THE OLD AGE PENSIONS BILL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXX, Issue 221, 18 September 1896, Page 2

THE OLD AGE PENSIONS BILL.

A MINISTERIAL CAUCUS AND A SUBSERVIENT FOLLOWING. WHIPPING THE~MAJOBITY INTO LINE. A SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS. [From out Special Correspondent. J Wellington, This Day* Smarting under the slap in the faca which the House gave the Government at Wednesday night's sitting hi refusing Ministers permission to have certain bills committed, and also in so destroying the clause in tho Old Age Pensions Bill providing finance as to cause the abandonment of the measure, the Premier, when the House met yesterday afternoon de« olined to proceed with business till he had consulted his supporters. An adjournment was consequently agreed on forthwith, and a Ministerial caucus Was then summoned. I understand that an assurance was given thereat by the party that their refusal to allow so many measures to be committed on the previous night was merely intended as a protest against what would have probably meant an all-night sitting, and that ie was thought that the Old Age Pensions Bill was a sufficient order for one evening. This assurance waa accepted by the Premier, and he then agreed to go through the order paper with his supporters to ascertain their feelinga as to what measures should be passed this session. Some twenty bills were marked off as thoso that ought to be persevered with, and the others are to be abandoned. MrSeddon told the cauous that he hoped to have this legislation completed by the first week in October. Those members of the party who were not invited to the cauous were Messrs Pirani, G. W. Rus3ell, G. J. Smith, Earnshaw, and J. W. Kelly, while Messrs Saunders, MoNab, and Montgomery failed to respond to the invitation.