ALL-NIGHT SITTING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2842, 2 September 1908, Page 89

ALL-NIGHT SITTI NG.

(FBOII O«t OWH COKRKSPOKDERT.) WELLINGTON, August 27. The trail of that time-honoured instifcxrtion "Legislation by Exhaustion" still hangs heavily over our system of parlia-* mentary procedure. The first all-nigh* sitting of the session took place last) night, when the Estimates were linden d

Liscussion.

At 1 o'clock Mr Massey made hi£ usual protest against the continuation of thq sitting, but his motion to report progress? was lost by 30 votes to 11. The Estii mates of one of the most, if not the most-, important departments — viz., the Education Department, were then taken. The> House was thin and sleepy, and fromi 40 members the number present dwindled! down to about 20 — a bare quorum. Some of these were only half awake, and that fact that many were not faefc asleep wast doubtless .due only to the fact that the* chairs of the present House are cot sot comfortable as the upholstered benches*, of the late Chamber. Under such circumstances is the business, of the country]] conducted. The only incident of note in the proceedings was the success of Mr Wilfordt in again carrying a proposition to reduce( the vote by £1 as an indication that( school books' should be provided free off charge to the pupils. The ' motion wasV carried by 22 votes to 16. The lobbies! yielded up their quota of members, an<J> it was mentioned, as a coincidence, tbatf at the same date last year a similar, motion was carried, also on the motion* of the member for Hutt. It was a tired? and weary score of legislators who filed* silently out of the Chamber when t!io last vote in. the clause was passed, justf on the stroke of 5 o'clock.

A Chinese fruiterer at Eltham was some* what surprised the other morn in g en dis-. covering: written across his window th« words, " Beware of the yellow peril," while a brother Celestial had his window treated to a- coat of tar;