STONEWALLING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1906, 31 July 1888, Page 3

STONEWALLING.

The present session of Parliament is apparently destined to be hereafter remembered as the "Stonewall session." IS ever since 1881, when the famous struggle of the. Nelson and West Coast members over the Representation Bill took place, has there been anything at all like what has been witnessed this session m connection with Mr Macarthur's Hospital JBiil and Mr Pyke's Otago Central Railway Bill. The first of tho two measures was stonewalled from half-past 7 p m. until half-past 4 a.m., when so called progress was reported upon a promise that Government would take the question into consideration and make an announcement of their l intentions, and the second, Mr Pyke's Bill, was stonewalled for 24 hours, viz., from 7.30 on Thursday evening until the same hour on Friday evening, shortly after which an adjournment was agreed to for the like purpose, viz,, to allow of a ministerial statement being made. That statement was to have "been given this afternoon, and if of a satisfactory nature will have ended the difficulty ; but otherwise stonewalling will probably bo resumed, and will be continued till one side or the other is wearied out. But determined as has been the obstruction m both instances, what has been seen during the past fortnight is not a circumstance to what is anticipated m connection with the Crown and Native Land Bill. Under the .Act the counties have been receiving some £18,000 or £14,000 per annum, very much more than their just share, but the "Westland members are none the more likely for that reason to submit quietly to so large a portion of the counties' revenue being withdrawn, and indeed we are informed, upon the best authority; that a deter mined resistance has already been resolved upon ; m a word, that there is to be a stonewall of a pronounced type, which it is said will be kept up for a week if necessary. No doubt Government, supported by a majority, will m the end prevail, but the frequency with which these tactics of stonewalling are now coming to be resorted to, threaten seriously to interfere with the conduct of business, and tend to lower Parliament m the estimation of the public. It is high time that a remedy were devised for such a state of things, and it will not be long before there is a very outIpoken expression of public opinion upon tuat point.