Political Paroxysms

Observer, Volume XVIII, Issue 1024, 13 August 1898, Page 10

Political Paroxysms

iloN. T. Thompson * As one of the Auck!tnd Gity representatives I am not in favour of this Private Electric Lighting Bill, and I have always been opposed to Bills proposing to confer on companies monopolies of this description.

Hon. A. L. Smith : 'It is a monstrous 'hing that two years and a-half after the Colonial Bank had gone into liquidation here should be a sum of £300,000 unaccounted for.

. ' I would like to call the attention of the 'louse to some of the extraordinary proißions which this Bill contains.' — Mr Tan•er on the Auckland Private Electric lighting Bill.

' How impulsive is woman ! Her brain, perhaps, when dealing with some subjects, i probably as good as the brain of a man; hut there is no doubt whatever it is not i he same kind of brain.'— Hon. Scotland.

Mr Ward : The everlasting watchfulness of an Opposition is the greatest incentive o the party in power to so shape their adninistration and legislation as to advance he material wealth and progress of i be country.

' It is at present an offence under the Police Offences Act for women to drive , erambulators along footpaths, but never vet have I seen a policeman game enough to arrest a woman with a perambulator.' — deorge Fisher.

Hon. A. L. Smith : Judges are men first and Judges afterwards, and the fact of heir being Judges does not make them infallible, but they are aB liable to make nistakes in their dealing with complicated ousiness questions as ordinary men are.

' I am strongly opposed to any Bill giving power to any person or company to .nderiake works of this description .vithont the consent of the local authority. 9 ■fr Bollard on the Auckland Private Electric Lighting Bill.

Hon. Shrimski : There is no city in the T vhole colony so well. endowed as is the City of Auckland. When the leases held oy the Corporation of the City of Auckland f vll in, that city "will be free of rates and taxes as long as it is in existence.

'Taking people out of towns who had been used to a town life, and putting them m the country was almost cruelty co the people, and in nearly every case nrnedout an utter failure.' — Hon. W. O. .Smith.

The Premier : I wish honourable members on the Opposition Bide of the House ;ould tell me how I am going to construct in each year a million pounds' worth of works when I have only about half a million of money.

Mr Bollard : It seems absurd that under our present national system teachers of qua! classification, length of service, ability, iad with the same averages in their school?, should be paid larger salaries in one district than in another.

1 Party strife and party emulation has enabled Britain to carry out a more active colonising policy than any other country. h has caused a vast addition to British p isß&ssions. It has seen the most power- • til empire in the world built up.' —Mr Ward.

Mr Carncrosa : There is no slip, mistake, or blunder made by the Government I) at the other Bide of the House sees it immediately — pounces upon it, and hares it i o the world ; the whole thing ia exposed. 1 a that respect, these gentlemen are dojug a great work lor the country.

' Anyone who casts any reflection upon the Premier's sincerity or his veracity .vould be straining parliamentary etiquette io a very great extent indeed.'— A shaft from little Pirani in reference to a denial iiy the Premier of want of sincerity on iris part regarding the Banking Bill.

' I venture to prophesy that in ten years hence there will be a population of ten thousand people living on Surrey Hills ; and then, if no reserve is provided there now, regret and blame will be cast on those whose duty it is to see to the matter.' — Hon. W. Jennings, in support of a resolution to reserve a portion of Surrey Hills Estate for recreation purposes.

Mr Hutcheson : The only place of safety that exists at present for the ordinary pedestrian is np a verandah post. . . One cyclist collided with me and turned a complete somersanlt over my shoulder, and then got np and cursed me for being in the way.

' A professional bank smasher/ — Tommy Taylor on Bank President Watson.

Mr Crowther : We waste a loc of time in saying things we do not mean.

' I look upon Protection as a polite name for legalised theft.' — Mr O'Began.

Hon. Mr Scotland : As I Bee members are laughing at what I Bay, 1 will resume my seat.

Mr Tanner : For all time the Electric Lighting syndicate would dominate the Gity of Auckland.

' Oar bankruptcy laws are not good, and our credit system is simply rotten.' — Mr Hutcheson.

Mr Sligo : I have made up my mind that this is a political Bill, and not a Bank of New Zealand Bill.

' There is no part of this building where it costs more for carpet than at the backstairs to Ministers' rooms. — The Premier.

The Premier : So far as tbe telephone charges are concerned, the charges in New Zealand are much lower than in any other colony.

' Are we going to convert this House into a sort of gladiatorial arena for persistent button-holers and canvassers ?' — Mr Hogg.

Mr Taylor : The strife we witness in this House is not to be paralleled, aa far as my experience goes, in any other executive in this colony.

Hon. A. L. Smith : Within the last halfcentnry there has been a continually pro-, gresßive movement in favour of brains and capital against merely physical power.

1 1 did not enter politics as the result of an ambitious deßire to advance myself in life. I entered politics entirely as the victim of circumstances.' — Mr J. Hutcheson.

' How would you like your shipß to be manned by women ?' loudly demanded Mr Hogg in the House the other night. And he was the only person present who didn't see the bull.

' The whole system of the winding-up of companies has been demonstrated by the most undeniable evidence within the last three years to be utterly faulty.'— Hon. A. L. Smith.

'The Minister of Education should make regulations providing for the salaries to be paid to teachers in public schools throughout the colony, and the matter should not be left to each Education Board.' — Mr Bollard.

' When I was in America I found that if you wanted to use a telephone in a hotel you would have to put an amount, equal in value to the sending of a message, in a slot on the " penny-in-the-slot " principle.' —The Premier. - ' Sk, the fear of Hell is a hangman's whip to keep the wretch in order. The fear of exposure for the non-payment of a debt is the only thing that will keep some people decently honest. 1 — Sensational opening of a short speech by the irreßpressible Sligo on the Abolition of Imprisonment for Debt Bill.

Mr Hogg : Supposing this (Elective Executive) Bill were brought into operation, what would be the state of affairs ? The possibility is we should have the honourable member for Christchurch City (Mr T. Taylor) elected Minister of Justice ; alongside of him, perhaps, Mr Lawry, Minister of Public Works; Mr (i. J. Smith, Minister of Lands; Mr Millar, Commissioner of Customs : and Mr Pirani, Premier. Just consider what a happy Cabinet you would have.

Mr Lawry : I was absolutely disgusted when I was told in Wellington that the Mayor of Auckland was opposing this Electric Lighting Bill because he was a shareholder in the Auckland Gas Company. Mr Orowther : The other side said it. Mr Lawry: Those supporting the Bill never said it.

Mr Orowther : The honourable gentleman in charge of the Bill has stated that those supporting the Bill did not make the charges against the Mayor of Auckland. I wish to say that these charges have been made to me by the solicitor to the gentleman who promoted the Bill since twelve o'clock to-day, and within these walls, consequent on the Mayor having a number of gas shares. The charges have been made to me, so that it is no use telling nntraths about the matter.