BUSINESS OF PARLIAMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2947, 7 September 1910, Page 53

BUSINESS OF PARLIAMENT.

MR MASSET'S PROTEST. - (FaoM Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, September 5. Speaking to your parliamentary reporter to-day. Mr Massey said that he \vas very glad to be able to say that the House was at last settling down to the real business of the session, thouah up iO the present very little of the important work of Parliament had been dealt with. Why the Estimates, for instance. should not be considered on the Friday uf each week, as had been the custom for many years past. lip could not under-i stand. With our rapidly increasing expenditure, ci thorough and systematic examination of the Estimates of each department was. to his way of thinking, even more necessary than legislation, and he trusted that there would be no attempt on the part of the Government to ,'revent their administration from being so closely looked into, as the country required and as its importance deserved. In the meantime he was somewhat suspicious of the tactics which the Prime Minister and his col lea cues seemed to have adopted. And. talking of tactics, continued Mr Massey. another very objectionable piece of tactics which the Government seemed to have revived was that of forcing a division on the House.on questions or bills which might he light in principle but wrong in detail, or might contain something good along with a great deal th.t. was improper. In such cafes with many members there was a difficulty in voting '"yes" or "no" on the third reading. Take, for instance, he said, the Public Debt Extinction Bill. Many member? believed in the principle of linking funds, even while we continued to borrow, and were willing to give the piorvnscd legislation a tri •]. But some of the debit's of thp bill were strongly f.biecicd to. e&neoiuMy the jugglery and interference with the sinkinc funds belonging to the war loans, and those set apart for local bodies' loans. Personally he thought that the latter «"'•"« a sufficient re;>.'.n for the rejection of the bill, but because it was nominally a bill for providing sinking funds, manv members were not inclined' In vote against it on the fina' stages. Two Government supporters -ind one Maori member and one Kurooean member allowed themselves to be made use <>t by calling for a division. and later on no doubt the Prime Minister would be denouncing the political iniquity of thofe members who were forced into the lobby by his own somewhat unworthy tactics. In the course of some further remarks Mr Massey said that he would admit that more progress was made last week than in any other week since the eeseion began,

but that was not- saying very much, and he was bound to say that for some reason or other there appeared to be more carelessness and indifference on the part of the Government this session as to whether any progress was made or not than he had noticed on any previous occasion. THE WORK ACCOMPLISHED. Although Parliament has been in session for nine weeks the legislative machine- is only just- beginning to work freely. The record of work done is consequently very disappointing. In the Legislative Council only one measure—the Crimes Act Amendment Bill—has passed through all its stages. The House has. however, done a little better, having completed the consideration of the> Public Debt Extinction Bill, the Rangitaika Land Drainage Bill, the Phosphorus Matches Bill, the Companies Act Amendment Bill, the Exhibitions Bill, and the Foreign Insurance Companies Deposits Act Amendment Bill. With the exceptions of three Imprest Bills, no measure has therefore passed both Houses.