A PROTEST.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1480, 1 July 1912, Page 6

A PROTEST.

AND A THREAT TO, STRIKE. HAS THE POSITION BEEN "HAWKED BOUND"? Tli? Legislative Council met nt 10 a.m. 'ton Saturday. The;-Imprest Supply ISill passed the preliminary stages, ami on the third reading , The- Hon. J. M. JEXKIXSON said he rose, to make some reference to the np•poinjtment of Leader r.f the Council. Slembers of the Council knew the pesi■'tion of political parties, and knew also the, strenuous efforts that had been made .'to got public men to take pactions. The position of Lender of the Council had been, ho would not say "hawked" round, •but it had certainly been offered to more 'than one member of the Council, and one . member at least had refused it. lie and 'others felt a certain amount of pride that this member had refund it, knowing •the. conditions under which it had been offered. lie believed that the conditions ■were the .same as those under which it •was now held. Jlo thought ]; was time ithe Council put its foot down to protest •~ 'against the indignities being thurst upon . 'it by the Cloveriunent of the day. Ho 'Jong as the Council remained a branch of the Legislature It. must demand some better treatment. He hardly thought .that Mr.-Samuel should have taken the position of Lender; probably he had taken ■ it! mostly out'of his well known good {nature and de-ire to please, tie was not ,jn favour of the proposal that the Council should refuse to-pass the Imprest Bill, •but after the passing of the Kill ho would v ßUggest that tlio Council should adjourn ■until (ho Government should place in the Council a -Minister with tho. portfolio of •AttoTney-tictiernl to lead the Council. '.Intolerable.. .-'lt would.be t(tiite impolitic for the .Acting-Leader to .lend the Council effoi--"jtivoly. Jle could not possibly be expected to master all the liiils coming forward, "n-or would he ever introduce any (Bills on/behalf of tho Government. Even tho late Leader, who had been a member of tlje Cabinet, had found it inipos;fliblo to master nil the measures combing from the .House. It was intolerable that (lie Government should place the Council in the position of having to let •Hills through without properly under- • 'standing them, and-he urged again that tho Council ought to refuse to do any more work until things were rectified, tie - was glad that tho Hon. J. R. Sinclahya, member. of the Council, had been anpointed to tho Imperial Trade. Co'm'mistion. But even Mr. Sinclair's best friend would scarcely dare.' tu say that .Mr. . Sinclair ,was. tho man for 'tho position. The reason gjvon for the-appointment of. /Mr. Sinclair—that there was .no time , to. send a'man Home—was only .a subter- > Inge. This affair .was on a par"with other 'things thnt : had happened of late in regard to public positions vacant. In nnv case it'was time the Council protostril against.l he-kicks that it was asked to put up with. 'Leader's; Ideas of Duty. ■ Tho Hon. 0. SAMUKt, s;,id that while 1 Mr. Jenkinsou had cortninlv a good right •to. speak as-hi! had spoken, hi- remarks i were-hardly-in good taste. Tie could reply most effectively to even-thing were the present, the proper time, lint it would be improper, for him to take up the time of the Council-in doing so now. ft was yvery wrong cf tho lion, to say thar. the position of Leader of tho Council had been "hawked" round. Even if it vrero true,, it should-not have been -,stated publicly,in .the. Council. It was ..probably common knowledge (hat two members.of tho Council were asked to Join tho Government, 'ami that they recused. Ho felt himself in a' somewhat delicate position, being under the obligation loyally to defend those under the responsibility of guiding the affairs of the' l country. Was it. proper that tho Council should sacrifice all the interests of the country to its dignity? He urged rather than it was the duty of the Council to give all its attention to matters submitted to it. He agreed, however, that it was necessary for the proper conduct of tho. Council's business that there should be a.Minister with portfolio in the Council, as leader, and he thought, too, that it was necessary .tlfat there should be a second Minister to help him. Even . .with a Minister, tho custom of pitchforking Bills through nt the end of the session, made it impossible for the Council . to do what it should do in giving proper •consideration to .measures before it.

: The Hon. THOMAS KELLY said the •present was not a proper time to make ■protest, but it would,- perhaps, be well Vif tho Council did not go cm with ordinary business after' the Imprest Bill .'■was through... ' The Hoii. I{. A. LOUC.HNAX main- , lained that the Hon. J. I!. Sinclair wn.s .j. suitalilo man to hold e. position cm the ilmperinl Trade Commission.' The Bill was read a third time urn! passed. ;Timc to Make up its Mind. , ! Tho Hon: J. E. JENKINSOX said that seeing that, the Leader of. the Council had'refused, lo adopt his simLjestion'to move tho adjournment of the.HoiHe until the Government had made up its mind nbont what to do, he would ask leave to move without previous notice (hat. the Council adjourn until next Friday. He. thought that dale would be lute enough to allow th« Government sufficient time. Tho Hon. ■(>. SAMUEL raid he could hot possibly acquiesce in that. Tho SIMv.AKEB refused to accept an amendment' from Mr. Jenkinson to the. motion; for adjournment. Mr. JKNKTXSON then gave nolice that lie would move on next sitting clay that tho Council adjourn for the reasons he had indicated. The Council ndiourned at 10.10 a.m. until Tuesday, at 2.30 p.m.