Incidental Amenities.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XVII, Issue 5317, 4 July 1892, Page 4

Incidental Amenities.

(by telegraph.) (fkoh oik ovrs corresfonpext.) Wellington. July 1. Proceedings in the House this afternoon were enlivened by one or two incidents. The first arose out of Mr Hocg's question asking if the Government had received representations concerning the doings of the publishers of the "Picturesque Atl-is, and why the criminal law had not been put into operation for the protection of settlers, who, he alleged, had been victimised by unscrupulous agents. Mr Hogg explained the tact-ices of the canvassers and said that, in his opinion, wholesale perjury had been committed. Mr Cadman replied that no magistrate had made representations to the Government, and, under the circumstances, he could not see that anything could be done. Sir Buckland moved the adjournment in order to defend book agents, who. for aught he knew, were respectable men, and ought not to be aspersed in their absence. He asserted that the caso was the rererse of that stated by Mr Hogg,

and that settlers had formed associations for the purpose of committing wholesale perjury. " Mr Reeves jumped up to defend the people of the colony against the insulting accusation that they had conspired to commit wholesale perjury. fie considered that Mr Buckland "should ba ash " He stopped the sentence there, but Mr Buckland asked the Speaker to order the withdrawal of the word. Mr Reeves : What word % Mr Buckland : Well, the part of a word. You said " ash-" intending "ashamed." Amid loud laughter, Mr Reeves, in reply to the Speaker, admitted that he had intended to say " ashamed," but had stopped short. He withdrew the half word, and all again was peace. It was not long, however, before the placid atmosphere was once more disturbed. Mr George Hutchison asked the Minister for Works whether the Government would place a vote 011 the Estimates for the construction of " that bridge" over thr> R;mgitikei River of Otari. Mr Seddon's reply being over, Mr Wilson rose, and, under cover of the motion to adjourn, treated the House to the history of the famous correspondence and readinir of the letter. Mr Seddon made his reply amid interruptions and running fire of questions from the Opposition side. Mr Allen" followed, and introduced some side issues. This brought Scobie Mackenzie to his feet with an earnest hope that the deplorable business would be dropped, but it was not to be. From Rangitikei to Bruce is a long cry, but the debate drifted into questions connected with the Minister's visit to the Bruce electorate, Messrs J. Kelly, T. Mackenzie, and others contributing to the hilarity of the House. Mr C. H. Mills brought the House back to Rangitikei, and was followed by Dr Newman, who also spoke pertinently. Mr Wilson briefly replied, and the subject dropped. When it came to the appointment of sessional Committees, Mr Rolleston made objection to the constitution of several on which were seven Government supporters and three Oppositionists. He considered that business suffered last session from the same cause, as measures were not so well debated in Committee as they should have been. Mr Rolleston accentuated his argument by feeling references to his own experiences in trying to amend the Land Bill in Committee. The Hon. Mr Reeves replied to the leader of :he Opposition, and the debate was continued by Messrs Moore, W. Hutchison, T. Mackenzie, Taylor. Rhodes, Meredith, Fish, and Hall, till the adjournment at 5.30.