OLD HANDS WERE CAUGHT NAPPING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18579, 29 September 1928, Page 1

OLD HANDS WERE CAUGHT NAPPING.

UCENSINq BILL VOTE WAS REAL SURPRISE.

(Written for the “ Star ” by E. J. Howard, M.P.)

There are very few surprises to the old hands in Parliament, because of the routine or method adopted. Parliament is not a fast moving machine. At times it reminds one of the transport service of goods in northern Rhodesia. There all heavy goods are moved by bullock teams. But at the head of the team there is always a black boy leading. That team won’t travel faster than the Kaffir in the lead. Parliament has its method and that method certainly cannot be termed a panic. It is well that it is so because there are nearly a million and a half people who must comply with tlje laws passed so it is as well that hasty legislation should be avoided. A Government Bill is brought down by Governor’s message. The formula adopted is as follows: Some Minister comes across and passes Mr Speaker a Bill with a bit of blue ribbon tied in a bow at the top left hand corner of the message. Why the ribbon and why the true lover’s knot, no one seems to know. But everyone knows when they see the ribbon that it is a message from the Governor. Mr Speaker rises and says, “I have a message from His Excellency the Governor-General. Everyone present rises, as Mr Speaker says: “Charles Ferguson, Governor-General.” The Governor-General transmits to the House, etc., etc. Then the Speaker declares the House in committee to study the Governor’s message. The Speaker leaves the chair and the Chairman of Committees takes charge, sitting in front of Mr Speaker’s chair. From that moment the Bill can be discussed. The next step is Mr Speaker returns and the Chairman of Committees reports what happened in committee. The Bill is read a first time and is printed. On each member’s desk is what is termed a Bill book. Each Bill is placed in that book numbered and indexed. If the Bill is an important Bill it is discussed in the lobby, at the tea-table and in partycaucuses. Counting the Votes. So there are few surprises left for old hands and yet they were caught napping on the Licensing Bill. It is safe to say that there was not one in the House who anticipated the final division. When a division *is taken the 'Ayes go to the right hand lobby, the Noes go to the left. Tellers are appointed who are given printed lists of the members’ names and each member’s name is crossed out as he votes. Everybody present must vote. When the last division was taken on the Licensing Bill it could be seen that the division was to be close. Members voted and came back into the chamber. There was an element of excitement. No one sat down. All were eagerly waiting to hear the result. Even at that stage I do not believe there was any one member who could say what the result would be. The tellers were counting the votes and when the result was announced one could see the surprise" on each member’s face. One can only guess just what would have happened if the result had been anticipated. The Leader of the Opposition kept saying over and .over again, until it. actually became monotonous, that the Bill was not going on the Statute Book, but this writer ventures the opinion that even the Leader of the Opposition did not think the Bill would have been defeated at that stage, but that it would be gently murdered in what is termed in Parliamentary terms as "another place,” meaning, of course, the Legislative CounciL A far different attitude would have been adopted by the Prime Minister if he had believed that the Bill would have been defeated at that stage. In his last speech before the division he urged members to let the Bill go on to the other Chamber. Then he crossed over and voted against what he urged members to do. In the division on the two-issue question there was a majority of 13. Most members thought that at least there would be a majority of six on the final division There did not appear to be anyone “tipping,” that the Bill would be defeated- If the 1 Prime Minister had thought it was going to be defeated it is fairly safe to say that he would have voted as he spoke. It was the biggest surprise in the last nine years, at all events. Mental Defectives BilL The next big measure to come down was the Mental Defectives BilL This measure had come back from the Health Committee with a few minor alterations, but fundamentally the Bill was not altered. It came on very quietly at 7.30 on Tuesday evening and the House slipped into committee to consider the measure. On the first clause, which is the short title, every clause of the Bill can be discussed by every member. Having got through the first clause then, at each of the other clauses members must confine themselves strictly to the clause under discussion, and cannot wander all over the Bill. So every member that objects or wants to praise the whole of the measure, does so on Clause 1, the short title. So when Mr Hockly took the chair, everything seemed quiet and orderly. But the Leader of the Opposition put in a plea for the postponement of the measure for at least one year. The House was fairly full of members, and they seemed to be interested in the measure. Then someone on the Government side of the House rose and advocated the postponement of the Bill and each member seemed actuated by the same idea. No one was opposed to the Bill but each thought that, as it contained such drastic clauses, the people should have a chance to know what was in the proposal before it became law The Prime Minister was becoming fidgety. When the third man on the Government side rose to support the idea put forward bv the Leader of the Opposition the Prime Minister shot up like a rocket. It was patent to everyone that he was annoved. It is not often that Mr Coates shows temper, but on this occasion there was no mistake about his attitude. An Ultimatum. The whip was out as he flashed round on his followers and said, “This is a policy measure and it is going through.” The effect was funny to one who can see the funny side of Parliament. Up to that point every member of all sides had been sitting up in their places, alert and on the job, scanning their bill books. But when the Prime Minister had finished speaking Reform members seemed to fade away like snow off our mountains when a sudden hot neri-wcßter strikes them. They wilted down in their seats. The Opposition then took charge, and for the first time in nine years all sections of the Opposition came together and worked together and went into the same lobby together. One felt from the jump that it was not that all members of the Opposition disliked the Bill, but that the Prime Minister’s attitude was so unfair that they resented it in the only way open to them. So they

settled down to stonewall the Bill. It took twelve hours to get the first clause through, and it was not until nearly twenty-four hours of talking had been indulged in that the final division was taken. Of course, during that twentyfour hours there had been adjournments for tea, supper and breakfast. It is hard to convey to people who pursue an ordinary life what it means to sit in a room listening to and taking part in a debate all night long and well on in the afternoon. When those who will resent their children being classified as mentally deficient and placed on a register feel like protesting and saying hard things about members of Parliament for doing such things, they should remember that nature demands that man should sleep sometimes to give his mind, his body and his soul a rest. We speak of psychology. We mean the study of the human mind when we use the term. But man is a curious animal. He demands more even than meat and bread and sleep. Deprive him of these other things and he becomes a different being. By Exhaustion. Keep members of Parliament up night after night. Whilst the work is not so hard on some muscles of the body as carrying bricks, the mind and the brain refuses to function. That is what is meant by legislation by exhaustion. Men are not normal under such conditions. They are not keen, and it is then that the mischief is done in legislation. There is a hidden Parliament in New Zealand. It consists of civil servants, civil servants centred in Wellington. If Reform remains in power much longer the people will have to ask one or the other of these rulers of ours if we can take deep breaths even.

The onus is on democracy- Next month they can change this system if they want to.