on the line marked “ Female Suffrage,” about which there is a dreadful rumour that this day the Bill is to bo put to death by the reactionaries, who have reflected and conspired during the last few days. His expressive eye being on that line, Mr Seddon rather thinks that instead of there being any “joker" in tho situation, there is a “ jokeress.” After which Mr Seddon explains the certainties of the situation: certainties of revenue, certainties of engineering, certainties of progress. The necessities and the receipts will keep pace, in fact. A valuable endowment of increasing value ; a big railway Company making constant expenditure; new coalmines at the Blackball and other places. Altogether a very rosy as well as solid future for Greymouth. As for tho present, there is endowment to stand another .£BO,OOO, but the prudence of the Government and of all concerned has kept the demand down to .£50,000 only. Mr Eees, “ after the very satisfactory explanation of the Minister,” asks his brethren to say no more.

CLUTHA IS SCORNFUL about members who will swallow anything, and then disports himself among all the harbours of the Colony seriatim and passim. It is like a big fish smashing breakwaters with his powerful tail. When his blows throw up the water over the Taranaki work, Mr E. M. Smith calls out “ No, no!" very loudly and piteously. Clutha sees no use of throwing money into the sea. He denounces the perpetual extension of these breakwaters. He foresees quite clearly a canal constructed right over to Australia. Mr Taylor carries on the war," having a duty to perform." His duty makes him develop a serious interest in engineering and coaling questions, but he does not develop long. Mr Wright is of the same opinion, and Mr James Mills sides with the Minister for reasons as numerous as a steam fleet. At five o'clock the discussion subsides, to the relief of

CERTAIN EARNEST MEMBERS who sit in their places round Sir John 3 Hall, their heads together over printed ' papers, planning the conduct of their ’ battle. The lady is about to be led to the ■ stake, and the champions are looking to \ their harness. The nine little Bills get back into the House, and go gambolling through to the stimulating accompaniment of the usual festive remarks from Mr Speaker and his officers. We give ourselves up to pleasant dreams. We lose consciousness of passing events, until we become aware of something in the air even less festive than the official utterances of the Speaker and the Clerk. The business - like tone of the inarticulate sentences has gone : they have ceased to flow. It is Mr Wright on his legs, opposing the third reading of the Groymouth Bill. Ho has ten minutes wherein to talk it out, only ten minutes, but he finds the utmost difficulty. Not so easy to kill time as to kill a Bill, unless your tongue is ' built that way. The theory of Clutha has : bridged the Tasman Sea before pur very eyes. The practice of Mr Wright can hardly find a bridge to hang him from one sentence to another. If his style of oratory is typical of the harbour works at the Grey, heaven help those rickety structures. The House during this performance is pervaded by the stonewall expression which always comes over it when any member is obviously talking against time. “Two minutes more," shouts some unfeeling member to Mr W right, straggling with recalcitrant speech. The cry has the effect a smart cut of the whip has on a knocked-up horse who increases bis pace for about half a stride in a shambling kind of way. So Mr Wright, struggling a little, says he hopes to bo able to utilise those two minutes in making a supreme effort to secure the rejection of this Bill. Even in the extremity of a self-imposed task of too excessive severity, Mr' Wright remains respectful to the cause of euphemism—an invaluable diplomatic quality. Sire, There is a fine though, perchance, unconscious irony in the Speaker’s voice when, at the half-hour, he regrets exceedingly to have to interrupt the hon member, and then, dinner. WOMAN SUFFRAGE takes possession after dinner. Mr Ballance moves the Bill into Committee, and the discussion begins easily and comfortably, no one taking the, chair at the table. The Bill goes ahead without a man at the wheel. She steers herself very soon past the crucial point, the principle of the female franchise being adopted without a division. After that the Bill sails into troubled waters and makes little progress. The m-oposal is to postpone its operation till 1804— “ six years.” Sir John Hall says he cannot accept that. The discussion grows warm and endures briskly, the leading feature being Mr Hess’ attack on Mr Fish. Eventually 1893 is substituted for 1894 by a majority of five, and June 1 is fixed as tho date. Sir George Grey wants 189 a, but the House says No ’’ on the voices promptly. After this there is A HEDGING PROPOSAL. Mr Carncross proposes to admit women to tho House. For an hour and a half the Bill stands stock still while this point is being discussed. Sir John Hall objects on the ground that the proposal will kill the Bill. Mr W. P. Beeves supports him on tho ground that though he is in favour of the female franchise and. its logical consequence, the admission of gifted women into the House, ho is pledged to support this Bill, and he defers to Sir John Hall, who thinks the Bill is imperilled by the proposal. At half-past twelve the admission of women to the House is carried by a substantial majority—3o to 24. , This curious and unexpected result is received with great applause. The Bill having sailed through Committee, comes up for its THIRD READING. Then it is met by Mr Fish, who makes a most fierce onslaught on it. He denounces bis fellow members, he roads telegrams, he Storms under the gentle chaff of Mr W. Hutchison, he provokes the contradiction of Sir John Hall, he deplores the coming mixing of the sex endeared to men by many virtues, he warns tho Liberal members to “ look out," and he puts his faith greatly in the Upper House. He runs on in the most furiously energetic manner, denouncing “ cliques andseets," and many other things. « The wrecking their domestic peace which has been thrust upon them.” That is the , burden of the lament into which Mr Fish runs, and having lamented, he fiercely protests against all the insinuations made against him during the debate, and strongly declares that he fears nothing. He is sure the common-sense of the ladies will be in his . favour. He holds up books available in the nineteenth century by Mrs Lynn

Linton. We all tremble that he is going to read them. We look at the dock, and wonder if we shall be here at daylight j if we shall sea the sun at noonday. But Mr Fish refrains. He has not stonewalled, though ho would have been perfectly justified, but he has not done so, and he will not. He indulges in a final burst of protest and sits down. Mr Pinkerton having bantered Mr Fish with telegrams, and having rebuked him for sneering at the Tailoresses'’ Union of Dunedin, and Mr Fish having emphatically declared that he never had any intention of doing anything of the kind, we have Mr Carncross. That gentleman frankly confesses that he proposed the admission of women to the House in order to make the Bill distasteful to the country, and he rejoices openly that he has succeeded in doing so. Sir John having said that Mr Carncross ought to have said so. at tbo time, the Bill is read a third time, and passed without a division. We adjourn at a quarter past one.