AN AMENDMENT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1377, 1 March 1912, Page 6

AN AMENDMENT.

TO ADJOURN TILL MONDAY. THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE. Mr. MASSEY said he wished to move to add the following words to the Prime Minister's motion for adjournment: "Until Monday next at 10.30 a.m., in order that tho House may be informed of tho changes proposed tn be mado in his Excellency's advisers." Sir Joseph Ward: Can that be moved as an'amendment? 1 suggest that it cannot. The Speaker: The only part I can accept is until Monday next at 10.30 a.m." Mr. Massey:' Very well, sir. Then I will move to odd the words "until Monday next," and in moving this I will say that I do so as an indication that the House should be informed of the changes proposed to bo made in connection with his Excellency's advisers.. Mr. G. W. RUSSELL (Avon) raised a point of order. 'J.'he lion, gentleman had delivered a long speech since the motion was moved.

' The SPEAKEU said no motion had yet been put from the Chair. The Prime. Minister had been interrupted and there had been explanations from both sides. Mr. Massey, continuing, said he thought there should be no objection to the amendment. Personally he was very strongly of opinion that it should be unanimously agreed to and that it would bo approved by the. great majority of the people of the country for the reason ho had mentioned. His proposal would give an opportunity for the new Ministry to be formed and to como down to tho representatives of the people and show them who they were. The Prime Minister had made a suggestion that tho majority'of the people were against the Opposition. The Prime Minister objected as a point of order that Mr. Massey could not discuss now matters that were raised before the adjournment was moved. Mr. Massey: The" right lion, gentleman made a fairly long speech and at the conclusion of it, he moved his motion. I submit that I am justified in referring to any matter expressed by him in that speech. Mr. Speaker: The position is not exactly as stated by tho Leader of the Opposition. Tho Prime Minister (eagerly): Hear, hear. The Speaker (continuing): Nor as stated by the Right Hon. the Prime Minister. (Laughter.) Both of them mado longspeeches. That of the Leader of the Opposition, according to ray notes, was the longer of the two. The Prime Minister: Hear, hear. The Speaker added that both speeches were made by the indulgence of the House and were not a portion of any debate. A member was therefore quite in order in referring to either of them.

The Voice of the People. Mr. Massey said he did not admit for ona moment that the voice of tho people was against tho Opposition. Tho voice of Parliament was against the men who now occupied the. Treasury benches and those who were likely to occupy them in. , tho near future. If "the voice'of Parliament was not going to be against the new Ministry, ivhy were they afraid to show themselves? Why would they not agree to take a reasonable time and come before Parliament before its prorogation? He would be quite willing to give them' morn time than until Monday. If they wanted a'fortnight, let them say so, and then most of the members would have time ti go to their homes. It was wrong for tho Primo Minister to spring this surprise on the House. Probably even the Prime Minister's colleagues were not in his confidence, and apart from them he (Mr. Massey) believed that not a siiigle member of the House had had tho faintest idea that tho Prime Minister meant to move the adjournment as ho had done. Ho had talked of the voice of the peoplo and of the telegrams ho had received, but ho would be surprised if ho could see the number he (Mr. Massey) had received, not only from his own supporters, but somo from people who had been supporters of tho other side. He (Mr. Massey) was not one of those who said tho defeat of the Government at the elections was due to the Prime Minister's inability. He had heard many of the Prime Minister's own supporters say so, and he thought it was an unfair thing to say. He (Mr. Massey) objected to his party being called Conservatives. They were certainly not Liberals of tho typo of the Minister for Public Works who had no right to call himself a Liberal, and neither had his , colleagues. They were not Liberals and the Opposition were not Conservatives or Tories. Those wore objectionablo names which should not bo used by one member of that House towards another. There was no party of Church and State here, as in tho Old Land, no Conservative party in any proper sonso of the term. Mr. Massey had begun to refer to .what had been said of largo landowners, when

Freedom of Speech. The lion. E. M'IvENZIE rose to a point of order. The question of adjournment was before the House and he did nut .know what the large landowners had to do with it. Mr. ALLEN drew attention to a ruling of Speaker O'Rorke that on a motion for adjourning tho House it wii.s open to members to discuss any matter en'octing the affairs of the country. They had enmo now to a very serious position in connection with the n flairs of the country, and he submitted that any limitation of the opportunities of debate on this occasion would l>o an interference, with the freedom of speech which tho Speaker claimed for tho House nml which they were assured lie. would uphold. The Speaker agreed that great latitude must bo allowed un a (iiicstion of adjournment, but lion, members must keep as cluse as possible to the subject of adjournment nml matter related ('hereto. To discuss the question of Tories and Conservatives going beyond tttat.

Mr. Miissev: T did not raise it. The Speaker said Mr. Massey had not transgressed, as hi' had only commented i>ll what the Prime Minister had paid. Tlio T'TU.Mi: MINISTER rose to make a persumil explanation, lint was ruled nut of <ml:>r cm the ground that ho would have another opportunity of speaking in Ihe debate. He, then urged that the Leader of the Opposition was out of order, hut: the Speaker merely repeated his previous ruling ami allowed Mr. Massey to proceed.

What is a Liberal? Mr. M'asjey said a Liberal was one who was exceedingly anxious to guard Hie lights and liberties and privileges of tho people. JVas the Prims Minister cloinx , thai? Tho people, their representatives, wanted to be sure, ili-.it the new Ministry would possess the confidence of those representatives. That was fair argument and he did not think the Prime Minister ironlil be able to pick a (law in it. The 5.8(1 adjournment was then taken. When the House resumed at 7.30 p.m., The HUME MINISTER, moved to suspend Standing Order 82, so as to allow tlis debate which had been interrupted to go on. Mr. Massey agreed (o the suspension. The issue before (he House, he stated, was whether the country was going to bu governed by the representatives of the people or by the people who sat for the time being on the Government benches. Being a democrat, and .■i representative of democrats, he stood for the government of the country by the elected representatives of the people. The PPJME MINISTER, replying proceeded to cite precedents applicable to the subject of the main discussion. Thr Leader of tho Opposition had suggested that something unusual was being done, He would give nine precedents consecutively, and there were others which lie had not had time to look up, though lie knew that they existed. At tho last general election in Queensland Mr. Kidstoii was returned'at the head of the party, After t.lie first meeting of Parliament he resigned, and recommended Mr. iJenhani as his successor. The Speaker ruled that the Premier could not proceed on these lines. His remarks were more proper to the question oi adjournment. The motion to suspend Standing Ordei 82 was agreed to on the voices. The interrupted debate on the question of adjournment was now resumed. The Position Stated. Mr. Massey said that, at tlic risk of being accused of reiteration, he wanted to make the position clear in a very few words. The Prime Minister had moved tho adjournment of the House after making it perfectly clear, in answer to ii question by him. that the adjournment of the House" meant practically the prorogation of Parliament. This, in spite of tho fact Hint within the last few days they had been told repeatedly and emphatically (hat—probably in a few days, and certainly within a week or two—some of the present Ministers would retiro and give placo to others. The Prime Minister himself, who was also Minister for Finance, Postmaster-General, Minjstcr for Lands, and Minister for Defence, was one of those who were to retire. Practicallj it meant a now. Ministry. He and his party said, as representatives of the people, that they should not bo asked to go te their homes, to give up their Parliamentary duties so to speak, until they knew who the new Ministers were, nnd had q chanco of saying whether they approved of them or not. It was not a question oi waiting until to-morrow or Monday, oi for a week, a fortnight, or three weeks He was quite willing to give the new Ministry any reasonable (rime they might a"sk for. It was not a question of precedents, il v.'as a question of commonsense. "It ii a question." said Mr. Massey, "of whethei we are going to do our duty to our con stituenfs or not. For myself, I should bi ashamed to face my constituents if ] could only tell them that I had left Parliament Building without entering nij emphatic protest, both by voice and vote against the very undemocratic proposal o: the hon. gentleman.