THE NO-CONFIDENCE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1484, 5 July 1912, Page 6

THE NO-CONFIDENCE.

DEBATE.

YESTERDAY'S SPEECHES.

VIEWS OF LABOUR MEMBERS.

GOVERNMENT UNWILLING TO FACE A DIVISION.

The continuance of the no-confidence, debate in. the Houso -of Representatives

iwas looked for yesterday with a good deal of- interest. It was universally "agreed in the lobbies'that tho position r.f tho Government had become—to i..ny,, tho least-* extremely critical, and even Government members did not attempt to deny that their leaders had shirked a division on tho previous night. Hopes wero entertained of interesting developments, but . the debate was carried on in o. series of Bomowhat dreary speeches, most of which haJf-empticd the House.. Tho only Oppositionist who spoke was Mr. liradnoy, who dovoted a quarter of.'an hour-to explaining misrepresentations to which ho had. been subjected. #■■ _ .:-. . " As tho no-couiidcnco debate had been adjourned until 2.30 p.m., it was expected that - 't would bo Tesumed ns.soon rs tho Houso met yesterday afternoon, but instead nearly half an hour was spent in transacting formal business. When the Speaker; at length announced that tlto debate would bo resumed, another, interruption occurred. Mr. It. M'Callnm,' tho member for Wairau, produced a .letter making serious charges against himself .and other persons who figured in the, Wairau election inquiry, and.moved that a'breach.-of,privilege be recorded. A brief discussion took place ns to whether tho matter was of sufficient urgency to justify the interruption of the no-confidence debate. The Speaker oventually ruled that tho question rf privilege should' bo dealt with forthwith. Tho letter which Mr. M'Callum had produced was'read-by^thb-Clerk, and ■Mγ. M'C'allum read sixteen pages of tho Law Reports—the judgment in tho Wairau election case.' Only about twenty members sat out. the reading, and the attendance of ."spectators aUo diminished to a minimum. The leader of tho Opposition seconded Mr. M'OUnm's motion that a breach of privilege had been'committed, and it was carried on the voices. Asnb?equcnt motion by tlie Prime Minister that a Committee of 'Privilege bo set lip was also carried with the support of the Reform Party.. . , • " . Tho no-confidence debate was resumed , nt 4.30-p.iii. . . - The Prime Minister, who had moved tho adjournment of the debate tho pre-

vious night,.gave place to Mr. .T. C. Thomson;" , . Mr. Thomson had little of moment to say. Ho upbraided the Opposition generally on being'non-progressive, ■using all the. frayed reproaches which ' had already boon used freely and ofteii by previous speakers. Mr. J. N. Bradney spoke when the llouso resumed at 7.30 p.m., but his short speech was mainly by way of explaining away misrepresentations' of his views of old age pensions by the Hon. Cr. W.'Russell. It appeared that Mr. Russell's'-authority was a journal published at Dargaville by a former member of the Government party in Parliament, and that Mr. Bradney's statements had been somowhnt distorted. Mr. W. A. Veitch said that ho ..proposed to vote for the Government on this occasiou, but he was pledged .to neither party. Mr. Veitch also referred to the railway policy, but he- did not touch more than the fringe of tho subject. He did say, hWever, that ho was opposed to tho proposal that light lines of railway should belaid. ; Mr. Veitch was followed by Mr. H. Atmore, the member for Nelson, who devoted a considerable portion, of tho timo at his disposal to an exposition of his personal likes and dislikes. Opposition members seemed to find tho recital dull, for most of them got up and went out. Resuming after the supper adjournment, Mr. Atmoro addressed about twenty members, and the attendance did not greatly increase as he continued. Before con-, eluding, the member for Nelson gave, a verbal certificate, of merit to most of the members of the Ministry* Inadvertently, no doubt, he omitted to mention the Hon. T. Buxton and the Hon. To Hangihiroa. ,

' Tho imxt shaker wa« Mr. John Payne, who addressed a thin House ou industrial ■ unrest, pledge-breaking, and other subjects.

Mr. Glover (Auckland Central), at 11.10 p.m., moved the adjournment of tho debate. Mr. Mas.soy protected briefly but forcibly that time was being wasted, and the Prime Minister made- a conciliatory roply, in the course of which ho admitted that tho prospects of, the Reform party wcro "in advance."

Tho House, adjourned at 11.11 p. m , Tho debate will be resumed this afternoon.

Tho Legislative Comicil ,put up a record yesterday by sitting longer than tho House of Representatives. ■ Tho Council departed from its customary practice of riang at 5 p.m., and plunged mto overtima in order to cotnpleto the ■ debate on the Addross-in-Reply. After something approaching a dozen speeches had been made, during tho' course of which almost every subject dealt with , in tho Speech from the Throne was traversed,- tho end was approached and the motion was eventually passed at midnight, when there were only nine jnembers in the Chamber. .