THE REBUFF ON THE TARIFF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14001, 6 September 1907, Page 2

THE REBUFF ON THE TARIFF

FARTHER DETAILS OF THE INCIDENT.

ANALYSIS OF THE DIVISION LIST.

THE BILL POSTPONED,

tFaoii Obh Own - Coerespokdent.) WELLINGTON, September 5, There was only timo .last night before tho Telegraph Qfi'ice closed to give a. brief 6ummai'y of the unexpected incident thai, for tho time boing, has set the whole Parliament astir.

Mr Massey, in the courso of his speech, said that- if the Prime Minister's remarks meant anything it was a threat, pure and simple, that if his own people did not'support him better than they, had done during the last two or ihreo divisions lie-would drop tho tariff. That was,' he urged, a most'improper position to take up, and'he was not only expressing'.his own opinion in saying that. He (Mr Massey) was in the Ilosiso in 1E95 and 1900, and took a prominent ■ part in connection with both those tariffs, and he had never scon eo much "party" displayed by tho leading numbers of the Executive os he had seen displayed in connection with this tariff. Ho hoped there would bo less " party" in connection with the remainder of the tariff. Ho had told the Opposition when tho llouso commenced to discuss the tariff that they wero free to voto in any direction they pleased, and (jhey had been supporting the Government timo and again. No one had' found any fault with them for so doing. Oji other occasion? ho had voted against tho Government, and his 'supporters had voted with tho Government. A leading mcmber'on (ho Government side of the House had told him ho mu6t not expeefc to have any of his motions supported by a majority in connection with tho tariff proposals.

Tho Prime Minister: Who was it? Mr Mas soy: Mr Kidd.' I should not ha™ mentioned his name, hut 1' was asked for it. Hiis. ho went on to say, is a sorry tfato of affairs, when a party enters into such a-matter as this.

Mr Kidd:-I rise to a point of order. I Whatever I said to him was in fun. Thcro j nothing serious about it at all. I was | ''throwing off" to him about his supi porters, and I made that laughing ailui •'ion. There was no serioim intention at all. : t am not likely, in my position as Whip, to s[ivo away anything. Mr Massey: I did not understand that ' r was a jol'o at tho time, and X am as : nuick at seeing a joke as anyone. An Hon. Member: He is'a Scotsman. ■ Another Hon. Member:, No, ho is an Irishman. J The Prime Minister said lie knew tho i position ho was in, and ho must be retarded as the best judae of whether lie was right or .wrong. The lion, member appeared to suegwt that ho had been .attempting to dictato to the party which supported the Government as to. how. it sho.uld vote on the tariff by making it a patty.

question. Ho Kad never done anything ot the kind.—(" HcAr, hear.") He did not tivko exception to party divisions. What ho did take exception to was that without the ordinary courtesy, men who voted one way on a tariff item in Committco of Ways and Means reversed their voto on this occasion on tho same items without tho- slightest intimation to the Government that they intended to do so. That, ho urged, was a thing that he had tho best , right to complain of, and when ho knew that a momber of the - Government party had said sine© the division that- it vras tho result of an arrangement made between what ,they called flic dairymen and the mining men ho had all the more reason-to complain-of not- having been' informed. / ' If'tho Government had been . imposing heavy) duties-on dairying or mining machinery' ho could havo understood them voting as-they thought proper to vote, but, as 'ii matter of- ordinary courtesy, ho thought, he had a right to bo informed as to what they intended to do. He wa9 not going to take.that position from anyone, and he wished to say that quit® frankly. The Minister of Customs had taken a great deal of trouble in meeting tho requests of tho mining people and tho dairying people. He went as far as it was possible for a man to so, and they allacknowledged that he did so, but, notwithstanding the efforts he had made, somo gentlemen thought,ft was the proper thing to nut him in the position of having practicnilly to reverse a vote which bad boon given in the interests of a large section' o! the community. 11 Wo have been nut: by some of nur friends in a position .which no honourable memW'of flm .Howe would take," ho ooncluded.. ADDITIONAL DETAILS'. A peculiar featuro connected with the incident last night - was that the Speaker, the Chairman of Committees, and one of the Government Whips (Mr Colvin) all took an active part in defeating the Government on tho item. After tho division was announced there was considerable applaiiso, and Mr Greenslade, ono ;of the Government supporters who was active in: tho plot, wont up and shook hands with Mr Guinness by .way of congratulating him .over tho victory. The .item-was exactly, the same as the' one'discussed in Committee of Ways and -Means—viz., " Goods'; subjeot to 5 per cent.-ad valorem, engines and machines for mining purposes —namely; capstan engines for mining shafts, winding engines (steam, air, ,or electrically driven), including bed plates, foundation bolts, and- friction clutches when imported with the engines, (bums for .winding; engines—£s por 'cent. ■-ad valorem." Oh that, occasion Mr Henies's amendment to strike out -the item, was defeated by 39 votes to 23. Comparing tho two division lists, one finds that tho members of the Government party; who, to uso a colloquial parliamentary term, "ratted" wore' Messrs Dillon, Field, Tlornsby, Jennings, Ross, and Hall.' Mr Lewis, who on the previous occasion voted with . tho Government,' last night voted with his own party. Tho members. who did not voto last night wore Messrs Allison, Baume, Flatman, Hall-Jones, Hoga_n, Houston, Kailiau, Laurenson, R. MUCenjie, M'Lachlan, MacPhorspn, Maunder, Ngata, Parata, Rhodes, Stevens, and Thompson. Of thoio Messrs Baume, Hall-Jones, and Rhodes aro absent owing to illness, and Mr Allison was also too ill to he continually in attendance last night. Mr Pa,rata is absent owing to tho death his wife, ami Messrs Ngata and Laurenson were out of town. Mr. Stevens, who is.now blind and more or less of a cripple,," lias to early. Mr M'Konzio, of course, was in the' chair, and so could .not voto. Mr Thomson is absent on public busin<»s; ; and Mr MaoPhorson on account of , a .'family bereavement. On the previous occasion both these members voted with. tbe Opposition in favour of Mr Herries's amendment.

PREPARING FOR EVENTUALITIES.

A LICENSING POLL BILL, .ii. Following up'" last night's ..developments,, considerable surprieo tyas occasioned ■ velion, this afternoon, a bill dealing with licensing polls was introduced by message • from his Excollcnoy tho Governor. At present the law is that if an election is held within two yeara from -thedato of the previous election no Jocal option poll 13. taken-until tho following The now- bill provides that if at any timo Parliament' is dissolved beforo it has boon two years, in' existence a licensing poll • shall be ■ taken 1 at tho next general.eloction thereafter,' notwithstanding anything to , the contrary ,in "The Alcoholic'-Liquors. Sale Control Act Amendment-Bill,' 1895",, but) tho jbpora- • - tion of.euch poll shall be suspended until the day when the Parliament eo dissolved woidd, otherwise have expired by effluxion of time, and such poll shall tabs: effect. accordingly as jf taken on .that day, unless • / it has been alreadv superseded by a subsequent poll. . Until' tho poll; 60 suspended in its operation takes effect accordance' with this'act, or is so superseded, the .poll in force at tho time of the Ukiiiff of.cueh first-mentioned poll shall conttniro in full forco and operation. , Subsection two of scotion four, of " Tho Alcoholic. Liquors Salo'Control Aot..Amendment Act,. 1^95," is to be repealed.' The biil also deals with a difficulty in connection with'the chango ' ' to single electorates. in tho Jour, cities.. Jt, is proposed to constitute the -three- electoral districts in each city tho electoral district in euch oity. The abovementioncd eleotoral districts are the districts as /defined by tho North and \Soufcli 'Islands- Representation Commissions, and will oomo into .effect on the expiration of the-present Parliament.

THE EFFECT OF THE AMENDMENT. The nccessary corollary to last, night's amendment on. tho Tariff Bill will bo tho placing of mining machinery 'on. tho-tea. list, and in tho event of tho "no .duty" membera not being strong enough to carry an amendment to this ■ effect, and the Government's refusal to reinstate, it oii tho 5 per cent; basis, the voters for tho amendment will bo hoist with their own. petard, becauso mining machinery will como under tho heading of machinorv. nob otherwise enumerated, 'and instead of a 5 per cent, duty will liavo to pay a duty of, 20 per cent.- It is doubtful if tho.malcontents aro strong enough in tho, event of tho application of tho whip to carry the amendment necessary to place it on' tho frco list; but, on the other hand, tha Government .would scarcely ddre to allow it to remain subject to such a' onishinft impost as 20.per cent.

THE FEELING IN. THE LOBBIES. After the' House rose last night it is' said there was 6omo very sultry'talk between certain members. A'Cabinet meetin" was held thin morning, _ but Ministers are very close, and are lying' low "as to' their intentions. Generally speaking, thcro is a. feeling of unrest in tho air. Some of tho Government supporters speak' openly of tho necessity of a dissolution, urging that there aro too many members on, tho. Government eido of tho liouso who camo in pledged to Mr Scddon, hut who owo Sir Joseph Ward' no allegiance. Theso men must always ho a danger to tho party, and it is held that a satisfactory position will not be arrived at until• tho. air ja clcared by a general election; Many thought, that Sir Josenh Ward would make; somo statement. Jo the House this, after-; noon apropos of tho present impasee, and in consequence there was a. more than usually full liouse and a considerable number of curious folk 4n tho £alleries at 2.30 p.m.' The oxpect'cd " Statement, however, was not. mede, and members bid the public wore left to their ownvininginings. Tiieir curiosity was further.;aroused by tho' an* pcaranco of ,thp' Local Option Poll', Bill, but tho ge'nfiral opinion is 'that' this measure is only''meant" as a threat. Still, the Government, in view v of flip doubtful support of a section of it? followers, must ho prejAired for o.ventualities. ,Personally, I do not tliinls . there fev'any'imiriedirte likelihood ol.a disolut.ion, and in the event of a defeat thoro. is always the doubt a<> to whether the Governor would grant a dissolution or send for tho Opposition leader.

NEWSPAPER OPINION. . The Now Zealand Times (Ministeiia! journal) in the eourec of an artiole headed "A Serious Position," says: "The procowlings indicate that a grave situation has arisen. It is tco much to expect that Ministers, will eulimit.to the dictation of the Opposition acting, through the disaffection of its own supporter?, but it is more than likely that a way out of tho difficulty will bo found 'beforo the House moots again to-day." The suggested way out, if found, has not up to tho present been itiado public. The Post says that ihe Prime Ministers indignation was natural, "but the really fioro point was that the duty had been approved in tho Committee of Ways and Means, and the decision was_ now reversed without, as the Prime Minister declared, any indication to the Government that such a proposal was on foot. According to Mr Grccaslado tho Whips had been informed, but in any case tho Prime Minister had a right to complain, and it is not to.l)o:wondered at that he moved to report progress. To talk of dropping tho bill is disquieting, but some arrangement will, -wo trust, be made for carrying on the business •. in a rcasonabld and consistent fashion,"