Old Age Pensions Bill

Observer, Volume XVI, Issue 924, 26 September 1896, Page 25

Old Age Pensions Bill

AN UNPRECEDENTED SCENE

(Special to the Observer.)

The Old Age Pensions Bill and the discussion thereon gave rise to a scene intheHouse of Representatives, on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, which is unprecedented in the annals of our Parliamentary history. As the PreßS Gallery, during the greater part of the proceedings, was empty, and no other journal in the colony will have any report of the scene, I think the Observer may for once step out of the beaten track, if only for the sake of presenting an instructive object lesson to the electors of Auckland and the colony generally. Early on "Wednesday afternoon, when the House got on the Orders of the Day, the Premier was able to secure the committal of the « -Id Age Pensions Bill and the Public Revenues Act Amendment Bill without any dissent. But trouble began when he moved that the Government Loane to Local Bodies Act, 1886, Amendment Bill, be considered in Committee. The straight Opposition and the Left Wing apparently thought they bad enough work cut out for a sitting in the two measures above mentioned, and that to commit any further Bills would be giving the Premier too much of his own way. The motion was negatived on the voices, but the Premier challenged a division, which resulted in his defeat by 2)S to 27. But in rapid succession, motions to commit the following Bills were rejected on divisions, the Premier, with his characteristic pertinacity and bull-dog courage, meeting reverse after reverse as if he rather liked it. The committal of the Shop and Shop Assistants Bill was refused by 30 to 28. A division haying been called for on the motion to commit the Undesirable Hawkers Prevention Bill, and the question having been finally put after the doors were locked, the acting Speaker declared, ' The Noes have it.' ' Let them have it,' said Seddon, in a grating voice, with gathering thunder on hiß brows. Next, the Premier's motion to consider the Masters and Apprentices Act ia committee was negatived by 31 to 23, the Opposition gaining strength at every divkiou. The New Zealand Institute of Surveyors Bill met the same fate by 36 to '24, but the Scotch blood of all the Mackenzies fired up at this indignity, and the Minister of Lands moved that the Bill be discharged from the Order Paper. Being informed that he could not do this, he said in a tone of suppressed passion, ' Very well, I shall not go on with it.' By thiß time, even King Richard, with all his love of give and take hard knocks, had got his full of being contemptuously fi -uted by the political rowdies of the Left Wing and jeered at by the members on tbe front row of the Opposition benches. Clearly, the House had escaped from the stock-yard and could not be rounded up again Like colts rejoicing in their freedom, they kicked up their heels and ran about whiunying loudly and kicking up a dust. So at last Colonel Fraser, with the courtly grace of a teacher of deportment, removed the gilded bauble from tbe table, the House got itself into Committee, and the Opposition proceeded to stonewall the Old Age Pensions Bill for all it was worth. It was a melancholy exhibition throughout, and calculated to make one despair of our Parliamentary institutions. The only excuse for the scene which followed ia that the House has grown bo accustomed to selfrepression and to the Spartan discipline of the Premier, that, like a lot of schoolboys let out on a playground, it must needs, in the exuberance of its youth, play rough pranks, regardless of decorum or the leeliugs of the master. Tfle Premier had been heckled for four hours. Seated at the table of the Houtje, he bad been exposed to a crossfire from tbe Opposition and Left Wing lines, and even to an occasional snap shot iv the rear. He was looking flushed, bored, and dangerous. He was like a hunted lion, most to be dreaded when nearing his lair. But he kept the mastery, of his temper with wonderful power of command. At last his cup was full. The House swept away the limitations in the Bill and made the payment of tbe old age pension universal Then the Premier, in a tone of sorrowful resignation.intimated that he would proceed no further with. the Bill, and for a brief space a hush fell on the House. Tbe Premier moved to report progress, but the Opposition would not release their gr'p so easily. They challenged a division, j Darker and darker grew the frown on that stern brow, and more aggressive the beetling locks - overhanging it. As the members trooped out into the ' Ayes ' lobby somebody whistled a sort of ' Rogues' March,' and in the ' Noes ' lobby an hon. member, in the glory of triumph, sang a song. When the numbers were counted it was found that the motion to report progress was negatived by 30 votes to 24. Tfle effect was to pin the Premier to the chair, in spite ot his having abandoned the Bill. Ihe result was received with Opposition laughter But the Premier looked like a caged lion. When he found Bpeech he said : — ' Hon. members may laugh, bnt I

can assure them I will not go on any further with this Bill.' Pirani snapped out : The chairman will' go on with it if you don't. l The Premier rose with solemn dignity from his chair, and strode into his seat on the Ministerial benches, leaving the Bill to take care of itself. This was Riccarton Russell's opportunity. He rose in that bland, political, Chadband style of his, and said: — I don't know whether the Premier has abandoned the Bill. If he has done so I am prepared to take charga of it. En passant it may be said that Riccarton is always ' prepared to take charge ' of any earthly or heavenly thing, from the contents of a church plate to the British navy. He coolly left his seat, and, walking briskly to the chair that had just been vacated by the Premier, installed his wellfed person thereon, smiling triumphantly and with oleaginous self-satisfaction round the House, as though he had performed some shining deed of heroism. Collins promptly rose to a point of order. He wanted to know whether a member was in order in voluntarily placing himself in charge of a Government measure without the leave of the Honse. Riccarton Russell said he believed there was a precedent for his action, and that in the event of a Bill being abandoned it was in the power of any member to father the orphan. 'Do you say distinctly,' growled Crowther ' that you are in charge of the Bill? 1 The Acting Chairman (Mr Joyce): I have no objection to Mr Russell sitting there. Collins: That's not the question. Can any private member of this House take charge of a Governmeat Bill ? The Acting Chairman : There is nothing to prevent a member sitting there with the Bill before him. I rule that Mr Russell may sit there and may take part in the proceedings on the Bill as well as any other member. The only difference is that whereas Mr Russell can only speak four times on at*y one amendment," the Premier could speak as often as he pleased. Mr Ward : I move the committee report progress and ask leave to sit again. The present proceedings are a farce. Pirani jumped to his feet on a point of order : Was any member in order in calling the proceedings of the House a faroe ? The Chairman : I did not hear the hon. member use the words. Mr Ward : If I said anything improper I withdraw it at once. The Premier : I said it was impossible for me to proceed any further with this Bill. It would cost £650,000 to £700,000 a year as the measure has been amended, and I don't see my way to impose such a burden on the people of the Colony. But no private member has any right to take charge of a Government Bill. I say advisedly that it is a piece of unwarrantable impertinence for any honorable member to do so. He is not yet on these benches. Mr Bell : No, but he is getting his hand in Mr Buchanan rose, as is his wont, to a point of order. He submitted the words ' unwarrantable impertinence ' were out of order. The Premier : I cannot use any other term. Mr Buchanan : ' I ask your ruling, sir.' Mr Joyce : ' I think the words used are improper, and I do not think the Premier was justified in using them. I think the Premier should withdraw them.' The Premier : 'If there is sometimes a joke in the House — ' I Hon. members : ' Oh, no. It is no joke. It is serious.' The Premier : ' Then it is a question whether I am to leave the House or some one else is to leave the House ' Mr Buchanan : ' You have called upon the Premier to withdraw the words, and he mn^t do so.' Mr O'Regan : ' The Premier is not aware that you have ruled.' The Premier : * The chairman having ruled the words were improper, I withdraw them. At the same time I do not know a case of this kind in the history of this country, or any other country, and I say, so far as I am concerned, I will not stand it. I will not allow any private member to take charge of a Government Bill. He must come on these benches first. 1 The Premier was speaking immediately behind the chair in which Riccarton leaned back with the characteristic self-sati.sfied, fatuous expression on his somewhat bovine features. Prom time to time, as Seddon pointed and emphasised his remarks with the regular rise and fall of his ponderous fist, one could not repress a vague fear lest it should descend like a Nasymth hammer on Riccarton's cocoanut, which, thick as it appears to be, would hardly resist such a severe test. But we breathed again when Dick resumed his seat without a catastrophe. Mr Mills (Government whip) wanted to know whether Riccarton was really in charge of the Bill, and asked the chairman to rule distinctly on the question. Mr Green, who runs Rip Van Sannders a good second for the patriarchal staff of the House, thought there was a parallel case in 1882, when Mr Dick, who had charge of the Harbour Board Amendment Bill,

threw it up; and the member for • Port Chalmers took charge of it. The Premier : That was not a Government Bill. It was a private Bill. Mr E. Thompson : I think we have now reached a stage when everymember should consider how best to preserve the. dignity of the House. (Hear, hear). Riccarton Busseli : The Premier has defied the opinion of the country by saying there shall be no Old Age Pensions Bill f it is to be universal. He was proceeding with his remarks when his voice was drowned by cries of dissenc and 'Order,' ' Chair,' etc. The Premier said he threw the responsibility of the Bill upon those who had made the scheme so expensive as to be beyond the financial resources of the Colony. The House then proceeded to divide on the motion to report progress, and in the interim, Iliccarton, seeing clear indications that the motion would be carried by. an overwhelming majority and Othello's occupation would be goue, quietly and unobtrusively slipped out of the chair into the lobby, and back to his own seat.. The motion was passed by 4(5 votes to 6, a noticeable fact being that the leader of the Opposition and his immediate followers and henchmen voted with the ayes. Thus ended a remarkable scene, not in the least degree calculated to enhance the dignity of Parliament, or to increase the respect entertained for it by the people. The House rose at 1 25 p m.