SNAPSHOTS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19165, 23 November 1927, Page 13

SNAPSHOTS.

[By Scrtjtatob.j t fierce ligW that beats upon a O**^if Parliament is more or \» *** it came to many people * L of a shock when Mr O** ££ MinUter, but a, a pn»**2 Jt seemed to be «.tu- *» **Zl Which remind, mo o. statcsii.au who wu, ,a«» ine " tr need witli iur something Ldid or P ro^Xnt''! said his menu. claimed tho f« t£s ??% with Mr Coatcs, and .1 * ot3, t him with the illustrious ex(omitting the expletive C lv tor the moral support it ' ffoar lloni:» recent report ot the lire* * r , iiii.nico meowing it would W Z ftt Coa e" had pledged him- < tb brint in a Licensing Uill and House to deal with as I 8?' ht fit untrammelled by Party >'% g o kept his bv tie \ Hill But the contents.- J here '**„ , e<lue to the Alliance about So o put in what clause, be Tm proper or haply was pledged here That, I think, explains •■fiS'ncd. Ministerialists and TI NEU voted/ some wtth h.m against him. It was like a d T<2 Fair. Fancy the Prune and the Leader of the Oppoa. eCk bv jowl in one division f!E 2da couple of Ministers in.the I,bJ i The House out the Bill about jfir Coates couldn't recognise his t bantling, and in .disgust %A * report progre.s-w.th the *2L or apparent purpose ot ■Sue it out of hand. Tins was fll and wider pressure he tfto add the words "with gTto Bit again.". That addition S the wretched thine alive, though Unnatural parent clearly showed J, t Te disowned it. And not with- . Mine for clauses were in it that X strenuously fought against, and 2 fouebt for were ruthlessly flterel What the present plight If the Bill is I'can't pretend to say, «i being a Parliamentary authority, WI suppose Mr Coates may bring it Sagain or drop it as ho thinks pper. If I were him I d ' ; . Whether it was the hour---! a.m.— i .jie excitement, or the subtly stimu- * M and distracting influence of the s Pa Liquor Bill—i don't know, but I Aen members tried to speak to the I»tioD.to report progress there was Imfaiion worse confounded. Under 'fte Standing Orders a member can «lj speak to such a motion sitting |fa and with head covered. Why so [ mterious a Standing Order 1 can t ;. tS-but there it is. Mr Coates ior--1 nt all about it, and was speaking on ,' lijlegs and with excitement, but without < his bat. A colleague (no less) jumped ■ up and called attention to the state In das in. Whilst in the act of thus correcting lus leader, this very colJeague, it was promptly pointed out, Ms in precisely the same state —ho ni standing up with head uncovered., \ He culprit put himself in order by I thting qoftn, grasping a Departmental : nport aid:settling it on his head. In ' this continued his correction. NfbgMr -raiy hat?" shouted Air Outsitting; down and wildly look--1 isground. Mo hat being available, he firmed his head in a newspaper and, thus attired, continued his. speech. With a touch of cynical, but not iMy inappropriate humour, the Press I %«terwho\describes the incident I jjs newspaper "was sot at fl MWffhifcrakish angle.'' . A fitting ibect&de thuT"for a Prime Minister! oiil 1 not well in likening the prcMap to a Donnybrook Fair ? How Itt pWjM are .responsible for the fflaltreataent of tho Bill is hard to *jy. Hat many members sacrificed «*V conrictions to their pledges is Bore {lnn probable. Pledges are. a ' aiusancfl or and ought to be thMtil -So' says the Editor of this jonrnsl and so say all of us. The diffitimy is to know how to do it, and *r«j the Editor has no practical suggestion to offer. As for poor Mr TapKJi.who frankly confessed himself a mini to his pledges, he lias my projOUJidtet sympathy. I feelr satisfied m if fpr my sins I should ever be Widemned to contest a Parliamentary ttetion, I should be in the same Pught as he. I simply couldn't refuse wgivo a'pledge if it offered the pro-*»-or even the prospect—of a vote. 'jMembers laughed consumedly as Mr * a piey made his confession. I wasn't fWDt, but methinks their mirth was "° u ow, and meant—what? That they ™ would vote according to their P«8«s (which are all tabulated for ieMr «) ) but their convictions ; ?

~The Presbyterian Assembly now sit•™g m solemn conclave is to be confstulated <» its action with respect ™ Fants from the Macarthy Trust. "•. matter was discussed at a private ••wwm, so no report of the argu■mtrpro and con is published. All XL ?• is that aft er a somewhat ■W discussion the whole matter was .£H*ed. If this finally disposes of it, ■* presumably it does, the Assembly ■SJfT'? makin 8 ifeel * the laugh2fri °? the Dominion. Hence my "»P»tulations. The matter eamo up 'SS2'- Bome little time ago, a local SlT+u y r mostl y »««»' guids-re-substantial grant to an ■£JW»nt Presbyterian College ought f d , becauso the funds came ■yJP* jrom hotels and breweries be•HWto the Trust. I don't suppose ~ MOtchmen are Presbyterians, but W£ »L im P ression is that all or gV all Presbyterians are Scotchin* Ji.i- 0W 7? ur Scotchman, though for humour—indeed '"*> W« d to admit that he jokes :« aeficnUy''-i 3 nothing if not Vfct'k- i tbau that - he is P rone m I ,„*S lo , glc carr J' him consistently to its b »tter conclusion absurd this conclusion •«ii L • °PP°nents of the grant Jortn»!? , l spu ; uolls example of this. they nre a minority of the W. ™U th e majority temper their Mm! "HNnc-n sense. Hence the tisi 0 n ♦«*? T and thc ultimate cleln sn a- tbe whole matter drop. they saved the Assembly ridicule and lu ' e t0 be 'thefn^TJ 1 , accordingly. For bad <«tW that tbc S ,-ailt should be 1 °- tt ~ e g rouu 'ls stated, what «!«« of°fk y follow? Implied centers Tu », con ™ittee that adminis■S«k» «? Macfl rthy Trust Fund and "OmitW fV is - Who constitute the it ; , , dou 't preeiselv remember, % Q,i ß f ? des the Governor-General, ** Wj- stlce ' and otller gentlehigh and responsible %et(ft; lh . eu a ßain it would be disstent ailt: illo g ical t° 1C " ttpt f P I-^ ailt to this college and ac*»ere tIL students and boarders Wl, nr u Parents avo connected witlr t{ the «, cf eries and pav them out Htt sft, And loßic" carries us fed bv li • ihe Consolidated Fund is ?*»* tiT taxcs aild othe >" moneys fere hi';„?•, Parliament must there*TO?«J " dcd in the censure. We 4t ««oiS, °v and analvse the church "tks-aSIT ' forbc! "-- Tlio trail } *Ui out I s orei " them all. There's kerj of t fc tm ta g that mauv mem- ***&*£? Sec^ et fiPfrtio " m av liave JXlnerXliu Poc «nia non ' nlet— S'«aiS n - a smel, ~ and this doubt*'K • Uence> !*>• S?feiHi noe the above wa * J'«*T]B**J«htor draws ray attention IC ? l ?, ent in bi s Tuesday's 'SNn^i^I 1 A , sse rab-ly by a large A'Affr"* 3 at for SffiS i rom the Macarthv Fund