FROM THE LADIES' GALLERY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 832, 30 July 1910, Page 11

FROM THE LADIES' GALLERY.

"JENNY WEEN" IN PARLIAMENT. Tho evergreen, but vexed question of land and land tenure has been the en- ' grossing subject in the Houso this week, oven though it lias not been productive of the fiery cloqueneo of Jast 'year. Indeed, it has been at times exceedingly dull, wearisome, and prosy. On Tuesday evening an amendment to 'the motion that tho House should go into Committee of Supply was brought ;down by Mr. Massey—an amendment that dealt with additional facilities for settlers to acquire Crown land. Tins -'amendment, which Sir Joseph at once treated as a "want-of-confidence mo-, tion," brought the land question into ■ prominence.. Like Brer Fox, those occupying tho seats of "the seats of the 'mighty" laid low and gave very slight indication of the policy which they intend to carry out concerning land matters. Tho debate upon the Financial Statement is somewhat like tho 'one upon tho Addross-in-Reply—it opens up an extensivo field for discussion of which members freely avail themselves, and usually lasts for a considerable ■ time: Whether the gain which may come from it is commensurate with the :time it occupies is a question that rather interests people just now, but, as Mr. Eraser remarked, "freedom of debate and interrogation (he was careful to emphasise tho difference between interrogation and interruption) are necessary to ensure good administration."

An Educational Duel. ; On Tuesday afternoon when Parliament met technical and primary 'school education played an important part in the afternoon's proceedings, bringing Mr. Fowlds to his feet to reply to -the criticisms that were passed upon tho new policy in connection with tho building of technical schools. Mr. Sidoy, who has proved to be the match that haß lighted more than one conflagration in the House, metaphorically speaking, and whom one certainly, would hardly pick out as the creator of such excitements, was the originator of the discussion when he asked for leave to introduce the Education Amendment Bill. This gave Mr. T. E. Taylor an opportunity to hold forth upon the benefits of technical training for children, which he thought was the most valuable part of their whole equipment, even to tho lessening of their primary training, and he did not think the Dominion would tolerate much longer tho granting of £620,000 for primary education and £48,000 only for technical education. One cannot help saying that country people would fare rather badly at the hands of Mr. Taylor had ho tho power to arrange matters, as, according to him, the country .was having its wants attended to without stint of money, while the cities, in comparison, made no demands upon the Treasury. Even the usually peaceful and conciliatory Mr. Fowlds was annoyed, and protested against Mr. Taylor introducing discussions every time that education matters were touched upon. Ho believed that technical education could not proceed without a sound primary system, and even if there were no money to spend on technical education tho primary system must be. preserved. Judging from the "Hear, hears!" that wore to be heard at this point, it was evident that a considerable number of members cordially agreed with Mr. Fowlds in his utterances. Froehold v. Leasehold. In the evening the -Financial Debate was opened by Mr. Massey, who, to his sorrow, found "ono little hour" not nearly long enough to enable him to touch upon all the matters ho would have liked. Time never flics so quickly by as when there is a groat amount to be packed into a stated interval, and sometimes the trouble is as to which subiect shall receive the greatest atten-

Won. However, the Leader of the Opposition at once settled upon the laud question by introducing his amendment. It is hardly likely that the fighting which took place last session between the leaseholders and freeholders will occur to the same extent this time. When ono hears the most confirmed leaseholders of that period saying "that.the kind of tenure does not matter so long as the land is occupied and opened up," ono cannot help being struck with the way in which' their fiery zeal has modified. We have travelled far from the days spoken of by Mr. G. W. Russell when he. tells of an old Whig lady whom ho knew who absolutely refused to enter a cab unless the cabman- gave her his solemn personal assurance that he never had cases of fever in his cab, that lie was not a Puseyitc, and that above all things ho was a Whig. Nowadays policy and party arc largely governed by compromise, as the use of the terms of Liberals and True Liberals indicate. Found only in ths Houso. Parliamentary behaviour is a decidedly curious thing, and it is somewhat interesting to hear the various remarks that are passed about it by onlookers. On Tuesday night it certainly deserved what was then said of it byono ladv—"They behaved in a manner that would not be tolerated elsewhere." Above all the talking, interruptions, and interjections that at times beset Mr. Massey could bo heard Mr. Ell's voice in futile, but most irritating, bursts, till the Speaker finally reduced him ta silence. Mr. Massey is not quite like a very urbane member of the Australian Federal Assembly, who, in response to an interruption, said with absolutely the perfection of patient courtesy, "I beg the honourable gentleman not to divert me towards that point. It will mean the prolonging of my speech for half an hour." In that ho does allow himself to be.diverted at times. As a result of the Speaker's intervention, if a member ventures now to make a remark while another is speaking, a perfect chorus of voices storms down upon him, exclaiming, "Interjections not allowed," while they all look perfecty delighted with themselves and the offending member. Other Critics. Mr. Fraser appeared to bo thoroughly enjoying himself when dealing with the facts and figures which he brought forward in criticising the proposal brought down by the. Government for the purpose of extinguishing the public debt. It was not that ho disapproved of an effort to reduce this rapidly growing mountainous burden of debt, but ho considered this one lacking in some of what appeared to him to bo very necessary . safeguards. Mr. Fraser had no moment to sparo for tho interruptions with which some of the members in the beginning of his speech assailed him, and utterly refused to be drawn off the trail of finance. His facts were all ready for use,-and, like a mathematical problem, he.went on stoadily working out his points and driving them with careful precision' into their destined niche in tho scheme of things. No sharper contrast could have been brought out than in the member that followed him, Mr. Stalhvorthy. For eternity, it seemed, he rambled on in an appalling fashion, losing himself in a dreary nebulous jumble of words, out of which one caught hazy inconsequent scraps of . "farce," in regard to the. "want-of-confidence motion," the. relation of a dream in which he pictured what had.happened at the Opposition caucus, and other strange things. In all that outpouring one looked in vain for ono grain of wheat by which tho country could profit—a useless search!

. On Thursday evening the amendment was put to the test and was rejected by a very narrow margin. Not for fifteen years has the Government saved itself on a motion' of this kind by so small a majority.