HEATED PASSAGES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6361, 8 November 1907, Page 6

HEATED PASSAGES.

IN' THE COUNCIL. MTV M EMBERS AND THEIR OBLIGATIONS. - Scmo heated remarks disturbed the usually placid atmos.pbc.re of the Legislative Council yesterday' afternoon, when the question of going into committee upon the Hand Law’s Aniendmont Bill was being decided. Tho trouble arose over a speech by cho Hon. J. Uigg, who teok up tho iolo r.f a friendly critic of the Government, and in ciciiig so made statemor.t.s which newly aprx>inted members of the Chamber resented. COM PRO MISE NECESSARY.

In me ring tho formal motion, .tho Hem l>r Findlay (Attorney-General) asked the Council to give him a.s mucii jvwitdarioo rw posdblo in putting fhiough so important and contentions a inej-suro. He asked those who thought it did nob go as far as they , \v< aid like, (o boar in mind that the; noccasifcy for a compromise was tive. and that if any radical ohajjig'/s wore rnado, it might endanger the ByUl becoming law. PROTESTATION. Tho Hon. J. Rigg, who had. rpven notice of several amendments, sai<i that if tho Council wns merely to confirm what had been done in tho "House, they might have people asking the question members wcvro now asking fclieumtdves, viz., .“What is th<; use ot this Council:’” He suggested that tho Government had weakened ’itself in Uir. country by not pushing; through thy original measure, which was more f regressive than the one before thorn. REFLECTIONS RESEATED.

Tho Hon. J. Barr protected against a suggestion of th© previous spotvkor that tho now mom he fra o'i tho Council were under an obligation to tho Government a.nd that they would become more independent when they were moro expo non cod. P/o said‘ho was under no obligation to anvon-o but tho Supremo Being, rnd : tt ill became tho Hon. J. Rigg to cast; a slur upon his friends.

The Hon. J. T. Taul said the remarks of tho At J /orne v- Gen ora] had bc-ou misconstrued. Ho did not believe U was intended tto stifle discussion. (I)r. Findlay: Ho.wr, hear.) It was significant that tße most reactionary proposal upon the Rills second reading was made by the Hon. J. Rigg, na.moly, that the lonse-in-jK-i'petuTty btoishould sccuue tho freehold at the original valuation. This was the most unscrupulous br~'/bo put forward by the mest reactionai/y politicians in Now Zealand (Hoar, hoar.) Personally, he could not agree with everything in the Rill, but if! Mr Rigg c<r anyone olsr believed a i/neasur© could be put through which would please everybody, he TVarj very much mistaken. The measure*' was a step in advance of previous • Inoiil legislation, and on that ground bo supported it. As for the feeling in the country, he had enjoyed bettor o/ppwfcumtics. than Mr Higg of it. and he differed from him. He reminded tho Council that its late leader,, the Hon. Colonel Fitt, resolutely ref used to allow a*single word in the Ijicensing Act to be altered. “CONGEIVEH IN ENMITY.” The Hon. Dr Findlay said it would be trifling with tho intelligence of members and with tho English language to suggest that tiro speech Mr Higg made was not intended to discredit the Government.

Tho Hon. J. Risg- That is not so. 'Die Hon. Dr Findlay; Thor. Air Rigg did himself a miscliievious injustice, because lie left it upon tho minds of everyone that it was conceived in enmity, expressed in enmity, and aimed in enmity. Tho Hon. J. Rigg: No, no. The Hon. Dir Findiay said ho felt sure tho hon. member would remove 'tho impression. Ho would shrink from doing injustice to a man who had the courage cf his convictions, but if lh Rigg felt any reflection upon tho chastity of his honour, ho should not make observation upon newiy-appoiuced members which could only bo viewed ns the new members had viewed it. namely, that £ji« rowdy-appointed members felt themselves under obligation to the Government.'for’their appointment,. raid that they would approve its policy measures.

Tho Hon. J. Rigg: No doubt, and I or.prove it.

The Attorney-General continuing, expressed agreement with previous speakers that, whatever the Horn. J. Rigg’s motive, his remarks involved a reflection upon tho personal integrity of tho newly-appointed members. , Tho Hons. Paul, Ansfoy, pallan, and oven Mr Rigg himself had endeavoured to secure alterations in tho Land Bill, and lie asked tho Council if ho had over appealed to those gentlemen to stay their hands.. Ho resented, on behalf of the Government to which- he belonged, the suggestion that they wore trying to tie tho tongues of honest men, to prevent anyone in the 'Chamber expressing his vote as he thought fit. i The Hon. J. Rigg: Did you not invito them to move amendments P Tho Attorney-General replied that if ho could not as a mat! or of prudence or common-ssnoo suggest that it was hotter to got three-quarters of a loaf than no broad, without being charged with an attempt to gag, then he wanted to know what fair leadership was. (Hear, hear.) A voice: Any leader would do it. THE RETORT. Tho Hon. J. Rigg took the opportunity of referring to the discussion when the Bill was being considered in committee. Ho called it a.storm in a teacup, -and declared that tho truth of his statements had not been challenged. Ho saw in the Bill some of his political tenets infringed, and when ho said so ho trier! to do it in a way which would not injure, his political friends. He still said that tho members were under an obligation to support the measures of the party. The Hon. J, B. Callan; There is no party in this House. The Hen. J. Rigg: The Government ha? no party of its own, and it had to accept tho Bill as a way out of a difficult situation. It is not a Bill acceptable to the country, and tho Government is not gaining, but losing sup-pm-t.

A voice; Mere assertions. Tho Hon. Hr Findlay; Nobody believes it for a moment. Tho Hon J. Bigg declared that tho Hon J. Barr bad spoken on four occasions, and o.'ioh thno ho had taken the opportunity of misrepresenting him. Ho did not object to anyone going behind him and biting his heels, but there must be a timo when that sort of thing must bo objected to. It was quite a common thing to take a few words from a man's speech without rc-v

gard to the contort, and build up a strong indictment, hub it was not •‘playing the game.” The Hon. J. Bar.v at cnco dealt with tho previous Bpea/xe'Fa personal on cos He refer)' evi to the fact tha*the Council had interpreted Air Rigs * remarks to mca/n something the author said he did intend. Therefore, m future he wouAd deem it unwise to pay any serious tectontion to tho hon. gentleman. It, was only a coincidence that ho had* followed ujjcii his heels. One mistake made that afternoon was that too nfuoh attention had been paid to the norisor.se talked by the Hon, Air IligS.