NOTES FROM THE GALLERY.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIX, Issue XXIII, 27 November 1897, Page 720

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY.

(BY

CLARISSE.)

WELLINGTON, Nov. 18. Anything more depressingly dull than the debate arising on the vexed question of the Sessional Committes on Friday evening can scarcely be conceived. The Opposition occupied, the evening with vigorous but unsuccessful protests against the personnel of the committee of selection, which the Premier proposed forming of four Government supporters and only one Oppositionist; but, finally, he agreed to add another Opposition member, making the proportion four to two. This, however, fails to satisfy the Opposition, who point out that the standing orders limit the strength of the committee to five, and member after member of their party rises to urge upon the Premier the necessity of striking off one of his own supporters and substituting an Opposition member. But all their appeals met with no response from the Ministerial benches. Finding the Opposition relentless, the Premier ingeniously endeavoured to meet the delicate situation by adroitly moving the adjournment of the debate, and thus shelving the matter by the introduction of new business. Mr Scobie McKenzie, however, rises smiling at the guileless idea of thus voluntarily relinquishing the advantage gained, and scouts the suggestion in the speech of the evening, tilling up the breach by carrying on the debate until a quarter to twelve. Things brighten up as Mr Herries rises, convulsing the House by remarking as he does so that he feels like a man about to walk the tight rope, so keen has been the Speaker in his efforts to keep members to the question of the adjournment. Shortly after midnight, however, the debate collapses, ami the motion to adjourn is carried on the voices. On Friday afternoon the Premier found himself in what some Premiers would consider a tight place, as endeavouring to spring a surprise on the Opposition by bringing on the Estimates unexpectedly he was in turn disagreeably surprised by the readiness with which the Opposition accepted the situation, and defeated his object by a seemingly harmless little amendment, upon railways, which opens the door to a debate on every unfinished line in the colony, and postpones the amendment being negatived until past 10 o'clock, so it was nearly midnight before the Estimates were reached. The rising of Mr Kelly at this juncture to ask the Premier how far he intended to proceed with the Estimates brought about the obviously long threatening storm which had been brewing for some time. As tne Honourable Kichard was being harrassed upon all sides by members of the Opposition enquiring whether he intended to be reasonable in his continuation of the debate, he let himself drift on a gust of passion, and angrily declared he was not going to be dictated to as to what business he should do. Mr Kelly mildly retorted the Premier might display at least a little more courtesy in answering a civil question, and the valiant member for Invercargill was supported by several members in his refusal to be brow-beaten. Some time having been Wasted in acrimonious discussion, business was proceeded with until deep-sea trawling was reached, when Mr Allen objected to the vote of £ sbUU on the estimates for grants to assist deep-sea trawlers. lie advocated that the vote be struck out and placed in the Bill, '.'aptain Russell, while strongly opposing the vote, stated that it was currently reported in the lobbies that the vote was to benefit a member of the House, in fact, the member for Awarua and challenged Ministers to deny it. This the Premier proceeded to do with most emphatic voice and gesture, and called upon Mr Allen to withdraw the amendment, which Mr Allen declined to do. Thereupon the irate Premier declared his intention of withdrawing from his agreement not to touch certain classes that, evening, alleging as his justification the unreasonable opposition shown to the vote by the Opposition members. He characterised the blocking of the vote as most unfair. Mr Massey suggested reporting progress and returning home to much-needed repose as an alternative, but as this only meant the postponement of the fight, not the abandonment of the cum-

paign, the motion was negatived on the voices after a short desultory debate. At 4.3t> a division was taken on Mr Allen's motion, which was negatived by 23 to 18. The Customs and Marine Departments and the Stamp and Deeds Department were passed with brief debates, and business proceeded amicably until 7.20, when Mr Wason pathetically urged Ministers to adjourn, his request, however, being sternly refused; but at 8 o'clock proceedings were abruptly brought to a standstill by the pathetic voice of the Chairman of Committees, who declared his inability to sit any longer in the chair and threatened to leave the Premier without a quorum if the sitting was prolonged any further. Even this awful threat failed and business was relentlessly pursued, the Premier refusing to forbear. The jaded House presented a most forlorn appearance, many of the Government supporters snoring audibly in recumbent positions. The benches, hitherto crowded, were beginning to empty, only the Premier and the members of the left wing showing any lingering signs of alertness, although the Opposition made a gallant attempt to keep up appearances. At length Mr Wason. in desperation, and with visions of breakfast, moved to report progress, but this only resulted in the recall of stragglers from the lobbies, the poking and stirring up of recumbent forms upon the benches, and finally in the Government scoring a majority of 23 to 11 votes; and it was not until 8.50 that the exhausted House adjourned for breakfast. From 7.30 on Tuesday evening until 8 o’clock on Wednesday morning, the battle of the Estimates raged fiercely. The jaded House had spruced up wonderfully since its previous long sitting, and presented quite a gala appearance. owing to the vast expanse of white waistcoat displayed upon the Government benches by the Premier and Mr Lamach. The Major sat in his accustomed seat, wearing his blaek velvet skull cap with quite a jaunty air. and Mr Wason, fresh from his southern trip. looked unusually breezy and spruce. The whereabouts of the irrepressible Scobie was indicated by ripples of laughter, which augured well for his form in the coming debate. Whether for artistic purposes or not a majority of members were wearing their hats, and there is a general appearance of an important debate impending. Mr Rolleston opened the ball by asking the Premier whether he intended to proceed with the Estimates that night, and moved pro forma toreport progress, in order to speak on the much-discussed subject of contention. the setting up of the committee. The Premier objected to this course, which he characterised as unprecedented, and after some debate, in which Sir Robert Stout, Mr Rolleston, and Mr Scobie McKenzie took part, the motion was put and lost. The Land and Survey Departments, Salaries of Heads of Departments.and finally the Police Department engrossed the House until four a.m., when Mr Wason moved to rej>ort progress, which motion was lost by 26 to 23 votes, and the desirability of Mr Tunbridge occupying a position on the Commission of the Police Force was the bone of contention until a few minutes to five. The House only consisted of about twenty members, eleven of whom were apparently hors de combat, being indisputably engaged in slumber. The only occupants of the galleries were the Pressmen. and a lady correspondent in solitary state in the ladies’ gallery. Mr Wason again moved to report progress. amidst cries from the Government lienches of ‘Put through the Estimates.’ In answer to this Mr Smith replied that it was all very well for these members to cry put through the Estimates when they had been absent from the Chamber all the evening, leaving the Opposition to attend to the business of the country. The motion to report progress was finally lost, and 6 a.m. found the complement of members in the House reduced to eighteen, half the number being asleep. The strains of ‘The Sweet By and By,’ by which members were endeavouring to keep themselves awake in the lobbies floated into the Chamber, and at 7.30 a quorum had to be rung up, members having adjourned to the sunshine and fresh air of the lobbies in preference to the now stifling atmosphere of the Chamber. The Hansard reporters were now relieved from further re-

porting upon this class, and at 8 o'clock the House was deserted in earnest, the famished members adjourning for an hour for breakfast, after which the discussion was again resumed. At 1.10 the House adjourned for luncheon until 2.30, when it again met, and the Volunteer Force and Defence Department occupied the rest of the sitting until 3.20. Then the Premier communicated to the House the welcome intelligence that a truce had been arrived at between himself and the leader of the Opposition, who agreed to put the remaining clauses of the Estimate through at the presenf sitting. Captain RusseU having assured the House of the bona tides of the Premier’s statement, the remaining clauses were passed unaltered after a brief discussion, and the members tiled out like released schoolboys to make the most of their short respite until 7.30. During the debate on the Police Estimates one of the most interested listeners to the discussion as to the advisability of his acceptance of a position on the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Police Force was the new Commissioner himself, his commanding figure and soldierly bearing making him a marked man amongst the auditors.