PARLIAMENT SUPREME

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 143, 7 September 1927, Page 1

PARLIAMENT SUPREME

THREATENED SAMOAN DEPORTATIONS MR. SPEAKER’S REBUKE (THE SUN'S Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. A member of the House of Representatives, whose desire to maintain the order and dignity of Parliament at the expense of members who were asking questions was reminded quietly but very firmly by Mr. Speaker to-day that the Chair ruled House debates, and that the Chair would indicate when a debate had drifted from the precincts of House procedure. Mr. IT. E. Holland, leader of the Opposition, was asking the Prime Minister a question on Samoa, and while Mr. Coates was replying Mr. Holland asked one or two short interjeotory questions- This was too much for Mr. E. P. Lee, who raised a point of order, and complained that the subject had developed from a question into a catechism. Exclamations of derision came from the Labour benches, and these changed to shouts of laughter when Mr. Speaker rather shortly replied: That is a question for the chair to judge. (“Hear, hear.” from all sides of the House.) Sir Charles Statham went on: The leader of the Opposition is asking questions arising out of the original question, and 1 have allowed a certain amohnt of latitude. Mr. Holland’s question was whether the order of reference of the Samoan Commission would empower the two judges to deal with the question of threatened deportation of Europeans from Samoa, the subject of Samoan deportations having been mentioned in the scope of the inquiry. The reply of the Prime Minister was that Parliament had already dealt with the deportation of Europeans, and. having followed this course, it. was not desired that the work of Parliament should be thrown on to the commission in this way. Mr. Holland: Does this mean that the action of the Administrator i l respect to threatened deportations cannot be considered? Mr. Coates: The Administrator has not given any intention of deporting anyone. Mr. Holland: He has threatened to do so. y, Mr. Coates: That I cannot, say. It is of no use until he has given notice ,>f his intention, and even then it has to come to New Zealand and be dealt with bv Order-in-Council. Mr. Holland: Well, if he threatened officially to deport someone, could the commission deal with it? It was then that Mr. E. P. Lee raised his point of order. After he Had been successfully subdued by the Speaker, Mr. Coates went on to say that Parliament was the supreme authority, and had laid down the course that was to be followed.