IN THE HOUSE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10925, 14 November 1913, Page 7

IN THE HOUSE.

PARLIAraT \U DISORDER. MEMBERS AND SPECIALS. WHARF SCENES AND THE SEQUEL. [FkOAI Quit COBRESFONDENT.] WELLINGTON, November 13. High feeling and hot words ran away with the House this afternoon, the popular chamber becoming the arena of one of the most disorderly squabbles, amounting, at intervals almost to riotousness, that has lowered the dignity of Parliament for many a _ long day. The occasion leading up to it was the reading of a letter by the Hon J. Allen. The letter was from Colonel Heard, Commandant of the Forces, and had reference to_ a statement as to his association with the special constables employed to keep order in Wellington. >• Colonel Heard wrote that he wished to contradict Mr Robertson's_ statement that staff officers of Territorials had been in command of special constables. Colonel Heard said that he had been paying a visit to the Commander and officers of H.M.S. Psyche. He met some friends who, were in command of the special constables. He had not given orders to these constables. He had had nothing to do with, them and Mr Robertson had no right to make such a statement without verification. STOPPED BY "SPECIALS." Mr Robertson said he wished to relate what had happened. If he had drawn a wrong.inierence from what he heard then he was sorry. A number of' special constables stopped him on the wharf last Friday, lie explained to them that he had already passed four sets of constables upon showing jiis badge. While discussing the matter Colonel Heard came up to the rear ranks and said, "No one - is to be allowed to pass unless they produce a pass signed this morning." The constables turned and said, " Do you hear that? That's the order.' r ' Subsequently Commissioner Cullen.expressed regret at any inconvenience that Mr Robertson might have suffered, while Colonel Russell, an officer in charge of the special constables, accompanied him and other members of Parliament along the wharf, indicating that they were, free to go anywhere. Immediately the Colonel left them the group of special constables again stopped them. WHAT TOOK PLACE. Mr Payne corroborated the facts as outlined by the member for Otaki. He considered that members of Parliament, who were placed by the people in the responsible position of looking after their public interests, should bo allowed to go anywhere in the public domain they wished to visit. Even Labour members, he argued, should be credited with possessing sufficient sense of responsibility to the State to be treated as men of- honour and good faith. Mr Hindmarsh, who was also present, said that some of the office youths and other citizens of Wellington, who were tho special constables referred to, had acted in a most aggressive and insulting manner to the members of Parliament in question, yet at the same time members on the Government side of the House wero walking past the lines without a bit of hindrance of any :ort. One man to whom Mr Robertson showed his pass exclaimed, " Oh, that is only a pass for the railways and that is all we know about .that," uttering the remark in a most offensive manner. DIFFERENT SORTS OF INFLUENCE. Mr Russell, in bearing out what had been stated by Mr Robertson, declared that ho noticed one of the special constables who accosted Mr Robertson to be palpably under tho influence of liquor. The man's conduct was insolent, and he put his hands on. Mr Robertson with the evident intent of pushing him off the wharf. The member for Otaki demanded the removal of

tho man's hands, upon which the man Baid, " I would very much prefer to meet a man my own size." Mr Russell said he warned the man not to speak in his capacity as a special constable in tho way he had addressed Mr Robertson. Ho himself was then informed that if he had not a pass he must leavo tho wharf. He did so immediately, but noticed at the same time that the member for Raglan remained among thexo special constables, and was thero during tho subsequent happenings. Mr Russell said that as ho was leaving the wharf Colonel Russell approached ami expressed regret at what had occurred. To that officer he reported the man who was under tho influenco of liquor, as ho also did to Commissioner Cullen. Tho whole blunder apparently was due to tho lack of specific instructions that on production of a member's railway pass ho should be allowed to go on tho wharf. INSULTS FROM "YOUNG PUPS.' Mr Russell said that he had since gone on tho lvharf only when it was free from patrols, us lie did not wish to be submitted to insult from some young pups, evidently lawyers' clerks, who probably know who be was, and wished to show insult deliberately because ho was not on tho side of politics to which they belonged. After ho got upon tho wharf a gentleman who appeared to be in charge of the picket expressed his strong wish that Mr Russell should use his influenco to keep Messrs Payne and Robertson from coming to tho wharf at all, on tho ground that it was like a red rag to a bull. He regarded this suggestion as an insult, and refused to do anything of the kind. If it was tho wish of the Government that everyone should leave the wharf ho would abide by it, but after ho had been ordered off ho objected to another member of Parliament being allowed to remain for tho next ten minutes. MEMBER'S ALLEGATION. HOT WORDS IN DEBATE. Mr Poarce alleged that the member for Waimarino used a foul expression towards a sergeant of the mounted police. Mr Hindmarsh: You ought to be ashamed to call yourself a man. You know lie denies it. Sir Joseph Ward: You ought to have told him you would make this statement. . Mr Hindmarsh: He is a disgrace to the House. Government members: Shut up 1 The Prime Minister and the Speaker endeavoured to quell the rising tempers, the Speaker remarking that the behaviour of the previous two minutes had been very disorderly. | Mr 11. ; W. Smith, the member for Waimarino, came into the House at this moment, and Mr Pearce, in response to a challenge from some members, repeated hi 3 allegation, adding that it was known to all the constables on the wharf, and no wonder they objected to members of Parliament being on the wharf. Mr Escott said he had the names of a number of troopers who were pre-' pared to swear what the member for .Waimarino had said. "PERFECTLY GENTLEMANLY." Mr R. F. Bollard declared that the fpecial constables referred to by the members for Otaki and Avon were not at all insulting, but were perfectly gentlemanly in their behaviour. He denied also that any of the constables was under the influenco of liquor. As for himself he was at the time endeavouring to get on the wharf. He was also ordered off the wharf. Mr Russell: Then why did you not come off like I didP Mr Bollard: Because I did not want to. (Laughter.) Mr Russell: Then you are not a lawabiding citizen. (Renewed laughter.) Mr Okey also exclaimed 1 against the accusation of drunkenness, contending that he observed tho man, and was satisfied ho was quite sober. REBUKE FROM KAIPARA. Mr Coates expressed his disagreement with the remarks of the member for Patea about the sayings of a brother member outside the House. " I think it is regrettable that what is said outside the House should bo brought up here. I do not think auy good result can come of such a course," said the member. A number of members on the Government side of the House hurried to explain how they themselves had also been victims of the excess of zeal by the special constables, but Mr Webb varied the recital by saying that 'he had no difficulty in getting on to the wharf, but a great deal in getting off it again. (General laughter.) As a matter of fact one of the. specials told him he ought to go into the sea. (Government laughter.) "He said, 'There goes the scab member,' and several of them took me by the arm, but I escaped," smilingly announced Mr Webb, while roars of laughter echoed round the chamber. AN EMPHATIC DENIAL. - The member for Waimarino emphatically denied the statements made by Messrs Escott and Pearce, and expressed the opinion that it would have been playing the game more nearly to a brother member if they had first asked him what he had to saj', and at least told him what they proposed doing. (Opposition members: "Hear, hear," and scornful laughter from Messrs Pearce, Okey and other Ministerialists.) I Mr Smith, amid a fire of ! confusing interjections from the Taranaki side of the House, proceeded to relate what had happened on the afternoon of Wednesday last week when the riot was on. He was standing near a vacant plot, when the cry arose, "Look out! Here they come," and he was entering a gate when a special constable came up and stood over him with his baton raised to strike. Mr Smith said, "Put down that baton. You aro here to keep the peace, but the way you are going on is calculated to break it. Surely you can discriminate between respectable citizens and those who are making trouble." The man replied insultingly and still threatened him, whereupon he exclaimed, " You are given your brains to use. Why not use them, instead of threatening me with that baton in such a dastardly way?" (Jeering laughter and interjections from the Taranaki members). Another special constable who knew him then came up and assured him that he at all events was not going to use his baton in a provocative manner. " I replied," said Mr Smith, " I know you are not, but I am not going to be bullied by a dastard like that. (Renewed outbursts of derision from the Government side of the House). The man then hustled me out of the gate and closed it." "I did not use the words mentioned by the member for Patea, and I can fortunately prove it," added the member for Waimarino, amid Opposition cries of " Hear, hear," and a roar of sceptical laughter from the Government's Taranaki supporters. Mr Pearce asserted that when he was at the mounted constables' camp next evening all the constables knew of what had happened. Mr Escott accepted the explanation given by Mr Smith, adding that he had never made the assertion. He simply asked for inquiry. "NEVER MORE HUMILIATED." The leader of the Opposition, Sir Joseph Ward, declared that in twentysix years of parliamentary experience he had never felt more humiliated than during that afternoon. Tho House had come to a most discreditable condition of things when members thought it part of their duty to come to Parliament with tales about their brother members. A member made an ugly imputation against a brother member and when the latter rose to put on record his version ho was laughed and jeered at by his accusers among others. Was that the way to maintain the digI nity of Parliament in a free British possession? "People outside will im-

agine—Well, I won't say what they will imagine," concluded the loader of the Opposition. Tho Hon James Allen remarked that Colonel Heard's particular reason in getting tho statement made was his anxiety to keep the military clear of the dispute. Mr Hindniarsh: Tho men have been wearing'their puttees and military groat coats. The discussion ended with tho tabling of Colonel Heard's letter. MR PAYNE'S SOLUTION. INTRODUCES STRIKE BILL. HOUSE UNSYMPATHETIC. [FItOM Oril G'OIIRESI'OXDENT.] WELLINGTON, November 13. Mr Payno tool: an opportunity to discuss the present industrial crisis this afternoon. In asking leave to introduce his State Control of Shipping and Farmers' Protection Bill the member expressed the opinion that what the country was really suffering from at the present juncture was a lock-out. A Ministerialist: Nothing of the sort. Mr Payne went on to review the origin and progress of tho present strike. He said he felt, sure that as an outcome of the industrial deadlock something would be done to improve the existing conditions of labour on the waterfront. He hoped also that in any future agreement provision would bo made for stop-work meetings by such bodies of men as the waterside workers. Tho Bill would provide for stop-work meetings by casual workers, with the stipulation that twelve hours' notice of tho meeting should be given. Mr Payne proceeded to outline a number of proposals in his Bill for the prevention of strikes and lock-outs, in which a Board of Consideration figured largely as a means of arranging amicable settlements. On this Board he proposed to place four representative farmers and representatives of tho commercial find industrial sections of the community, including six representatives of . the Federation of Labour and two shipping people. AMENDMENT AND PROTEST. Mr Guthrio moved the adjournment of tho debate till November 27. Mr Nosworthy seconded the amendment. Mr Webb immediately protested against the adjournment, advancing as reasons that tho question had been repeatedly deferred. He had that morning received a telegram from Auckland containing over two hundred signatures of shopkeepers and others urgently requesting that pressure should bo brought to bear on the Employers' Association with the object of terminate ing the present paralysis of trade and employment. " Why not do something to help in a settlement of this disastrous state of affairs instead of burking discussion every time the subject was raised?" indignantly demanded Mr Webb. Mr Glover said that the urgency of the case demanded prompt consideration. He drew a picture of the paralysis affecting Auckland through the industrial trouble and urged that it should be settled once and for all. He would like peace to follow this tribulation. . "So would we," chorused members earnestly. PARLIAMENT'S SPECIAL DUTY. Mr Veitch was proceeding to urge reasons why the debate should not be adjourned when the Minister of Finance raised a point of order, contending that the measure proposed the expenditure of State money for the purchase of ships and all sorts of things. The Speaker ruled -that the motion to adjourn must be disposed of before he could decide anything respecting the Bill itself. Mr Veitch thereupon continued to express his opinions on the. adjournment question, contending that it was the special duty of Parliament, as representatives of the people, to deal with the Bill at tho earliest possible moment, with the view of so amending it as to protect the public of New Zealand against the unreasonableness of both parties in the present dispute. COMPLAINT OF THE "GAG." Surprise at the Government's attitude was expressed by Mr Hindmarsh, who said he thought tho Bill afforded an excellent opportunity of making plain tho ideas of the Cabinet on a vital subject. As there had been no legislation and the Prime Minister had no idea, the House should, insist upon doing something. Unless this opportunity was given to discuss the matter he would introduce a Bill himself. "I am not in favour of this ridiculous Bill," said Mr Isitt. "hut I object to the most childish and timid method. adopted by the Government to prevent Labour members from having a voico in this House." To- sit upon the safety valve was most foolish. The view of Mr Atmore was that there had been a deliberate attempt to gag the Labour members. Parliament was being degraded to the status, of a road board, through its exhibition of apathy. This was a direct encouragement to the strikers to take industrial action. Upon going to division the motion to adjourn the debate was carried by 51 votes to 15.