WASTING TIME.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1900, 24 July 1888, Page 3

WASTING TIME.

■♦■ I Notwithstanding the small amount of actual work which has been accomplished during the ten weeks that Parliament has been m session and notwithstanding the immense amount which still appears upon the Order Paper, and of which a great deal can by no possibility be shirked, the Premier was clearly guilty of wasting a day on Friday last. There was certainly no necessity whatever for asking the House to discuss the question as to whether the Speaker or Government should have the control of the officers of the House, that matter having been decided twenty years ago. The Premier was moreover guilty of an egregious blunder m supposing that tho House would, at his bidding, disturbe the existing arrangements. Why ho made the attempt does hot appear on the surface, but it is impossible to avoid the surmise that Government would like to have the patronage which would vest m them were the appointment of the officers of the House m their hands instead of those of Mr Speaker. But the appointment and control of officers of Parliament must be retained m the hands of Parliament itself, through its Speaker, or the result must be the subversion of those officers to the necessity of pleasing Ministers a position which would be totally subversive of the independence of the Speaker. Therefore, like his predecessor Sir D. Munro, he strenuously resisted the Ministerial proposal and supported his case by reference to the precedent of the Imperial Parliament and was supported by a large majority of the hon members, the result being that the Premier's motion was kicked out by a substantial majority ot 14. This was an ugly. slap m the face for the Government who evidently felt it very keenly, but they deserve no sympathy under the circumstances, because their action was not only unwarranted but entirely uncalled for ; while even had it been otherwise, they had no business to be so indiscreet as to attempt to carry their proposal without at least making sure that they had a fair chance of success. As it is they have scored a defeat and stand convicted of inexcusable waste of time when time is exceedingly precious.