PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 71, 24 November 1913, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

THE STONEWALL

[Per Press Association.]

Wellington, November '22

The House resumed at 2.30

Mr Ngata moved at. once that progress l>o reported, , He. ,poirited out that 24 hours had elapsed since a similar motion had been, moved. That motion:.was -talked till 9. 50,

and was lost., The debate was then resumed, on the'; short title.

! At 11.15 iMr Russell rose tq, denounce the Bill a-s a sham.and a.humbug.' Ho explained that it purported,, to create the office o£.l)eput j v-Clei;k of Parliaments, but ■as a-mattei; of fact. there was no such person known to our law as the Clerk of Parliament, and there, were no statutory duties', for that officer to perform. The Bill had been passed through the ottiei/ Chamber for the purpose of "sneaking" into it an important amendment of our Constitution, which could not be passed in any Other way. When the Bill" was returned to the other place, the member's there would only be able to deal with the amendments nade in Urartu! fey 'this' trick the Gb/ernnienf wcre'.Vblc'to-' obviate, the discission which"woitld ; -liav , C"taken place m the second reading, Committee stage',, and tire ! thW?eftding,-had the intendment beteri 1 'brought down in a separate -Bill'.* 'He' defied Minister For Justice,- who was a lawyer, to ' deny the accuracy'of his contention ' that there was' no such'officer as a 1 Clerk' of Parliaments: The'Bill was one of the most-scandalous flukes and shams ever brought before Parliamentr){ this country; The Bill had come down from the other place on the 19th I ''. •if last month, and had been kept in suspense so that it might be used to i uromote the surreptitious and backstairs' method of repealing the second | ballot, "... '.".;■'

Hon. Members: "They can't deny t!"

Speaking directly to the Hon. Mr r Terdman, Mr Bussell challenged' him o show where the office of Clerk of Parliaments existed; "except in the pauses of this Bilk 'Tin; proposal was >n outrage Oh the'people, and was lothing but a shallow liumbug. The House 'rose "m,Monday afternoon. 1 . '''