DEBATE TAKES AN EXCITING TURN.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1372, 24 February 1912, Page 8

DEBATE TAKES AN EXCITING TURN.

IUR; PLEDGE.

IREMARKABLE ALLEGATIONS.

QUESTIONS OF PRIVILEGE.

Tie. no-confidence debate took a new i ' ."nrn yesterday. The situation did not ;ha"ngo until .soirio littlo time nfter tho resumption of the debate. Before that ! thsi Opposition was still desirous of a division at as; early a moment as possible, ' theV Governmqnt was still working to put it .'.off, and the indirect efforts to cause certain raernijers to break faith with the ; -, tlootors wore still going on. In the early. part of the afternoon the Government tactics of the previous .day to lengthen out the formal business and thus delay the resumptioa of the no-confidenco debate were again in evidence.. Mr. Ell waS' very anxious to know' something about closing roads, but this.was a trifle to tho colossal proposal of Mr. Colvin, who wanti' ed -clerk to read, to the Houso the Teport-of;;thV-Mines, Commission, a very technical production rather longer than, last year's Financial Statement, which took Sir'; Joseph : Ward ■ two .hours and a quarter| ; to 'read." The House,' however, ■was not-'called on to submit to this iniUctioni'iind soon after three o'clock members were- listening -to Mr. Isitt on the ' iip-confiuencd motion. i The now development- came when Mr. '-. XUcksonjj'tpl'd the House that .Mr. Payne' had admitted to him, in tho .presence of . Mr. Masse)% 'that he-had .'been offered . i£soo 0r...£1000 to secure his vote for the ; •■•■ .Government in the no-confidenco division. ! Mr. JJalsey confirmed . Mr/ Dickson's- :. read in the same connec- , tioh a a lettoiv'from .'which all names had VlijOGu omitted. This'gave rise to a questions;of, privilege,' and-after, a discussion which"lasted .till midnight-a-committee, consistng of Messrs.-'Allen, Fraser, ;Hanan, Nosworthy, Leo, Russell, i Robertson, G. -M.-' Thomson,' Veiteh, and I Millar ijras appointed to investigate the ' allegations concerning Mr. Payne and the i guestion'of'privilege. There was no dif- . ference of opinion as to the desirableness 1 of such-an inquiry. '. The House.got back to. the no-confidence .'.' motion at.0.40 a.mi, and.tho adjournment Iras immediately moved. Mr. Hindmarsh rose in protest, and urged that■'; the ■ division, shojild .be;. l take.n'at.„once;'' The- delate,heXsaid,had,become:insincere, and . was caUSing'vwasfc"''of public money, beBides affording-time for a certain sort ot '■ manoeuvres-'itr tho Wanganui and Otaki ; —cwlstituoncies. In thus acting according ' to Jthe tone of his speech of the night before, instead, of according to his declared indentions as to his Tote, the, member for Wellington South rather dis- ' comfited the Prime Minister, who fell ;' back on the assertion that he knew of '■ bW more members who wanted to speak. Mr» Hindmarsh did not formally oppose ■ the* adjournment, and the week's proceedings, ended, at a quarter-past - one this i morning;' >. < ; . '•