The Marble Halls

Maoriland Worker, Volume 12, Issue 294, 18 October 1922, Page 3

The Marble Halls

The;show this A week has not been of a very high order. Tuesday we had Kemal Pasha in our pockets", and four aiore.-New • 3iad.' yolunteered for the front. Wednesday soinje disturbing, :come through, Kemal Pasha' hatt promised Leniri, who had beenvjshoi four times, that the Panama Canal should be internationalised. Five. more New Zealanders vblunteere'd : for service. Thursday things looked 'better.'"lt" appedi-s Dα*. Thacker's speech on : '"Didn't we win the war, had .been cabled to Kemal Pasha." 'Keirial Pasha notified Lloyd George that lie had : no intention of preventing the Greeks from supplying the British nation with fis3i and chips. : 'S.ix : 'inpre volunteered for the front. Friday things looked very dismal. Fo.r.s'ome lime another .banquet had been arranged' at Shannon, at which the , IPrinte Minister had agreed' to deliver his now famous speech on "Why should a Union Jack have a Red Cross on' it?" But something went wrong. It appears that the Levin banquet had not fetched the reductiem in'' taxation that had been looked for, and this had disheartened the committee at Ot'aki; Eight more volunteered for the war.

Of course; there was a lot of niinor matters dealt with which didn't matter in view of the very serious news about the war" in! .China. 'For instance: The Mitiister of Public Works had suggested, very unkindly I think, that Mr. Wilford took Dutch courage sometimes; Mr, Wilford, who wasnjt at the banquet,at Levin, where.lt was understood members $ot a free ticket, and citizens paid, ten and sixpence, put his Whip on ; to. Mr. Coates, and Mr. Coates was glad to admit that ho didn't mean Mr.. Wilford drank too much or anything., M that Seven more volunteered, for. the front. There •was also the question of the P. and T. (Post and Telegraph, not put and take), and wJLiy they, should not be permitted to join tie Alliance of Labour. The Prime Minister was in good form, and delivered the same address as he had delivered at Levin at the banquet on the previous Monday. Most of the members p£ the House knew the speech, but that is helpful rathe* than hurtful, because the Reform chorus knew just when to applaud, and the three Liberals knew when to groan. , ■ . ■ .

The first time I heard ,this speech— It is known as Che:Banquet Speech—■ £ was much struck by it. It is really a good speech, and one visitor who had come to Wellington to see the Zoo and had. wandered into the House to study the effect of environment in the modification of characteristics, asked mc what the speech meant? Of course, I replied that we Statesmen had taken a solemn pledge of secrecy to Mr. Lloyd George not to put eacli other away or to in any way say what was the cause of the disturbance in the East. The visitor being an intelligent elector of a Reform constitunecy, agreed that it -would not do'to inquire too closely into anything thai 'was'said-.by a politician during an election year and compromised by having some tea at my expense. However, otherwise things were quiet this week.—THE VAG.