“ Would Mr Lysnar Give An Imitation Of a Suffragette ?”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18888, 14 October 1929, Page 3

“ Would Mr Lysnar Give An Imitation Of a Suffragette ?”

PARLIAMENT DERIVES SOME VARIETY FROM MEMBERS WHO FIGHT LONE BATTLES.

(Special to the " Star.”) WELLINGTON, October 14.

Rolling down to Rio cannot in any way be compared with rolling down to the end of the session. If rumour is correct the roll will be completed in about another three weeks. The absence of the Prime Minister from the House has, of course, been markedly felt, especially as it was desired to have the taxation bills out of the way before now, but, Sir Joseph is fortunately now well on the road to recovery, and when he returns things will liven up again, and rapid progress should be made with the dispatch of the business. As it was, a good bit of work was done last week in getting rid of the Land Laws Amendment Bill. For some reason best known to themselves, Reform members prolonged the committee stage somewhat unduly, but once short title had been passed no great time was lost in sending the Bill on to the Legislative Council. Although the Government has only been in office, for ten months, some members cannot refrain from making comparisons, intended to be odious, with what it has done as against the Reform Party’s record. So they must indulge in party warfare, although to the onlooker the effort does seem strained and altogether out of place, and all the “You see, Sirs” “No, Sirs” and “I am coming back to the point, Sirs” does not improve the position. The Women's Champion.

At last the women of New Zealand, at least, those of them who own tracts of territory apart from their husbands, have found a champion, in Mr Lysnar. In any case, he hopes that they have found him, and that they will not forget him at the next General Election tie objected to a clause in the Land Bill which provides that a woman’s property shall be taken into account with her husband’s in determining whether the anti-aggregation provisions of the law have been infringed. He presented the clause with suitable descriptive titles of which only Mr Lysnar is capable when he is speaking under a sense of strong injustice, and said it seemed to him that the Government was going to “hotch-potch” husbands and wives. Mr Fraser, who has a very good mastery of the English language and effective ways of employing it, was stricken with considerable doubt as to what Mr Lysnar meant. Mr Lysnar said that he meant “hotchpotch", and that that was a “perfectly legal phrase”. Having clarified the situation to this extent, Mr Lysnar threatened that he would divide the House on the subject, so that the women might know at the next election who were on their side and who were not.

He duly did so, but the result could not have been very pleasing, for poor, harassed, downtrodden femininity could gain only eight supporters, whereas fifty-two other members were apparently of the opinion that the women would be better off without Mr Lysnar's aid.

Apparently they feared that Mr Lysnar might turn himself into a suffragette and that his exploits in this role would be even more terrible than when he sought to make mincemeat of the Meat Board.

Wasting Time on Summer Time. Fighting lone battles seems to be a favourite pastime with some members

of Parliament. Mr Lysnar indulges ir !it every session, and last week M Samuel, the Reform member ic Thames, sought to emulate Mr Lysnar’ example oh the Summer Time Bill Dc daring that he would not oppose th Bill, he nevertheless talked against th dock for the best part of his half-hou on behalf of the women and childre of the country. With Mr Lysnar an. Mr Samuel fighting their battles, th women' of New Zealand must feel tha it is indeed good to be alive. Mr Sam uel, however, was not quite clear when he stated that the Bill’would make thefarmer work another half-hour when he already worked frQm. daylight .to dark. Joshua was once successful in commanding the sun' to stand still, and apparently Mr Samuel thinks that there is need for some- political • Joshua •t----arise and do the same, witji.the .Surnme . Time Bill in order that the country’ butter-fat production might not be im perilled. To hear some of the old fa miliar, blown-out arguments agains daylight saving again trotted out im pelled one to chant the prayer, “ Light en our Darkness.” The gloom of buco lie benightedness is terrible. Howevei the Bill was duly passed, after th. House had spent over four and a hal hours of a lovely spring night and mucl artificial light in the effort to provid' an extra half-hour’s sunlight for fivt months of the year. Those ** Buts.”

Not thinking of the effect on votes, o course, members were universally solid tous towards the end of the week in the interests of the employees of the Post and Telegraph Department. The need for more telegraph posts in various parts of the country was forgotten in the anxiety to see that the salary “ cuts ” were restored, and only about one member asked for a new post office. The battle surged round an amendment moved by the Leader of the Labour Party. The Leader of the Opposition was first in the field with a k.'nd inquiry as to whether the Government could not see its way clear to make up for the “ cuts ” which the Reform Party had imposed, but it was left to Mr Holland to produce the amendment as a “ recommendation ” that something should be done. Although the Reform and the Labour Party vied strongly in the fight on behalf of the P. and T. men, they had a most glorious fight between themselves as to the reason for the “/cuts.” Feelings became over-heated an 4 there was a “ boil-over ” when Mr Semple accused the Reform Government of having robbed the P. and T. employees ir. whose interests they were now taking so overwhelming a regard. An argument ensued as to whether such a term as “robbed” was Parliamentary. It was held that it was, so long as it was used in a strictly political sense, and then things moved along more smoothly.

But only for a time. When, in view of Ihe Prime Minister's message transmitted to the House stating that he would make a general statement on the subject of salary conditions in the Civil Service in the following week, Mr Holland asked for leave to withdraw his amendment, aspersions were cast by Mr Samuel as to whether the Labour Party had been sincere in xnovi g it. This added to the interest of the occasion, but certain explanations were made which appeared to be mutually satisfactory. The House then passed the P. and T. vote along with two ethers, and members ceased from wrangling at the unusual hour of half past four in the afternoon, a thing unheard of on Estimates before.