SCINTILLATIONS FROM THE KORERORIUM.

Observer, Volume XI, Issue 706, 9 July 1892, Page 9

SCINTILLATIONS FROM THE KORERORIUM.

Fish, of Dunedin, accuses Ministers of ' mountebanking' through the country during the recess. This from the political mountebank par excellence is particularly rich. He is continually throwing somer-

saults from one side of the House to the other. His latest accusation is very suggestive of a certain personage reproving Bin. # # # Hansard is filling up quite as quiokly as usual. # * # A really good speech has not yet been made this session." # * # The name of Simpson had a great time of it in the House on Friday afternoon. # # # Mr G. Hutchison innocently — so innocently—fears that the Land Bill has made the Minister for Lands ill. # # # ' We went out on the plug Tuoky,' said Mr Fish, the anti-ladies' man. 'Tug Plucky ' is what he meant. # # # The Irrepressible says he won't debate the "constitutional question with the Speaker. * # # E. G. O'Connor thinks the spirit of partisanship is only kept up by referring matters such as the Bryce affair to Committee. * # * 'It doesn't matter a d what we say— only let us all say one thing,' was Geo. Fisher's polite quotation flung at the Government. * # * ' The principle thai; we sit here upon is that we should accept each other's word [laughter] ; it may be hard to swallow, but we should do it.'— E. G. u'Connor. * * * Sir Eobert Stout's politioal mana is as dead as Cesar's column, says Mr Fish. Of himself he says he continually rises ' like the Phoenix, from the dust of his Aown hashes.' # # # George Fisher says he doesn't address his constituents, because he won't give way to the jackals and hangers-on of the Government. George has been there before, they say. # # In Scobie MoKenzie's opinion, a letter marked ' private and confidential ' outside are not so when in a Public Service envelope. Scobie had a fair sense of honour himself before he became a Member of Parliament. # # ■# The Hon. Mr Barnicoat trusts we have in Lord Glasgow ' a worthy successor to the long Hst of able and illustrious men who have been sent to govern New Zealand and who have been its joy, its ornament and boast.' Amen, to that sweet prayer. # # # The mantle of the late Hon. John Martin has evidently descended upon the Hon. Patrick Dignan, who so long sat beside him in the Legislative Council. He is studying the art of laconic speech. This is how he seconded the address-iri-reply in the Lords : — ' I beg to second the adoption of the reply to His Excellency's address.' # * # Taunted by the Opposition with the slighting references made by Ministers in their recess speeches to our House of Lords, the Minister of Education gave them a raking broadside by quoting to tbem the famous epigram of their new lieutenant (George Hutchison, of Waitotara): 'We have struggled to create an aristocraoy by Act of Parliament, and have succeeded in endowing a museum.'

' Mr Buick{ made a heat speech on the I Bryce affair. *# * ' Geo. Hutchison calls the Times ' that anomaly in journalism.' It would not do to say what the Times callß George Hutchison. * * # Many of those who followed the remains of the late Sir Harry Atkinson were so infirm as to be themselves on the brink of i the grave. * # * The hurry in rushing on the Bryce affair in the absence of Mr Rees is not relished by many who have no partisan feeling in the matter. * * Very bad taste was shown at the late Speaker's funeral by people scrambling out of the church before the coffin had been taken out after the service. * # * . The melancholy calm that has been over the Council since opening day has only been disturbed by the deep and ominous cough of old Major Bopata, the East Coast veteran. * # # Mr Fisher says he doesn't support the Government because " there are men in it whom I could not, and would not, support under any circumstances.' He says this so sweetly, too I * # # Geo. Hutchison has made the best speech this session against the Government. His speeches are spoilt for want of sentiment. There is always a ring of 6s 8d about his remarks. * * * Jackson-Palmer arid learned friend Hutchison still sit together, their occasional smiles being visible notwithstandr ing the top hat which each gentleman seldom fails to appear in. * # # The interruption to the southern cable was a great annoyance to Pressmen. It was no unusual thing for these hardworked individuals to find piles of stuff returned. * * # The Post reckons that Buckland could best damage the Ministry by going over to their side. Some cynical people this way think the Government lucky in having the Post in opposition. * # # Mr McLean, the new member for Wellington City, thinks hard work and little pay is one cause of the great mortality amongst our legislators. We confess it never struck us in that way before. * * # The Opposition laughed all too. soon the other night when the statement was being delivered. The Premier had not finished his reference to the loan, and satirical laughter was dominant until it was mentioned that the surplus was to be utilised. Opposition lips fell. * * # Seddon to McKenzie : ' I would like to inform my hon. friend the member for Balclutha—' ' Not Balclutha,' said the member addressed. ' What then ?' asked the astonished member. ' Clutha,' replied Mac, with a twinkle in his left eye. Laughter. * * * A spirited member was termed a ' nuisance.' He appealed to the Speaker; withdrawal ordered. ' I withdraw the word, and say that he annoyed me.' ' Then why didn't you say that before ? ' exclaimed the injured one, amidst much laughter. * * * Funny-man Taylor fell foul of the leader of the Opposition, Rolleston, on the very first sitting of the House, and got rather ' sat upon ' for his pains. ' I neither asked for the honourable gentleman's advice, nor do I want it,' sard Mr Rolleston, severely, ' and I'll thtfak him to wait till I have done, when he can say all he wants to.' For once Sydenham was silended. * # # ' What do yer call a working-man ? yelled red-hot Socialist Earnshaw to blatant Fish, across the floor of the House, the other evening. ' What you were before you were elected a member of this House,' neatly retorted the member for Dunedin— a sly reminder that, since the Socialist left his brass- finisher's bench for the law-maker's stuffed seat, he bad not deigned to soil his hands with hard toil.

Some valuable hours . have already been frittered away over the Bryce affair. * # # Mr Kelly considers the financial statement the greatest masterpiece of the kind yet delivered in the colony. * # # Scobie McKenzie thinks ministers' explanations as to how requisitions are got up may be useful in the future. * * * ' Stiff-neckednesp, pride, and haughtiness,' is the disposition which Mr W. McLean attributes to Mr Byrce. *,# . * ' I will,' quoth Mr Fisher, ' give a short history of myself. I will not go far back — ' Hear-hears, and great laughter. * * * ' I was so fascinated with the Minister's explanation,' said Scobie McKenzie in reference to the Simpson letter, ' that I religiously kept my seat.' He had been twitted with not speaking at an earlier stage, * * * Mr Allen complained that Ministers had interfered with his election by coming there to address a meeting on a requisition received the same day. Scobie McKenzie thought Mr Allen had no right tc complain, as the address had given him a heavy majority. A member said that the Minister had previously been communicated with verbally. Mr Allen had to admit this. * # # Most of the members of both Houses were present to pay their tokens of respect at the funeral of the late Sir Harry Atkinson. There were 60 carriages, and over 40 (including fche Governor's) went right out to the cemetery at Karori. The procession was over a mile long. Fortunately, the weather kept fine all the day, but broke up again at night-time. * # # That little man with the cherubic face who represents the Hutt in Parliament, otherwise Dr. Newman, M.H.R., prediots that the Government will realise the Eastern proverb that the guest of the first j day is the burden of the second and the pest of the third day. Thafc may have been | the unhappy experience of the last administration, but the present Government are not likely -to take pattern by their predecessors. * * * ' Our Jarge ' (Mr Geo. Fisher) ' had it out' on Mr Reeves, the other night, in the House. ' The Minister for Education,' said the former, ' was indulging, the other evening, in some supercilious sneering at my expense ; but I would remind the hon. gentleman that many of us older members in this House were here when he was either in the perambulator or the nursery; so I think we are justified in expecting to be treated with a little more respect.' It sounds very well ; but the ' Hon. George ' has worked the same 'gag' off before, and consequently it had lost most of its 'head.' * # # Of all the oddities in the House Mr Ironsand Smith takes the cake. Resplendent in velvet jacket and white waistcoat, and buoyed up by an assurance such as few old politicians can boast, he stands with one thumb in the arm-hole of his waistcoat, and delivers dissertations on every possible and impossible subject. From the general tone of his criticisms, one gathers thafc if Sir Julius Yogel, Sir 'Arry iZatkinson, and Sir John Coode had taken the advice ' I gave 'em, sir,' all the financial and engineering blunders made in New Zealand would have been avoided. # • * # The leader of the Opposition was tackled during the reces3 by an inquisitive elector who wanted to know, you know, how it happened, if the Opposition were sincere in their denunciations of the Government for proposing to increase members' honorarium, that so redoubtable an Oppositionist as Frank Buckland formed one of a deputation to the Premier to induce him to take action in that direction. ' Oh,' airily replied the versatile Rolleston, 'the hon. gentleman got carried in by a crowd.' Mr W. P. Reeves has been turning this explanation to good account. 'Just fancy, gentlemen,' he said, amid peals of laughter, 'a man of the bulk and weight of the member for Manukau getting carried anywhere by a crowd.' Just so, requires a rather lively fancy.