POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8290, 19 September 1903, Page 1

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE

By Telegraph,

(Prom our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, September 18. , The House went wearily to bed at four o'clock tliis morning with _ue new Standing Orders disposed of, leaving uie position much as it was before any move was made in tils direction of reform. In oliier words, the iiouse took a sitting of nine, hours to neutralise the carefully prepared work of some years. It is now freely said that Parliamentary government is 110 longer on its trial, but lias broken down hopelessly. Tile determination to retain the maclnncry of obstruction is much commented on.

Owing to the late nour of rising there were no committers to-day, and the question of privilege therefore remains where it was—■the centre of gossip. In the Souse'the new rule of substituting Friday for Tuesday as the day for going into lOommittee of.Supply without discussion plunged the House into Committee early with the obvious intention all round of sitting ail night if necessary. "Wo shall have time to recover from the all-night sitting," one of the members said, whereas by sitting all night on Tuesday members are stale all the week. The lunatic asylum vote was the signal for a fierce attack on Dr Macgregor, the Inspector-General, by Mr Ell and some others, wiio affected an interest in poor lunatics. A tremendous speech was made on the subject by Mr Taylor uuring the debate on the Address. He blamed no party and no Government; lie blamed Uie House and Parliament, and he blamed himself for liaving permitted this thing. Everybody applauded him with great graviiv. From that day to this the only reference to this subject was what took place in Committee this afternoon. Mr Ell attacked the. In-spector-General, and others followed suit.' Mr 'Thomas Mackenzie proved conclusively by quoting from a report of his that the Doctor has hammered constantly on these questions of increased accommodation and better classification in all these reports, without exception, but that he has never been anything more than a voice crying in the wilderness of Parliament, which is primarily responsible for the continuance of the bad state of things complained of. Mr Ell, on hearing these things, apologised in a- way and all his friends ''hear, beared'' him, and wg. heard nothing more of uie subject except a-demand from these apologisers for the reduction of the Doctor's salary. Mining came after dinner, and there was much scrutinising, but no alteration. The mining schools came in for much commendation all round.