News in Brief

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20311, 22 May 1934, Page 6

News in Brief

A Family Affair. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children at Auckland, Mr Wyvern Wilson, S.M., told of an amusing tragi-comedy which he had encountered. An old woman had stood in the dock charged once again with the violation of her much-abused prohibition order, and he remanded her prior to discovering if she could be sent to “ the island.” Meanwhile, he was notified that the woman and a certain elderly gentleman friend wished to marry, that the wrath of the Court might be averted. In order not to stand in the way of romance, the Magistrate arranged with the sergeant to release her, but the union didn’t prove as satisfactory as might have been hoped. It appeared that the man had previously married the woman’s mother and her two elder sisters. Putting it on the Shelf. “ We often talk of following Parliamentary procedure, and our Parliaments of old were no doubt good examples for minor bodies to follow, and it was generally recognised that the Mother of Parliaments in Great Britain was in most respects an example for the world. But work which was formerly done solely by Parliament has in these later days been relegated to committees to do. and this is often one way of burying them out of sight.” So said Mr M. J. Savage, M P, Leader of the Opposition. after a meeting of the Auckland Hospital Board this week. “ The boan:l refers far too much to committees,” he said. “ and then nothing further is heard of the matter. In this we are only following in the ways of our New Zealand Parliament. If you want direct and immediate action, when something wants to be done promptly, don’t refer it to a committee.”