LEADERS CROSS SWORDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14810, 13 October 1911, Page 6

LEADERS CROSS SWORDS.

A BREEZE IN PARLIAMENT.

' THE SEATLESS MINISTERS. [lit TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] \ • Wellington, Thursday. A good deal of the time of the House of Representatives "was occupied to-day by Mr. Ell (Christchurch South), who started an ineffective stonewall on the Wellington City Empowering Bill. In this Bill there was a provision to make a small charge on 30 days in the year for witnessing games on certain recreation grounds. Mr. Ed waxed very wroth at the proposal, and spoke at length against it several times. This caused Mr. Hemes (Tanranga) to express wonder at what a well-meaning faddist like Mr. Ell cost the country on such occasions.

After, the adjournment Sir J. Ward made, a speech, in which he suggested a compromise by allowing a charge on 20 days in the year. Sir Joseph wandered from tho Bill to have a fling at the Opposition, whose representatives, he said, were getting off machine-made speeches. Mr. Massey (Leader of the Opposition), in reply to the Prime Minister, said they had recently the extraordinary spectaclo of one branch of the Legislature closed down to allow a Minister of tho Crown to go electioneering at the public expense. They had also the spectacle of another Minister of the Crown absent from his place in order that he could go electioneering. Sir Joseph Ward : Who was that? Mr. Massey : The Minister for Agriculture. , .-. ■ .

Sir Joseph Ward : He was only absent from Friday night till Monday night. Where, he asked, was Mr. Massey? He also had gone electioneering. A Voice: And Mr. Allen? *. Mr. Massey: I am not a Minister of the Crown. We have a perfect right to go, because we pay our own expenses. Sir .Joseph Ward said tho two Ministers had gone at their own expense, and they were entitled to go. One had lost his scat. ■-.■-, ..;

Mr. JNlassey: The seat is there. Sir Joseph Ward: And the other had decided to come down and contest a seat in the ordinary course of things from the Upper House, That Minister had taken advantage of the eppoutrnity to go to Parnell to deliver a speech. Both these Ministers would be returned by largo majorities—(Opposition laughter),— and the Opposition did not like it. Mr. Massey: Don't be too sure about it. •

Sir Joseph Ward said that, in his opinion, they would both ,be returned. Mr. Massey: You v--ill find they have no room up there for Southern rejects. . Sir Joseph Ward : That is rather poor. if the lion, member will come down to my electorate 1-shall regard it as one of the golden opportunities of my life, and I would not call x him a reject from the North. .;// I am -not going to, say /in any boasting way that we are going to get back with an overwhelming majority, but 1 think people recognise when they have got a good thing and will not set it aside for the bad thing. Mr. Wilford'(Hutt) here innocently in.quired ."'What about my Bill?" amid a general shout of laughter. The House apparently had forgotten < all' about the Bill.. , . , , ,

Sir Joseph Ward answered the question. " Your Bill," he said, "is only a secondary matter; when, we are dealing with matters of greater importance." (Laughter). . After a forcible and lucid speech by Mr." WilioM Mr. Ell was badly beaten by 46 votes to 17 on his amendment to limit the charging days to fen. It was decided Jo allow 20 charging days in a year on condition that not more than ten of the days be Saturdays, and the Bill then passed through committee.