RAILWAY BILL PASSED.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12856, 1 November 1912, Page 2

RAILWAY BILL PASSED.

PECULIAR OPPOSITION TACTICS

CASTIGATION BY THE MINISTER

"WHERE IS YOUR COURAGE?"

(By Telegraph.—Special to "Chronicle.") WELLINGTON, October 30. During the final stages of the Government Railways' Bill in the House of Representatives to-day, the Opposition endeavoured, by every means in their power, to obstruct and kill the Bill on tho third reading. Amendment after amendment was proposed and defeated. It was left to tho Hon. Mr. Herries, the Minister for Railways, in a slashing reply to show up the hollowness of the Opposition pretensions. Ho said their tactics were" obstruction pure and simple, combined with an attempt to secure themselves a little cheap notoriety by the amendments they were advocatino;. 'They were certainly not fair in their tact'ica, which, if sucessful, would kill tho Bill. It was certainly little encouragement to him to bring down the Bill for increases next year. He had thai nigb't already been abused like a pickpocket because he was advancing •tho first division by £6,000. He excepted Messrs. Myers and Witty, who knew something about the- railways. It was an extraordinary thing that members of tho Mackenzie Government who. in the Governor's speech, advocated geting a general manager from England, had now suddenly changed their views. Wero they, ho asked, sincere in their opposition to the clause? Ho charged them with political hypocricy, especially the member for Lyttelton. Such v- gross piece of political hypoericy ho had never heard within those walls. In answer to an Onnodtion interjection about the nnsuitaMlit--' nf the men in tho railway service. Mr-. Herries warmly retorted that lie was not going to run down h'f) own department. Ho was the head of it and ho would be a. mean skunk to do so (hear! hear!) 'Neither was h9 going to mention certain names and leavo others out, as had been done by tho member for Awarua with questionable taste. Mr. Herries caused some laughter by adding that tho members whoa short time ago were in the last Cabinet, or wero supporting it, seemed to distrust the Hon. Thomas Mackenzie. Mr. Herries said that the debate had shown how much ignorance thero was about railway matters. Ho was only beginning to learn himself, but the ideas of some members seemed almost puerile even to his limited -understanding. Tho member for Lyttelton said, he would sooner havo the Bii;l thrown out than sanction tho general manager proposal. Thcso hon. members who wished to prevent the granting of largo increases to tho service should vote against the Bill. They had condemned it root and branch, and wero going on to the platform.to protest against its proposals'. He challenged .them to take, .a division on the, third reading and let the railway ser- v vant-s know who wero their true friends Mr. Russell.—The First Division know their friends. - Tho Minister replied that he was giving about £88,000 in increases to the Second Division ; £49.000 was already on +ho estimates -and £39.000 would come into operation on April 18. The present increases for the First Division amounted to £6,000 and further increases to commence on April 18, 1914, would bo provided by tho Bill of next year. The previous Government had nofe given theso men anything at all, though an offer of about £3.000 was made. "Now let us see whether t^e^e gentlemen will vote again-st the Bill," said Mr. Hcrries. as he concluded. Thero were a few murmured "Noes" when the question was put. but no member of the Oppcsition challenged a-.divi-sion and the motion wnscleplarecl-car-ried. i "Wbe'-n i~. your our.ifo?" fl^kerl tho Primo M>"n:st3r. rmcl Ministc-rialkta l,inc^ed ders'vsly. Thn Bill <\vr.?, resd fi third timo and passed.