SESSIONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9628, 28 September 1894, Page 5

SESSIONAL NOTES.

[by telegraph.— correspondent.] Wellington, Thursday. The vigorous manner in which Mr. Guinness, hitherto one of the most consistent of Government supporters, attacked the legislation of the Minister of Labour this afternoon, was quite surprising. The utterance of Mr. Guinness was elicited by' the motion of the Minister of Labour thab the Council's amendments to the Shop Hours Bill exempting shops wherein hired labour was nob employed, be nob agreed with. He said that Mr. Reeves' hasty and radical proposals would ultimately ruin the Liberal party. These drastic Labour Bills should be called so many Bills for the suppression of the liberty of the subject. The Council should receive every credit for the way in which they had amended the measure. Mr. R. Thompson warmly agreed with Mr. Guinness. Mr. Reeves naturally did nob enjoy being thus wounded in the house of his friends by the chairman of committees, and made more than one interjection of dissent.

Objection was taken by several mombers this afternoon to the action of the Minister of Labour in appearing before the Labour Bills Committee of the Legislative Council and advocating certain alterations in the Shop Hours Bill after it had been agreed to by the House of Representatives. Sir R. Stout opened this question by commenting upon the conduct of Mr. Reeves in urging that the Council should exempt hotel bars. Mr. Reeves warmly replied that Sir Robert had placed the position before the House in a mosb unfair manner. He had made ib appear that he (Mr. Reeves) hod gone before the Council Committee for that special purpose. The provision for the closing of hotel bars should be placed in the Licensing Bill or in the Factory Bill. Mr. Guinness thoughb ib mosb undesirable for any Minister to go before the Council to advocate the rejection of something this House had passed. Such conduct should be pub a stop to. He ventured to say that if when another Government was in power a Minister had done a similar thing Mr. Reeves would have been one of the first) to use strong language against any such procedure. The bellicose attitude of Mr. Guinness caused a considerable amount of astonishment on all hands.

Mr. Saunders stated this afternoon he thought the Minister of Labour was quite right) in supporting the demands of the House of Representatives before the Upper House, but he strongly condemned him for influencing the other Chamber Co reverse the decision of the representatives of the people. Mr. Saunders said fchab Mr. Reeves stood absolutely alone as a Minister of Labour, who was also the strong representative of the liquor interest in Parliament. The great Liberal leaders in almost every country of the world were, almost without exception, teetotallers, and endeavoured to protecb the workmen from the evils of the liquor traffic. Mr. Saunders thought Mr. Reeves occupied a most unfortunate position.

The Minister of Labour made a spirited reply to the criticisms of bis actions already referred to. He failed to sea why, because he was Minister of Labour, he should abandon the opinions he had always held upon the licensing question. Ib was for the people to say so if they wore nob satisfied. (Mr. Saunders : They have nob had a chance of saying.) As soon as the electors losb confidence in him, they would take prompt steps to have him removed. As to the position of Mr, Guinness, he (Mr. Reeves) said they usually agreed, and were members of the same party, and Mr. Guinness need not have adopted a tone so noisy or a manner so disagreeable. Ho did nob intend to reply bo Mr. Saunders, though this was the sixth occasion during the present session that gentleman had madean unprovoked and personal attack upon him. Mr. Reeves then proceeded to defend his right to make every exertion to get his Bills through the Upper House, and said he would nob bo dictated to by any member as bo what ho should do with his Bills after they had been passed by the House of Representatives. If the majority of the House thought he was wrong they could remove him.