PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8629, 27 July 1891, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

[BY TELEGRAPH.SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. Wellington, Saturday. AN EXCITED SCENE. The defeat of the motion for the adjournment of the debate on the Land Bill about half-past twelve on Saturday morning Was the forerunner of one of the stormiest scenes witnessed in the House. The demand for the adjournment came from the Opposition, as several members of that party, it was said* wished to speak on the Bill. The Government resisted, however, charging their opponents with having wasted time, and the motion when put was lost on. the voices. There was then a Eause. Some cries of "question" were eard, and the Speaker was about to put the question, when Mr. Valentine, who had proposed the adjournment, rose and commenced a speech, which lasted for nearly three hours. Time after time during his address the attention of the Speaker was called to the fact that there was not . a quorum, and as often the bell had to be rung to summon members who had walked out into the lobbies and were waiting only for the division. At 2.30, Mr. Fish, one of the Government supporters, saying that the Opposition were endeavouring to stonewall the Bill, formally called attention to the presence of strangers. The Hansard and press reporters had thereupon to leave the galleries, and the remainder of the debate was not recorded. It was a quarter to four o'clock when Mr. Valentine sat down. Then the adjournment of the debate was movod, bub was negatived, Mr. Fergus proposing the adjournment of the House, threatened the Government that a few determined men in opposition could prevent them from passing Bills in that way, and striking out all round. He was particularly severe upon Mr. Taylor, who by his interruptions drew down, upon himself the wrath of the member for Wakatipu. The Speaker was watching the scene very closely now, for trouble was beginning. Point of order succeeded point of order, and though the storm ; lulled when Mr. Shera spoke, explaining that he would vote for the amendment because he believed in the freehold system of land tenure, it immediately afterwards gained new strength, until from the Government benches came the charge that the Opposition resisted the Bill because ' it touched their pockets. At once seven or eight members of the Opposition rose to their feet angrily protesting. The statement had to be withdrawn. Several members were called to order for transgressing the bounds of debate, and after Mr. Fergus' motion was lost there were repeated efforts to secure a count out. At length, at halfpast five, Mr. Hutchison's amendment having been lost by 29 to 10, the second reading of the Land Bill was carried, the reporters were re-admitted, and a discussion ensued on the extraordinary scene which had s just closed. Amongst the speakers was the Minister of Lands, who said that it had been openly stated in the lobbies by the Opposition whips that the Opposition would not allow business to be transacted this session, except the passing of the Estimates. Mr. E. G. Wright, as one of the whips, rose to reply to this statement, with the object of getting his reply recorded in Hansard, but directly he stood up the Government party nearly all left the Chamber, so that there was no quorum. .Mr. Jones, the Government whip, thrust his head inside the ayes" door, called attention to the state of the House, and hastily withdrew. The House was counted -by the Speaker, and there being two members short of the number necessary for'a quorum, ib was counted out at halfpast six o'clock.

THE PAYMENT OF MEMBERS BILL. Several members have expressed their views to me regarding this measure. Many of them, and especially those of the Labour party, think the proposal perfectly fair and just. Mr. Pinkerton, who, it may be assumed, voices the general opinion of the Labour section of the House, says that though the amount proposed may appear to be large, yet when a man's expenses whilst he is staying in Wellington, and the various charges he has to meet from time to time are reckoned, it will be seen that he is really not in any better position than if he were receiving three pounds a week at home. Unless some system such as is proposed in the Bill is adopted, it must follow, he thinks, that the people will be represented only by the moneyed classes who can afford to bo absent from home and to stay in Wellington for a certain period every year, and that men who have no independent means will be shut out of political life. The opinion thus expressed is shared by various members. On the other hand, several think tho present a very unfortunate time to bring forward such a bill for several reasons. In the first place the new members have just had a full honorarium for a session of only two or three days, and they are now to be paid again for the present session. Then it is pointed out that although the House has been sitting for six weeks very little work has yet; been done, and ib would be more seemly to wait until there had been some substantial work before a proposal of that kind was brought down. In the third place, as there has been a great cry for retrenchment, and as so many salaries have been reduced, and officers discharged on the plea of economy, it it is urged that this is a particularly unseasonable time to introduce a Bill which proposed' an extra burden of from £8000 to £10,000 a year on the broad shoulders of the taxpayers. However, the opinion is expressed on all sides that the Bill is quite certain to pass. It has also been stated that it will be followed speedily by another Bill, "restoring the salaries of Ministers to the amount at which they 'stood before the reduction was made, and that the number of salaried Ministers will be increased by one, so as to include the PostmasterGeneral, who at present receives no salary, though admitted by all to be one of the most useful and painstaking members of the Cabinet. The suggestion has been made that the salaries of members should be raised directly by a special rate in each electorate. It is considered, however, by many members that this would tend to enhance the influence of wealth in returning members to the House of Representatives, but others believe the scheme would be a good one, as the constituents would have a direct interest in the question of payment of members, and would know what they were contributing for that purpose.

r . - ■ . Sunday. ■ , MR. HUTCHISON'S AMENDMENT. 1 hear on reliable authority that several Ministerialists would have supported Mr. Hutchison's amendment affirming the freehold system had it been moved in committee. ' The amendment, however, was generally regarded as equivalent to a want-of-confidence motion' in tho Government, and no doubt the whips were instructed to impress that fact on the Ministerial party. It is considered by some of the warmest supporters of tho freehold tenure that last night's proceedings may tend to harden up those of the Government party who intended to uphold the freohold system, arid may possibly induce them to support the Land Bill as it stands, but the Bill is certain to be materially altered by the Waste Lands Committee before it again comes before the House. THREATENED RETROGRESSION. It is by no means improbable that an attempt will be made, if not this session certainly next year, to restore the number of members to 95 instead of 74, as at present. In conversation with a prominent Ministerialist who was a strong opponent of the reduction, he expressed his conviction thab before the present Parliament expires the Act by which the number of members was reduced would be repealed, and the original number restored. If such a proposal were made it would almost certainly be carried by the present House. THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION. Mr. TBryoe's absence from the House on Friday night was much regretted, as it was thought thab his influence might have been exercised in calming the excitable feeling which prevailed. His absence was caused by illnoss. He has been suffering from bronchitis, and went out to the Hutt to say at Mr. Duthie's, hoping that ho would be able to return to his duties next day. Unfortunately, however, he became worse, and very feverish, so that he has been unable to leave his room. He is slightly better to-day/ and hopes to be well enough to resume work during the week. THE CHARGE OF OBSTRUCTION. Sir John Hall, Mr. Rolleston, and others, , complain strongly of the action of the

Government in trying, as they terra it, to limit the debate on , the Land Bill. They state emphatically that up to the time the request was made for an adjournment nothing but fair debate had taken place, and that there was no warrant for the charge of obstruction. They asked for an adjournment in order that a measure Of such great importance should have full consideration, and they do not think the Government should have refused It. On the other hand, the Government party maintain that there has ' been considerable waste of time already, and though the session has now far advanced little work has been done, because of the length and number of the speeches which have occupied the attention of the House. The Opposition feel a good deal aggrieved at the clearing of the galleries on Saturday morning. They say that there was nothing to support the charge of stonewalling, and some of them believe that the action of the Government will be greatly resented by the Opposition party.

JOTTINGS. The Minister of LAnds expects to get his Land Bill back from the Waste Lands Committee in about a week or ten days. Some time after the order had been given to clear the galleries on Saturday morning one of : the members saw someone looking through the curtains in the press gallery and immediately called out to the Speaker, who gave instructions that the intruder should be expelled. The weary sergeant-at-arms had, however, fallen asleep, and small wonder, but before ho could bo aroused the stranger had vanished. The member for Waitemata, Mr. Jackson Palmer, ia suffering from a severe throat affection. Dr. Macarthy, who is attending him, found it necessary to lance the throat, and Mr. Palmer has now improved considerably. • • On Saturday the Hon. R. Soddon visited Fort Ballance to see a new eight-inch gun hauled up the incline to be placed in position at the fort. • . : \ - The Speaker of the House, Major Steward, had a difficult and weary task on Friday night and Saturday morning during the all-night sitting. He was in the chair from half-past two on Friday for thirteen hours, and had to control the House during a most trying period.