A TUG OF WAR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 8325, 26 September 1898, Page 4

A TUG OF WAR.

PROTRACTED STONEWALL IN THE [I HOUSE. p( THE OLD AGE~PENSIONS BILL. ![' MEMBERS WORK IN RELAYS. },' "A FLOW OF SENSELESS DIUVEL." BOTH SIDES DETERMINED. A DISSOLUTION TALKED OF. [Parliamentary Reporter.] Wellington, Saturday. (Delayed by interruption to wires.) When the House met at 7.30 on Friday night the Old "Age Pensions Bill was further considered in Committee. At clause 8, the necessary qualifications fov pensions, the provision that a person must reside continuously twenty years in the colony in order to qualify for a pension was altered by making the period twentyfive years. The clause was amended to provide that continuous residence in the case of seamen would not be interrupted if the seaman's home or family were in the colony. Mr Rolleston moved an amendment to provide that pensions be granted only to those who had contributed. This was debated at considerable length, and at 1.20 a.m. Mr Kelly moved to report progress. The motion was negatived by 29 to 27. . , t After further discussion, the amendment ■was negatived by 35 to 21, Air Duthie moved to exempt commercial travellers from continuous residence. After a lengthy debate, this was negatived by 36 to 16. At 4.30 a.m. the motion to report progress, was negatived by 28 to 25. Mr Herries moved to exempt horse trainers and jockeys from continuous residence. At 7.80 the amendment was negatived on the voices. At 8.30 a.m. a motion to reporc proitrces was being discussed, and at 9 the House adjourned for breakfast, and on resuming the stonewall was continued. Wellington, to-day. The Parliamentary tug-of-war was continued throughout the whole of Saturday, but the proceedings were dull even for a stonewall, the discussion being ' DFEAHY AS A TWICE-TOLD TALK. For the greater part of the forenoon the Hon. Mr Twomey was the solitary occupant of the Lord's Gallery, the Hon. Mr Hall-Jones and a lady friend had possession of the adjoining compartment, devoted to the wives of Ministers, in the Ladies' Gallery there were only three women besides the "ladies' special," and even earnest students of modern politics vere lost in the great void of the Strangers' Gallery. About, noon Mr Rolleston, in dramatic tones, stated that argument having failed the Opposition had to appeal to physical force. THE PREMIER HOLDS THE OPPOSITION RESPONSIBLE. This brought the Premier once more to his feet with the oft-repeated assertion that the majority must rule. The Opposition had, he said, failed to convince the ,majority of the people and the House, and now they were having recourse to absolutely unconstitutional and improper methods. The Old Age Pensions Bill was a measure which ought to be beyond party considerations and be discussed on its merits, each side vicing with the other to make the measure as perfect as possible, but the Oppositiou in their attempts to justify their obstruction had been obliged to have recourse to discussions about sailors, ; shearers, commercial travellers, jockeys, dunghills, Epsom Baits, sweating, and the bleeding and torturing of suffering humanity in various forms. The Opposition, had also asked that consideration should be given to the claims of horse trainers, and the only thing that surprised him was that no plea had been entered on behalf of the spielers and " tote " bettors. He concluded by making another earnest appeal to the Opposition to get on with ' the Bill instead of wasting time with irrelevant talk. * .- .The stonewall was from this stage indefatigably kept up by Mr Rolleston, assisted by his lieutenants, Messrs George Hutchison, Buchanan, and Eraser. On the cross Opposition benches were Messrs Duthio, Brown, McNab, R. Thompson, J. W. Thompson, aud Crwther. The Ministerial fort was held by the Hons. Thompson and Carroll, and Messrs Mills, Holland, Larnach, and Morrison. On the Left Wing benches were Messrs Kelly, Pirani, and Montgomery, and frequent interruptions from this lively corner caused the Chairman, Mr Guinness, to remark with unusual severity : " I shall have to report some member directly for disorderly couduct." THE DREARY STONEWALL dragged its length along without ono scrap of argument that bore any relation to the principles of the Bill, and without a scintilla of humor till the hour of 1 o'clock was reached. Everywhere they welcomed the hour's respite given for lunch. When the Committee resumed the (low of senseless drivel was resumed by n. new shift, which included Captain Russell and Mr Massoy, his chief whip. At half-past two an amusing incident relieved the wearisome dulness. Mr Smith (Christchurch) and Mr Bollard (Eden) rose simultaneously to address the Committee, and Mr George Hutchison moved in accordance with an obsolete Parliamentary form "That the member for Christchurch be now heard," which was lost on a division by 34 to 19. Thereupon the Chairman called upon Mr Bollard to speak. Patea wanted to know if he would bo in order in moving that the lion, member bo not now heard, but the Chairman ruled to the contrary. Mr Bollard accordingly started to kill more timo, but was somewhat disconcerted by the elect for Taieri (Mr (Carncross) remarking, "I understood that the hon. member was to bo now heard, but we can't hear for him." At 3.10 p.m. Mr Taylor treated the Committee to a homily on Parliamentary practice, remarking that thirteen and half hours had been wasted, and that if the little difference of opinion could not be arrauged it did not reflect much credit on tho seventy-four membors of the House. He predicted that the present state of affairs would become intolerable outside as well as inside the chamber, and there would be an irresistibe demand for an Elective Executive, a remark which found a responsive echo from the front Opposition benches. He suggested that the Committee shnuUl pass a few clauses and adjourn, but this did not prove acceptable to Captain Russell, who declared that as the result of a long sleep and qniufc meditation he had come to the conclusion that there was no alternative but to fight tho question, but if there were to be a dissolution of Parliament it must bo given, ho said, to someone else than the Premier, so that any members who were wavering might take heart oF grace. Ho admitted that the stonewall had been deliberately set up in order to enable those membors of the Opposition who werephysically exhausted to recuperate their strength, in other words, the relieving force had gone through the fatigue of a thirteen and a half hours' sitting in order to obtain rest. THE HOB-NAILED HOOTS. The Premier said the Bill was before the House in a constitutional form to be amended as a majority of the House might think best, but the country ought to understand the situation underlying the Klonowall was the fact that a large section of the Opposition were detei mined at any cost whatever to prevent the Hill becoming law unless it was based mi a contributory fivstoin. The senior member for Dunedin bad sketched out the lines upon which it should be framed, and had declared that, if it were, not framed on those lines the Opposition would liave no Bill at. all. A minority of thirteen had sworn that they would not have the Government Bill. Ii was not creditable that a minority should take up that altitude. The leader of the Opposition had threatened that no progress should be made up to midnight. Was the business of tho country to be conducted on such .Hues '! The Opposition claimed the right to block the Bill until 1 o'clock by moving amendments of the most absurd Character, referring to horse-trainers and jockeys, and when 1 o'clock came they said to the House, " You may go home ; no further business shall be done." The Opposition hail pone on the same lines last session. When Christmas wasappioacliinj; they deliberately blocked all business, and afterwards during the recess they went round the country declaring that the Government could not carry on the business of the country. If there had been a loyal desire to assist the Government, sufh'cieut progress would have been made with the Old Age Pensions Bill to adjourn at I o'clock in the morning. He (the Premier) took up the position of being the representative of a majority of the House and the country, and was responsible fur the business of legislation. The leader of tho Opposition was quite right in liis fclalewent lliat if tin; business ot the country was not allowed to pioceed, the ouly eourec was to refer the. question to the people. He for one vs.* ready [or the

ordeal. (Ministerial cheers.) The leader i of the Opposition had also said that if a dissolution were granted it would not be to the present Premier but to some other person. Let Captain Russell try it. Let him see if he had a majority in the House. The Opposition had been trying all throueh r the session to secure snap-divisions, and . had been foiled. They had protended to > send some of their members home, but had ' concealed them in tho whips' room in l readiness for a snap division. These were ' the tactics on which they relied for going l to tlie Governor for adissolution. He had asked the Committee on the previous evening to pass sub-section 2, and had promised that if reasonable, progress were made with the Bill he would consent to an adjournment, and to this the leader of the Opposition agreed, but another member of the Opposition afterwards moved l<> vcport progress in order to block the Bill. If Captain Russell had shown any fairness he could have prevented such ti situation being brought about. When the lender of tho Opposition again asked him how far he meant to go on with the Bill, he said up to sub-section 7of clause 8. 'Die leader of the Opposition said ho could not think his party would agr»e to that. Since then no further overtures had been made. Now he (Mr Seddon) would be prepared to adjourn if some reasonable business wore done. The Bill must be proceeded with. The Premier went on to say that he would go on with the Bill every night next week if he had to eat, drink, and sleep at the table of the House and fight the measure, which lie believed to be in tlie interests of the people of the colony. At the same time he recognised the right of the Opposition to criticise the Bill, to endeavor to amend it in any direction they deemed expedient, and they had a right to review the administration of public affairs, but he was determined that progress should be made before they adjourned, and he would not recognise the riglit on the part of the leader of a minority to cor.trol the business of the House. That the stonewall would be prolonged to midnight on Saturday was a foregone conclusion from the early part of the day. As a protest against sitting at what were considered unreasonable hoius, the Opposition deliberately obstructed the passage of the Bill from 2 a.m., and the Premier and his following were as equally determined not to permit progress being reported until some work was done. Hour after hour passed by. only to accentuate the fact that the position taken up was one from which .NEITHER SIDE COULD RETREAT. without dishonor. So there was nothing to (In but continue the solemn farce till 12 o'clock was reached. . y Fortunately Standing Order ho. 5u makes it obligatory on the part of the House to rise at midnight on Saturday, and as the clock chimed 12 the Chairman of Committees left his post, with the intimation that he would again resume it at half-past 7 on Monday evening. The present Monday sitting had been deliberately set apart by resolution of the House for the consideration of local and private members' Bills, but progress nut having been reported to the House on the Old Age Pensions Bill, tlie Speaker has not. taken the Chair, and when Committee reassembles to-night it is in a Parliamentary sense still carrying on last Friday's sitting.