A STONEWALL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15273, 13 October 1911, Page 5

A STONEWALL.

SIR JOSEPH WARD AND MR MAS SKY CP.OSS SWOItDri. (From On-. Own CoiiiinsroNnm.) WELLINGTON, October 12. A good (leal ol the lime ot Iho Iluiu-'O wa.-, wasted to-day by Air Ell, whostarlcd ;in inclicctivu stonewall un tlu? Wellington l. 11 v Empowering Hill. In t''i« bill tnero was it provision universally agreed to by tin* people ol Wellington m maku asmall charge lor witii'.wiiig gamw on certain recreation grounds maili' nt great expense liv the t'ity Council. The proposal was to make a. charge on 30 days in the year. 1 lie circumstances in Wellington are_ entirely dilterent from those in other cities sucii as Christchurch, where recreation goands can be cheaply made on level lands.

.Vlr KU waxed very wrath at. tlio proposal, and spoke at length against it several times. Tliit> caused Air llerries to wonder wha-t a- well-meaning faddist like ,\lr KU cuit the country on such occasions.

Alter the adjournment Sir Joseph Ward made a- speech in which he suggested a compromise by allowing a charge on W) days in the year. .Sir Joseph Ward wandered from the bill to have bin usual lling at the Opposition, wiio.-e representatives, lie paid, were off machinemade speeches.

Mr Massey, in reply to the Prime .Minister. said they had recently the extra- | ordinary spectacle of one branch of the legislature closed down to allow a Minister of the Crown tu go electioneering at the public expense. 'I bey had also this s|K.-.'iacle of another .Minister of the l rown absent from his place in order that he could go eicetioiiicring. Sir Joseph Ward : Who was that! Mr Massey: The Minister of Agriculture. Sir Joseph Waul : He was only absent from Friday night till .Monday night. Where, be asked, was Mr Massey! lie also had gone -electioneering. A Voice; Ami Mr Allen': Mr Massey : I am not a Minister of the Crown. We have a perfect rignt io go, because we pay our own expenses. Sir Joseph Ward said tlio two Mb:isteps had gone at their owi.- expense, and they were entitled to go. One had lost his seat, and the oilier had decided to come down and contest a neat in the ordinary course of things from the Upper House. That Ministei ha<l taken advantage of the opportunity to go to Pnrnell to deliver a speech. Until these Ministers wuld be returned by iarge majorities—(Opposition laughter)—and the Opposition did not like it. Mr Massey: Don't be too sure about it. Sir Joseph Ward said that- in his opinion tiioy wuiilil both lie returned. Mr Massey : You will find they have no room up there for southern rejects. Sir Joseph Ward : Thai is rather poor. If the lion. member will come down to my electorate 1 shall regard it as one of the golden opportunities of my life, and I would not call him a reject from the north. The sooner we get the national spirit the better it will be for the country as a whole. I am not going to say ill any boasting way that w'n are going to get back with an overwhelming majority, but I think the people recognise when they have got a. good thing, and will not put it aside for a bad thing. Mr Wilford here innocently inquired " What about my bill!" amid a general shout of laughter. Tlie House had apparently forgotten all about the bill. Sir Jiwph Ward answered the question. " Your bill," he said, "is only a secondary matter when we are dealing With a matter of greater importance."— (Laughter.) After a. forcible and lucid speech by Mr Wilford. Mr Ell was badly beaten by 46 votes lo 17 on his amendment to limit tlie charging days to 10. It was decided to allow 20 charging days in a year on condition that not more than 10 of the days lie .Saturdays, and the bill then passed through committee.