REVENGE OF THE HOUSE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7302, 5 December 1910, Page 5

REVENGE OF THE HOUSE

FARCE IN PARLIAMENT TWO MEMBERS OBSTRUCT BUSINESS FOR HOURS Alleging that they were fighting for a principle, two country members "held up" the House of Representatives for about two hours and a half early on Saturday morning, when the vote of -650,000 on the Public Works Estimates for road and other works on goldfields and mineral lands was being considered in committee. - With the most remarkable patience members bore with Messrs Ross and Poland, the elect of Pahiatua and Ohinemuri respectively, while they steadily blocked funner progress by making an almost endless succession ol speeches on the same subject. ‘When they had exhausted their"rights of speaking on the main question one of them moved an amendment and the same .speeches were made all over again until at last the committee I’oso almost in a body to put an end to the delay. . . The alleged reason for the obstruction was that tue Minister of Public Works had refused, to give certain iniormatioix, wuxch, however, the Hon. R. McHenzio declared,he had supplied long before. Ml McKenzie also aurouted Uio objectors by resting in his ordinary place, instead ot occupying the chair at the tableset apart for Ministers wnile in charge ot tnu Estimates. Both Messrs Ross and Poland asked the Chairman of Committees to compel the Minister to occupy the seat, but Mr (Jolviu said he had no powci to <xo so. AN UNUSUAL SPECTACLE. The most remarkable feature of the incident was the action-oi the Minister in moving to strike out items on his own estimates by way ot retaliation tor the manner in which the’House was treated. The items in question were both mining road votes in Mr Poland's constituency. The "stonewall” really began on a prior class ot" th© Estimates, auu t tuily developed by tlio tini© tlio mining road votes were readied, ' cjuit© a number ot times Mr Koss sought an. assurance from th© Minister that a subsidy would be given for: coal prospecting in tii© MaUaiiara; district. E© also ashed for a promise that a gw* iogicai .survey of tne district would bo Poland spoke on similar linos, and after a lengthy discussion, maintained bv these , two : members only. while the Minister remained silent, Mr Ross moved to reduce I>y Ml the item .610,010. assistance towards the construction and icpair 6T roads, tramways, tracks in mining and mineral districts, prospecting anti minor works for the development and protection of the mineral resources and for the extraction op metals Horn the ores. He said hs did this a« an in* dication that the. Government should assist prospecting for coal and oil. TEDIOUS REPETITION.

1 The patience of members lasted very well for a. couple of hours, bur was a laTt exhausted, and Mr • Anderson , rose to a point of order. He asked the chairman to rule that the constant repetition imiultred in. by Messrs Koss and I duringthe^ past two hours brought them within the scope of the standing order bearing on irrelevance and tediousuet*. The chairman said that under the circumstances he could not prevent ~ members front continuing, out he would watch them carefully and stop them it th Z that if thel \kad b^en sleeping while members were seeking m obtain' Information from him. • _ : “This is very much like impel tin ence," declared the Minister., and. on being ■ compelled to withdraw, the teim, said that tne position was really tidicu- : logs, v Here were ; two members talking about Mahahara and coal for the , last couple of hours, and they wore allowed to continue. In a very tew minutes he would ask the House to bring the Speaker in to consider the situation. , “It will be a very good thing, said Mr Poland. . i “You will find out whether it s a good thing or not." the Minister retorted. _ Cries of “ Vote, .vote,” greeted the obstructors as they .proceeded along the same linos as before, and in the end the chairman ordered them to desist. At length they gave in and the motion went to a vote, being defeated on the voicesRESENTMENT SHOWN. “I think that the House should now show its resentment at the performance of tho last few hours,", said she Hon. R. McKenzie, amid considerable applause. Turning to the next page, on winch the Auckland goldfields roaos votes appeared, bo moved that the item bridge road, to Karangabake, £2OO, be deleted. “And there will be a few more to follow," he remarked, and members applauded loudly at this novel method of punishing obstructors,: of business. 1 1 The motion was promptly carried on the voices, and the Minister immediately moved to strike out another Auckland goldfields road, Hikutara: to ; Paeroa, £250.

Members again showed their approval by applause, but Mr Hogan urged a stay of proceedings. He said that while he did -not sympathise at all with the men who had delayed- the House, he did not think that this was the proper ‘method of retaliation to adopt. The men who had blocked business should be made to suffer and not the settlers in their districts. Perhaps it would not bo advisable to go too far. The House had already shown its displeasure, and very likely the constituents : of the members concerned would resent the tactics employed and act accordingly, Mr Anderson said he trusted that the Minister - would not take this means of showing his displeasure. The . members in delaying the proceedings had shown considerable discourtesy to the rest of the House.

Mr Poland declared that all the discourtesy had been on the part of the Minister in declining to give tho information for which ho ’had been asked. Ho did not raise any objection to tho striking out of tho vote in his district, because it was an old vote of last year and had already . been expended. (Laughter.) MB MASSEY'S REPRIMAND.

Tho leader of the Opposition suggested that the obstructing members might well allow the business to go on. Their attitude during tho night had caused intense disappointment and considerable inconvenienoo to a number of members who had hoped to get away that day. In all probability the result of the delay that had token place would be that the House would now have to go into the following week. Members had already shown their resentment at the tactics employed and the vote should bo taken as a hint. •• • ■ .

“We want an answer from the Minister," said Mr Poland.

“ I flon’t think I would be so obstinate/’ was Mr Massey’s reply. The. Minister said ho would not ask the House to punish tho hon. members’ constituents, as it had already shown its resentment. After the reprimand administered by Mr Massey and the advice of other members, one would think that any man with reason in him would see the injustice of what had been done. Ho had never seen a worse exhibition in tho House. He would not move that the item he reduced, but if tho sort of thing they bad been having was not at once stopped he would move to strike out item after item, so that the House could show its

resentment. He would have no compunction about it at all. Mr Ross rose to explain something, but was met by persistent cries of “ Vote, vote ” from all parts of the House. The allocation, as reduced by .£2OO, was put through soon after i o'clock, and the rest of the sitting was uneventful.