The Star. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1868.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 110, 19 September 1868, Page 2

The Star. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1868.

$ The Government ia safe — by a fluke, as will be seen from a telegram in another column. It is probable, judging from previous information, that the division would have been about the same if taken, as ifc ought to have been, nn the main question. Bufc ifc says little for the Government when they insist ou taking advantage of what was, undoubtedly, a pure accident. And, if the Government are to blame in the matter, whafc is to be said of Mr Carleton, the Chairman of Committee- ? No member of the House v more intimately acquainted with Parliamentary U3age than Mr Carleton. His knowledge on all points of order, etiquette, and precedent may be called nicely accurate. He must, therefore, have known perfectly well that he was deciding a moat important motion in the absence of the leaders of both parties. Is this decorous ? Is it seemly, that a warm partizan of the Government should — acting all the time in accordance with the strict letter of the law — virtually steal a march upon the Opposition ? Could Mr Carleton not have contrived tv apprise the leaders of parties of what) was about to take place ? Mr Barff, ifc appears, got up and "asked for information" after the question had been once put. We daresay many other members were iv the same position as Mr BarfF, and did not really know what was goiug on. Ifc does not appear that Mr B.'.rff was informed as to the technical effect of che question put bMr Carleton to the Houc-e, but it doe* appear, as we read the telegram, that there was something almost amounting to indecent haste iv at once putting the main question again in " Parliamentary phraseology." The telegram Kays that " a few voices were given." We have no doubt of it ; first, because moat of the members had probably left, the House wbeu Mr Gallagher began to speak ; and second, becauso few of those who remained uud_i'.-*tood the Parliamentary phraseology.