ROWDY PARLIAMENT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17230, 9 April 1930, Page 13

ROWDY PARLIAMENT

MR. SPEAKER CRITICISED EARLY MORNING DISORDER SYDNtiY, April ::. So unruly have proceedings become in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly during the present session, that a special deputation of Governmen! members waited mi the Speaker, sir D.'iniel Levy, this week and i hreatened him with a vote of censure unless lie exercised more rigid control over the debates. The move by the Government caused a sensation among members, in view of the fact thai many important hills arc yet to come before Parliament, and i; was felt that if Sir Daniel Levy were antagonised, the tawk of the Government in piloting the bills, most of which arc highly contentious, through the (louse, would become doubly arduous. Sir Daniel was informed by the deputation that they would take dra.stie ad ion unless the larrilclnisni and rowdyism which had been a feature of (he present session were restrained. They instanced the tactics of the Opposition in holding up the business of t lie House a week ago while they held an impromptu caucus meeting on the bad; benches. Another . incident which they objected to was the recent scene, during an all-night sitting, 'when Labor members pelted the Government members v. ith papers and copies of Hansard. The .Minister of Mines, Mr. Weaver, who has been the bull of nearly every Opposition member since the Rothbury riots, was one of the deputation. since his journey to lioth'bury at the time of tin l riots, Air, Weaver, .whenever he has entered the House or risen to address the members, has been greeted with a perfectly-timed chorus from the Opposition. "Bed l>'eg., the Rajah of Roth-bury," followed by a noisy "counting out." Proceedings in the Lowe!- House have .become .almost as big an attraction as the theatres during the past session, and the public galleries at every sitting are crowded. The Premier, Mr. Bavin, has fell very keenly the disorderly scenes in the House, and he was one of the prime movers ill the format ion of a deputation to the Speaker. Sir Daniel Levy heard the complaints of the Government deputation, l>Ui would make no comment, other than thai he would give them consideration.

In a cabled report from Sydney last week it was stated" thai on Thursday afternoon members of the Assembly were surprised when a note was read from Sir Daniel Levy stating that he could not occupy the chair. It was also reported that ho denied that a deputation had intimated to him that they were dissatisfied with his conduct of the Assembly.