Political Paroxysms.

Observer, Volume XXVII, Issue 47, 10 August 1907, Page 22

Political Paroxysms.

MR BOLLARD : The member for Auckland West, Mr Poole, prides himself on being Irish. Well, lam sorry to hear it, because it ia not like an Irishman not to stand to his colours. It was very amusing to hear the honourable member assert his independence, when we know that although he was elected as an iadependent member, yet from the day he entered this House he had been a most servile supporter of the Government.

Mr Gray : Our friend the Premier when at Home asked for the bread of fiscal preference, and the Mothercountry offered him a stone labelled " dominion."

Mr Hogan : If a man in the Railway service takes out his pipe during working-hours and attempts to have a smoke, even where there is no danger of doing any harm, he has to do it like a thief. He has to steal his pipe out and have a sly smoke, and put it back quickly if an officer comes along.

Mr Poole : We have about ten thousand Snider rifles — double-enders, that kill at both ends. They, remind me of a gun used in the Chino-Japunese war ; it took three men to fire it, and the man who pulled the trigger had to be buried every time a shot was fired.

Hon. Mr Samuel : Since triennial Parliaments have been the* law of the land, dissolutions aie merely spoken of, and practically never occur.

Hon. Mr Scotland (in the Legislative Council) : In all probability, this will be my btet session here. I might almost say that, whether alive or not, next yeai my place here will know me no more

Hon. Mr Beehan : If it came to a cheap loaf i irsus the flour mills, I believe I would be found voting for that cheap loaf. * * *

Mr Fjsher : We seem to be getting hide-bound in regard to examinations in this country, and the sooner we break them down the better. In the United States they train those who wish to enter the legal profession in model law-courts, and why we cannot train our lawyers in exactly the same way I am at a loss to understand.

Mr v ilford (himself a lawyer) : I remember the story of a mm falling overboard, and a lawyer, with the promptitude that always distinguishes the members of that profession, dived in after him ; and when he was about to take hold of him to save him a huge shark made its appearance and was about to seize the body of the man who had fallen overboard, but when the shark saw the lawyer it blushed and turned away.

Mr Fowlds : We already by our law make provision for the punishment of any person who wrongly describes manure when he sells it ; surely it is not too much to ask that the same care should be taken with reference to what the people have to eat and drink.

Hon. Dr Fiudlay : If a trade cannot be carried on so as to give the worker such 'a wage as to enable him to work at that trade and enable tho^-e who are dependent on him to Live in decency, we do not want that trade, because there are in this country other trades still left in which a competent man can be paid such wages as will keep him from degradation and maintain him in that position in which we, as a civilised people, wish to see our workers as a whole.

Mr Han an : I know an article which is sold as cofteeessence, and which, as a matter of fact, contains but few grains of coffee. It is composed of treacle, glucose, burnt toast, and chicory, but as regards coffee it contains but little.

Hon. MrLoughman : The question of the navy divides itself into two. We must have either a fleet or a scrapheap. Between the two there is nothing possible. We must either join in up-holding the fleet of Great Britain, and be prepared to pay all that is necessary for that, or, if we attempt the other, and have a fleet of aur own, we build for the scrap-heap.

Hon. Dr Findlay : It is the duty of those who have the interests of the workmen at heart to use their,influence in every way they can to prevent strikes in this country. And, if coercion and fines are not sufficient, then we must go to the extent of forcing obedience by the harsher method.

Mr R. McKenzie : They had, however, seen through the Press that a Professor from Victoria College was now employed to draft their Bills. They did not want to pay any gentleman £1000 a year to teach his grandmother to suck eggs.

Hon. Mr Beehan : We employ a good many prisoners at tree-planting, and it is a good idea, and they are doing splendid work ; but why not employ them at growing grain, and teach them agriculture at the same time?

Mr Hone Heke : In the case of the Maori people it is customary for a dying woman to say to her sister, •" It is my wish that you should take my place." The reason for that may not be readily appreciated by honourable members, but it is this : the dying sister knows that her family will be well cared for by her sister if that sister becomes the wife of her husband.

Mr Laurenson : What, after all, is the number of divorces in the country ? One for every sixty-four marriages ; and I think, when we realise that every sixty- three marriages out of sixty-four are binding for the lifetime of the married parties, it is a very high percentage.

Mr Herries : I will guarantee that if the Government, through their Departments, bad never had anything to do with Rotorua, the people there, with private assistance, would have had drainage, electric works and watersupply long ago ; they would have had them years ago.

Mr Heke : Even in the medical profession there are tohungas, who, instead of prescribing the proper medicine?, simply prescribe a coloured liquid in a bottle — a liquid with a sweet taste — and say " Take this three times a day after meals." Such prescriptions are not worth a rap.