JOKE OR DICTATOR?

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1524, 21 August 1912, Page 6

JOKE OR DICTATOR?

MR. ISITT AS MENTOR. ANOTHER ATTACK ON "TEE DOMINION." Mr. L, M. Isitt (Christchurch North) said he wished to say a word or two about "that hired perverter of the truth, tho editor of Tub Dominion." The last twio issues of that paper had contained the statement that no was to move a vote of want of confidence in the Government. A Government member: Ruiiiourod. Jlr. Isitt said the paper stated that it was rumoured on good authority. In the (lay's issue it was contradicted in ono place, hut a leaderette appeared based on the supposition that he was going to move it. He could understand that newspaper men could ' report rumours, but he could not understand that newspaper men should invent rumours and then report them. It had all been done to make him look ridiculous, to make out that ho was a joke. An lion, member: So you are. . Mr. Isitt said that the paper had also on another occasion said that ho was a dictator, and he could lie a joke and a dictator at the same time. If lightning had any affinity for a. perverter of the truth, the man who was editor of The Dominion - would havo to wear a lightnin? conductor on his hat by day and on his bedpost at night, lie was not concerned with theeditor, but with certain members | of the Houso that were associated with , the paper. And he named the Attorney- j General, tho member for Wairarapa, and the Postmaster-General. The I'riino Minister, in whoso interest the paper .was ' established, was likewiso concerned and to ; blame for "journalism that was a. disgTaco ' to the party, and to the country in -which it exists." Jlr. Nosworthy: Why don't you give tho ; "Spectator" a turn? (Laughter.) i Mr. Isitt made much of the boast oi the Government that they .were a cleanhanded Ministry. Of course their hands : were clean—their hands l)ad been in their pocket's' for 21 yeais. The Hon. R. 11. Rhodes': You had yours in other people's pockets for '21 years. Mr. Isitt declared that the Government party was begotten by slander, shapen in intrigue, and borii in dishonour. Mr. Speaker: The honourable member's language is going far beyond the bounds. "Dishonour" is not a proper term to apply to any set of men. The Prime Minister: I should prefer that he should bo allowed to go on. Mr. Isitt said ho' would be guided by the Speaker as to his phraseology. Hon. I?. H. Rhodes: l.'it for tho gutter. Jlr. Isitt next defended the Mackenzie Government, which had been accused ol not holding office by tho vote of the people. lie declared that it did hold otfico by a narrow majority of the vote of ilie people. Jlr. Nosworthy: The vote of a caucus. Jfr. Isitt said that tho present Ministry claimed that it had behind it tho votes of tho people of the country. Endeavouring to prove this tho member lor Waitomata had quoted only the votes ca.st for members of this House, and" not the total votes polled. Why had not the member for Waitomata . been honest enough to tell his audience what ho was quoting? Mr. Harris said that ho had done so. Mr. Isitt accepted the explanation, and apologised for what ho had said. But, ho stated, ho would ask the Minister for Justice to explain why The Dominion— that straight and honest paper—suppressed the fact that the member for Waitemata. only referred to 'Votes cast for nlen in the House. This was another ease of journalism that he said was utterly beneath the dignity of tho Government and of the country. The fact was that at tho late election 199,000 votes were cast for Liberals and 182,000 for tho Reform Party, giving the Liberals a majority of 16,570. Taking' Independent and Labour votes into account, the opponents of the present Government had polled a majority of 55,620 votes.' Yet members of the newly-formed party would persuade the people of this country that they were in office not as a result of fortuitous circumstances, but bccauso they had polled a majority vote of the people of this Dominion. The pretenco was too shallow. Ho had made a statement that tho Speaker had told him he should not have made, and ho wanted to put it in Parliamentary language. He said that it was only through the wrong action of certain members of the Liberal party that the Jlassey Government liad como into existence. Ho thought that no ono would dispute that. - The Government could not contend that tho Liberals who voted with him in the no-confulence division were returned to do it. They tfere returned to support tho Liberal party, and it was only becauso they had been traitors to their pledge that the Massey Government* had got into power. In spito of the late Opposition, the LiberM party had done a great deal. The present Government, when in Opposition, had shrieked, "Confiscation" and "Socialism," and now it wanted to know why more had not been done. On tho reasoning of the present Government the Temperance party would bo responsible for (lie three-fifths handicap. The real fact was that the Liberal I party had accomplished no more because of the Opposition with which it had met. Mr. Isitt went on to allege that the Budget had been stolen, but that it was in some respects very much open to criticism. ' He declined to believe that the Government would bj-ing down progressive legislation. When Mr. Isitt rose to continue luis speech after the supper adjournment, Jlr. :EU drew the Speaker's attention to the state of the House. The Speaker stated that there was just a quorum present. . Jlr. Isitt said that The Dominion and the Christchurch "Press" supported all that the English Conservatives did. papers he had named were the mouthpieces of the present Government, and indicated tire spirit of it's members. >At present the Government was ashamed of the large landowners, and the large landowners were ashamed of the Government, but it was indisputable that the Government represented tlia large landowners. He had perused a return of largo landowners obtained by Jlr. Witty, and nearly ovory man named in the list was an indent supporter of 'the present Government. A Government member: What about Rutherford ? Jlr, Isitt: Rutherford will' probably run in your interest at tha next election. Another Government member: What about Avon.?, Jtr. Isitt said that thero were exceptions that proved the rule. The Budget furnished a proof that the Government would do nothing to injure the landowners who wel'3 supporting Uiom. It wn-i a collection of contradictory premises. One of the planks in tho Government platform was economy, and another land settlement. Hut land settlement must mean borrowing, and mere borrowing. How could tho two promises both ( I:b° fulfilled? Tho Prime Minister had side-stepped his prormt-e to increase the graduated land tax. and had offered t.he House his wretched homeopathic p'llulo, tt-Uir.h' ivould not have the' effect of hreikice ud'a luisle km' estate,

HIGH COMMISSIONERSHIP, I

MEMBER WHO DID NOT APPROVE. Mr. ]). BUICK (Paliuerston) said lie had listened with ureal interest to the "animated harangue" of tlio member for Christchurch North, and !io was sure, it would have a great effect upon tho future conduct of the House. Tho Budget,' he thought', wns an exceedingly food one, out of range of hostile criticism. The Opposition parly could not find fault with it, hut he was in rather a happier position— ho could approvo it coidiall.v. Ha believed that the reform of tho Legislative Councjl, as proposed by the present Ministry, was a thoroughly good one. It was objected that it would be difficult for a man to canvass such a. wide electorate as a whole island, hut it would not bo well for young men, who had not made their mark in public life, to be elected to tho Upper House. Ho discussed the Budget in detail, but ho spoke mostly to empty benches, 110 agreed with the Government proposal to send Homo for a General Manager for our railway system. No doubt there were clever men in New Zealand, with ability enough to manage tho system, but they had not shown their quality yet, whereas there were many men in England who Tind had the necessary experience. The management of tho railways up to tho present had not been successful, and a change was justified. 110 believed tho Government should build light feeder lines to tho main trunk lines, and where the Government could not build them, they should put no obstacle in the way of private individuals or companies who wero anxious to build them. Ho did not think tho Government were going far entiugh in thoir amendments to tho Arbitration Act to deal with labour unrest. Tho Act had been a failure from the outset—worse than' a failure—for it had created a permanent state of acrimony between capital and labour. The problem would need to be prosped with a firm hand. He was sorry no could not compliment the Government on their appointment of the High Commissioner. _ It was certainly not the reward of faithful service. Mr. Mackenzie had been unfaithful to the paity he joined on entering Parliament, tho Opposition led by Sir William liussell. Ho wobbled on the fence for a while, and then went into the present so-called Liberal camp. He got into a high position very soon, ami then, when lie thought it was time to jettison tho captain, he threw him overboard and worked for a fewmonths as Premier of the new Liberal party. Now ho had left_ them 011 tho strand. About the only thing he had ever been faithful to was the Hon. Thomas Mackenzie himself. He (Mr. Buick) hoped that those who thought the appointment would turn out a good one would not bo disappointed. The debate was adjourned on ;V> motion of Mr. A. E. Glover (Auckland Central) and tho House ro£o at 11.20 p.m.