THAT VOUCHER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12594, 7 September 1905, Page 8

THAT VOUCHER

"That voucher figured to-day as the unexpected. Fivo minutes after prayers Mr. Taylor presented the petition of tho four' informers Jx>r a public inquiry, and moved its readings then and there, which was done after division by 43 to 17. He tried hard to discuss the merit;! under coyer of a further motion to refer tho petition direct to the Petitions Committee. Mr. Speaker had to interfere, interfered! some dozen times, each timo after Mr. Taylor had gone over somo part of the ground forbidden, and, losing patience at last, ordered him to sit down. Then the Premier pointed out that Mr. Taylor had named tho A to L Committee in his order of reference, of whieli ho is himself _ a member. As ho is himself as much implicated in tho petition as the petitioners, this was barely lair. Mr. Taylor eventually consenting; to substitute M to Z, "that voucher" subsided for a while, An enormous volume was brought in, which pi-oved to be the evidencn given in the Flaxbourne case, and before tho formalities were over the Defence* report loomed out of the fog. Promptly tJiero was a snarl. It was tho member for Bruce asking whethei this had been cut down. The Premier was astounded at the suggestion that any officer's report could be bowdlerisod, and nothing transpired. Then the Houso fell into the maelstrom of "adjournment" by tho diving board of questions.