PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8610, 4 July 1891, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

[BY TKkKORAVH.— SPECIAL CORRESFOSDENT.] j , Wellington; Friday. THK ATTACK ON MB. J. PALMER. The article in the Evening Press of last night, in regard to which the question of breach of privilege was raised this afternoon, and which was read in the House, comprises a very virulent personal attack made upon Mr. Jackson Palmer, the member for Waitemata, who is styled an extremely commonplace young man and unfavourably contrasted with hie predecessor, Mr. Monk. After stating that Mr. Palmer is " very properly and naturally unknown to fame, the article proceeds in the following style, which is sufficient to show its character :—" We shall not say anything , about his personal appearance, because we never like to refer to such a matter unless we are able to da so by way of commendation. An extremely poor speaker, utterly deficient as a grammarian, as can be proved by his utterances and an ambitious bill dealing with a subject he does not understand, which he has had the hardihood to introduce; a man without an idea worthy of of being clothed in language superior to the poor stuff he uses, it Is difficult to discover the motives which can have actuated the intelligence, if they have any, of his constituents. The writer goes on to state that Mr. Palmer, however, has already has his use in the House as the Paul Pry of the Minister of Education, and he then says:— has distinguished himself in this way on several occasions, the last being when,, he .asked if Mr. Justice Richmond had sat in tho Edwards case at the instance of theGovemmonb. Mr. Palmer could not have taken a better way to show a weakness of intellect amounting almost to imbecility,. Fancy the Government asking Mr. "'Justice Richmond to sit after they, had ascertained that from the commencement he had bean of opinion that • Justice Edwards' appointment was valid.' It was not part of the Government plan that either Justices Williams or Richmond should sit, but everyone knows, and Mr. Jackson Palmer ought to have known (if he knows anything), and he ought to have guessed, if he had any sense of the fitness of things, that the chief justice, and tho judges themselves B order the conduct of their.own. court. The Minister of Justice, tco, if it - were not that his success as a lawyer equalled that of his manage menfc of tfio large lauded syndicate composed . of ■ . his relatives, whom he has discovered-to be social pests, ought to have known , how the sittings of the Court of Appeal are conducted. He might- also have-been abl« to obtain-from his -colleague, the Attorney-General, if he found him possessed even of a momentary ability to tell exactly what had occurred, that Mr. Justice Edwards' counsel had suggested to tho Chief Justice that it was a case Wiich ought to be heard by a full bench. The Chief Justice at once acquiesced, and even the counsel for the Crown could find no ground to object, much as Sir Robert Stout would have have liked to &ee Justices Williams and Richmond off the Bench for the occasion, so that he might see Mr. Justice Edwards paid out for the very trenchant criticism which on two occasions he had to pass on Sir Robert's professional conduct. Everyone who has an atom of the manliness which ie a minus quantity in the Minister of Justice and Air. Jackson Palmer, will approve of the conduct of the Chief Justice in asking a full bench to sit, and we do nob doubt that if any people trouble themselves about the question they will look upon the covert attack in it as an attempted sting by a very contemptible creature of a lion in politics, society, and law. Mr. Jackson Palmer if he has any • power' of discriminating ought to see that the one quality which becomes his want of other qualities is modesty. Let him cultivate it, and cease to be the tool of the Minister of Justice to whom open warfare and ability to take blow in return for blow are strangers."

PAHUAMKNTARY ETIQUETTE. While tho doo:s were locked during the division on tho motion for adjournment of the breach of privilege debate, two members assayed to ppeak. The firat waa Mr Houston* who as a new member was evidently unacquainted with the rule, that on such occasions a speaker must remain seated and wear a hat. On rising, Mr. Houston, to his evident amazement and consternation, was saluted with roars of laughter, and shouts of "sifc down," " put your hat on." He stood as if paralysed, but was pulled down into his seat, and a hat pub on his head. He then explained thab he had inadvertently " broken his pair." But the merriment which greeted Mr. Houston's mistake was nothing to that which arose when such a veteran us Mr. Bryce next rose bareheaded to apeak, amid & perfect uproar, which at first seemed to astonish him as much as it did Mr. Houston. However, he soon recovered himself, and having seated and pub on his hat himself, proceeded to explain that Mr. Houston had not really broken his pair, as the Opposition declined to regard the division as a party one. THE PUBLIC TRtTST COMMISSION. There can new bo no doubt that the Public Accounts Committee will recommend thab the report of ths Public Trust Commission referred to them bo seat to a Select Committee. Sir Robert Stout has been instructed to appear before the com mibtee on behalf of Mr. R. C. Hamerton, the Public Trustee, and will come from Dunedin for that purpose.

JOTTINGS. One provision of Mr. Joyce's Licensing Bill is thab clubs must nob be allowed to koU liquor in a district where prohibition has been carried. The Nativb Land Bill, mentioned by Mr. Cad man as in course of preparation, will not be ready for some time. Mr. Mackay's report, which has to ba considered is now in the press. If tho Auckland City Council intend to oppose the Bill for the electric lighting of bhab city they must do so by petition in accordance with tho forms of the House before the measure comos on for its second reading. During the debate on the breach of privilege sympathy was expressed from all sides of the House for Mr, Jackson Palmer, to whom many of the speakers gave great praise for hie blameless character and honesty. Mr. Fisher saya that if tho three Wellington newspapers oppose a candidate for a seat in Parliament ho is sure to win it.

The Opposition have issued a notice which has been posted in tho lobbies, stat in< r that any Government follower who wishes to join their camp, must give a week's notice to the whip, and also thab if there are two votes against him, he will not be admitted. This has a strain of independence about it which is very like fun.

In his speech, to-night, Mr. Rolloston accused Ministers of giving information to ministerial organs, to the exclusion of other papers. He said he subscribed to a paper which was nob a ministerial organ, and he was very often in tho dark about certain news, since it was nob distributed fairly to all newspapers. Aftor reading tho Evening Press article about Mr. Jackson Palmer, Sir George Groy sent word to the member for Waitemata, expressing regret ab what had been written. Sir John Hall says that he remembers many occasions on which the House has entered into contests with the press, but does nob remember one occasion on which the House has come out of it with dignity. Mr. George Hutchison expressed the opinion to-night, thab the Houso should nob separate until they had devised some means of staying the .jxodup. During the financial debate, Mr. O'Conor said that many of the local bodies in this colony were practically bankrupt. The work of settlement depended on them, and the Government should do something to help them. ■