ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 174, 2 November 1910, Page 3

ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, October -■). A GREAT CLEARANCE. The close of the week ending the 2211(1 made ;i great clearance in the Parliamentary iii". A big portion of the Estimate- I :. 'ined and came up on Friday night, i.'.v 23rd. The Prime Minister determined to get through and rushed the Mouse at it. It was a great ell'ort, protest, obstruction, wailing, fury, all were useless. The rider rammed in his spurs, as it were, held his reins tight and straight, and the horse had to go over. But it was half-past twelve on Saturday before lie landed on the other side with the whole of the Estimates well behind him. The week that has followed showed what a prodigious clearing of the air was that mighty leap. As to the method adopted—exhaustion ami so forth—of what use is it to discuss the matter 'I Are not the Estimates through? And did not some of those exhausted legislators go to the races? J

STILL IX THE SADDLE. On Tiif.sdav the Prime Minister was again on horseback—same horse, "Get-to-work.'' The fence this time was Monday. ""Over!" shouted the rider, in hi> masterful tone, and over went the horse. So ihere is more time for the gallop!:.,, that is still to be done. Before the rente was cleared, however, there was the usual preliminary periormance of the announcement of business that must be done. As usual the announcement was deferred under the pretence —usual also—of drawing a firm line. The line will be drawn later. But will .it go through! "Probably through, (laming, Land, Waterpowers, improbably Licensing, and certainly not Beet-sugar. That Bill is to wait'till the £IOOO, which is to be presently voted for exploration of the subject,'shall have been spent. For my part, I don't think much of it will be expended, for the House does not like beetsugar, and has indicated its opinion pretty plainly.

THE IIIXE CHARGES. The Uine charges took a new shape and unexpected. We thought tha. the determination of the committee to refer them to the judges was final. But we reckoned without our host—the Chief Justice. "Xo oH'cnce disclosed," wrote Sir Robert; ''therefore nothing for judges to enquire into." That was the substance of his remarks, which reached out to more length but said no more, except tVit they conveyed an intimation that if the House wants the judges to declare a crime where no crime is according to the law, the House must fall back on itself for the purpose. So the committee took up the Hine charges where it left off, and the thing is in full swing, counsel, witnesses, reporters, and all the rest of it.

THE WALL OF PRIVILEGE. The Legislative Council had also to take a hand in this, for one of the charges implicated a member of that illustrious body. Consequently,, they set up two committees, one to tell the House that they must not commit breaches of privilege by interfering with their men in any way. the other to enquire into the charge made. Behold a wall of privilege set up for refusal of any notice, and behind the wall a committee investigating that thing that had hurt them so badly. It is a little strange to look at. But the honorable gentleman implicated insisted that he must have the enquiry—privilege or no privilege—and the Council would not baulk his very laudable endeavor. It is pleasant to see a man refusing to remain under an imputation. Thus the Council has got a committee, which is working away also. The honorable gentleman in question is gratified, especially as the accuser has accommodated him with another charje. The first is a charge of taking commission for the sale of a property (to the Government) through the Land Purchase Board. The second declares that while he acted as assessor on the celebrated Flaxboume case for nothing, his partner got a fee for acting as valuator for some property for the Government, probacy this same Flaxbourne. Thus the air filled with litigation. There is every prospect of finishing the business in ful'l daylight, in both Houses, before the end of the session. Mr. Hine, it must be said, does not flinch; which is risrht.

TRUSTS AXD COMBIXES. For the rest of the week the Houses have been cantering gently along through their order papers. The House" paid the Trusts and Combines. Bill the compliment of a long, close, exhaustive discussion and emphasised the same by not making.a single alteration. Everyone admits the difficulty of the subject before which even the strenuous Roosevelt recoiled. Everybody accepts Air. Russell's dictum that the measure is a signpost on the road of progress, and evcry- , body is satisfied that the business of I tackling the big combines is safely out j of the academic stage, and that we are on the road to learn something by actual \ experience. It is about all that can be I done under the circumstances.

GRADUATED IXCOME TAX. The graduated income tax was shown by the Prime Minister not to be the surprise that some critics have found it. He simply quoted from his Budget statement of lflO!) to prove that ample notice had been given—that statement contain-1 ed the very graduations that are in the Bill and the statement of the determination to enforce at an early date. There was much talk of the iniquity of taxing without need. But the need was the defence scheme and the distribution of the taxation for that purpose was proved to be equitable. The incomes can afford it and they are not by any means made to carry the whole burden, for it is also apportioned among death duties, railway increases (long-distance), surtax, race clubs, banks, and other sources of revenue. The fun of the evening was provided by Mr. Taylor, who posed as the champion of the big incomes. How will he reconcile this with his busting pledges? But Mr. Taylor is the most ingenious of the ingenious. Ingenuity will also be required by another member. Mr. Poole, the temperance champion, distinguished himself by supporting the proposal made during the pa-sin:.; of the Combines Bill (to include been. The spectacle of a temperance man working for the cheapening of this deadly alcoholic beverage amused the House considerably. It shows what a tangle the Combines Bill has got the House into. * *■ * * THE FLOODS OF TALK. A good deal of work not calling for special mention was gone into by the House, till Friday, when the usual Imprest Bill let loose the floods of talk once more, and thus ended the week with the exposition of grievances exposed many times already. The debate was distinguished by a division of decisive character. The Opposition Leader determined, contrary to his usual practice, to try his strength, but he discovered that the course of the session has not increased his following. The majority is still what it

was—very satisfactory to the (lovcvn[ment. A CATARACT OF SMALL BILLS. After the Mine diver-ion the Legislative Council received ;i cataract of i-mall Bills and larg> ones from the House and ploughed "away with equable temper, keeping well aliead of its work without a single night sitting. It cut the Gordian knot of Hawke's Bay by agreeI hj? to pass a Bill to do what the local 'bodies refuse to do about the Hooded rivers they are always talking about, but facing the chances of disastrous floods without doing anything. The Council feeling that floods' are no respecters of persons, decided to be no respecters of Hawke's Bay local bodies that are busybodies. * *■ * # THE QUARRIES BILL. After that the Council got into the Stone Quarries Bill, which has had such a weari-ome pilgrimage through anolher place. Of course there was an attempt from the Labor '-larter to make radical alterations, which would have put the fat once more into the fire. But the Council resisted by a big majority. It may be absurd to confine the protection afforded by the Bill to quarries of less than twenty feet, but on the other. •hand half a loaf is -better than no bread. .Moreover, the small' quarries are not really in such need of this protection as the hi? ones, as every practical man knows.

WATER POWERS BILL. As the week ends the Council has o'ot into a tremendous discussion of the Water Powers Bill. This measure is getting properly overhauled by the Lords, but" it will pass flying. Thus the new era will be presently inaugurated. There are those who say that if the session produces nothing else it will be well. On the other hand, there are those whb say that if that is the case it will not be well. We shall see before long. We may even hear cries for more.