WELLINGTON TOPICS

Waikato Times, Volume 93, Issue 14492, 15 October 1920, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE GAMING BILL. A SUCCESSFUL STONEWALL. (Special Correspondent.) WE L LIN GTO N, Wedne sda y. The successful stone-walling of Mr George Hunter's Gaming Bill in the House of Representatives through the whole length of Monday night will not be remembered as a very edifying incident in (he history of Parliament, even by people who sympathise with the purpose of stone-wallers. It was an exercise of brute force by a minority consisting largely of members who on occasions are loudest in their demand for majority rale They did not p -e----tend to have as much as one-third of the voting strength of the House mi their side and yet they held up to the bitter end a piece of legis.ation .vluch they knew two-thirds of the members desired. Of course this is not the fl-sl Instance of minority obstruction, but the precedents being quoted by the ktone-wallers’ apologists are drawn from a period when Parliament did not rest on its present democratic basis. The Standing Orders. One good purpose will be served by the incident in emphasising the need for a further revision of the Standing Orders. The New Zealand Times, after roundly denouncing the stone-wallers, stresses this point. “The peculiar combination of undesirable qualities,” it says, "obtained the encouragement of victory. That basely won victory reveals the weakness of (he Standing Orders of the House. It shows them to be not the safeguard of discussion they were intended to he, but an inUtrument of Hie arbitrary despotism they were devised to make impossible. The framers have ample latitude, relying on the honesty, fair play and broadmindedness of Hie members to play the game decently. Monday night’s reveI lation shows how wrong was this generosity of latitude by providing instances of flagrant disregard of everything but selfish .opinion.” The Prime Minister expressed himself much to the same effect when he intervened on Tuesday morning with his suggestion for (he appointment of a commission to review the subject of the Bill. The Government’s Attitude. But while responsibility for the persistent obstruction must rest upon Hie gtonewallcrs alone, it has to be admitted that Hie friends of the measure 'v -vvere not well treated by the Government. The Bill was kept at the bottom of the Order Paper till Hie high pressure. period of the session had begun, end then it was given its opportunity only on Hie express stipulation that H must pass through all its slagefe at a single sitting. This condition,,as was demonstrated in the event, made it easy for the obstructionists to keep ell their forces in Hie front line and to slay the measure at a hundred point;. Mr Hunter got no assistance from the Government, rather hindrance, and HiMinister of Internal Affairs actual y joined hands with Hie Opposition. The member for Walpawa was not given the “fair run” he had been promised. Popular Opinion. But apart from all Ibis, which his to do with Parliament and politicians, rather than with the public, there is not a great deal to regret in the eany demise of the Bill. The popular opinion here is that there are quite enough totalisator licenses issued in the country, and that a revision of their distribution would meet all the needs of the case. The revision, however, would be a very disagreeable task for cither the Government of the Racing Conference to undertake, and it w*U not be attempted unless the commission promised by Mr Massey gives the Cabinet, an authoritative and very definite lead. Hard things were said about the Racing Conference during the continuous stream of talk on Monday nigut. and its constitution may be open to criticism, but .among people who know It still is regarded as a safer guide m this matter than would be the politicians. ___