PARLIAMENTARY NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7061, 22 July 1901, Page 4

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES

(Post.) THE PREMIER'S BLACK BOOK. • TI U *. clvently a matter of coninent m the House that when a member—and more especially a supporter of the genera policy of the Government-makes an attack on the Administration, ho is frequently followed by a more out-and-out .-upporter of the Government who seems wonderfully well posted up in the subject, more especially in regard to some previous speech of the attacking member. Some light on the way in which this is done was thrown by Mr G. W. Russell yesterday, and although Mr Russell's independent attitude has often brought upon him the Premier's wrath, his statement is borne out by previous experience. Ministers, he informed the House, keep a careful record of the speeches of mem&s w? lch are, kept in a' "bla(* book. When a member makes a speech m the House and his utterances are not acceptable, the "black book" appears on he Premier's desk, and immediately afterwards it is passed round so as to on able some member of the party to make a quotation from the speech of the member whom it is desired to castigate. An instance of the kind occurred the other rT^ B',^ 01? V l6 member for Motnaka had the ".black book" banded to him to reply to some remarks which he (Mr Russell) had just made. • A MEMBER IN REVOLT The member for Ashburton generally adopts a tone of sturdy independence in his speeches in the House, and yesterday he went even a little further than usual ?°J h f }eC oct stronSly to a clause in the Land for Sett ements Bill requiring Land Boards to give preference to married »»""» disposing of land, and declared tfl, ™ f ot/ oin S t0 ba controlled En t ■ *? do anyih'™e be did not believe to bo right. He would, he went on to inform the House, be returned to Par] ament as long as he liked tostand h°m off th° n' i? d ¥ thß P^<*struck T™A /> rOll 0f membership of the Land Board he wouldget carried through the Legislature a measure making Land don V° mfbV ! n BP"e °f Mr Sedl™Si , Mr. M plan's remarks evoked eem t^T' b?V he Premier ™ "ot So^^Xweir th6threateaed JOTTINGS. ' The Premier know? better than I do " said Mr G.W, Russell on Friday. "You M Lachlan m a warning voice . Mr George Fisher, M.H.R.', mti ]dns last Friday night at the banquet of Court Sir George Grey, A.O.F.,* sai d he regretted tho numerical strength of the Government party in the House of Representatives, and the numerioal weakness of tho Opposition, it'was bad for I the country that sound criticism of financial matters and general legislation was lacking. Tho Premier of the colony, says Mr Meredith, is paid" £1800 a year, plus £200-from the Land Board, making up a total of £2050, Another member — lhai s not all," Mr Meredith—"l am not going into extras."

. The Lyttelton Times stigmatises the Premier's utterances on tho Elective Exeoutive Bill as the " veriest bunkum."

(Christchurch Press.) A QUESTION OF PRECEDENCE

The yexed question of precedence is again engaging the attention of the Premier. "It is said that his Excellency tho Governor and Mr Seddon do not agree on the subject. Tho point is whether the Chief Justice and Lady Stout are to take precedence of Mr and Mrs Seddon in connection with a Club function held when the imperial troo'pß were here. Lady Stout claimed precedence over, the Premier's wifo. Mrs Soddon, however, is said to be equally determined not'to givo way to the wife ot the Chief Justice. The quostion has no doubt by this time been referred to the Home authorities.