NOISY POLITICIANS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1743, 7 May 1913, Page 4

NOISY POLITICIANS.

HCBNIiH JN TUB COMMONS, AN AUSTIIALIAM'S IMI'HESSIONS. I linppi'itwl lo |,(. ihilintf a .'.Who in llio ol' <'fiiniiiotm lliH wi-w (v,riles llm f ..poiifif/iI. of Ut'i "Sydney Mornin;: Herald," under ilulo <il'' March aij. Anil I<ll.v, ho add-,, it lin:-; sH, itM" I'.-in:lli'l'inK whether, except lor u few external mill f.uperlicial ditrer- ; lit'i'-'. Ilji'ii; i« iinvl bin;: l.» choose between llio lloiKi' of ('njiMM'Mi't .'dill (It* 1 l/eftislntivo A.'waiMy ol New South A\a!es. 'llm liintfiuiKn ii'icil tit Westminster i:t not finite fi ii (i vi». J, I,'ill. it. is ju.-.1. In (ilTcnHlvt>; mill |l'" cliicf difference that struck our wai (lial, whereas in .New Soul Ii Wales wuiie ol the used won Id lime ii rcf.si (,1 f >■<! au mmiediat'i rush Id the door mid a punching of heads outside, hero ill Westminster they have lo sit hlill mill heal' it. I'lio way In which members treated (ho deputy-chairman was enough lo make 11 Sydney limn feci homo-sick. The Government was all hnt turned out of office by an unexpected division lieing called for on thy Consolidated J.''iinil liill, which, as it provides'tho necessary_ finances for llio country, is almost invariably allowed to go through as a matter of course. Some Hndicals, however, had been struck by tlio fact that the Conservative benches wero suspiciously full, and the moment the Opposition challenged a division Mr. Handel Booth jumped to his feci, in order to talk against lime and give the Government Whips limo to collect scattered Liborals from the National Liberal Club or wherever tlicy niiuht bo found. It was u f|uestion whether Mr. Booth really jumped lip in time, or whether the chairman had not already "collected the voices" by toying "Tho ayes have, it." lie nt first ruled that ho had collected the voice?, in which case Mr. Booth would have been too late, tlio division must have taken place, and the Government would have almost certainly been defeated. Mr. BOOUI, however, protested that ho was 011 his fcet— which was prolwbly tho case—and th« Chairman, after referring to the Clerk of the House at his side, said that "his advisers at his side" stated that Mr. Booth had risen l>eforo tlio voiccs wero collected. Mr. Booth was allowed to so 011. By some really wonderful ingenuity for half an hour he managed to talk about the only subject available to him—the date of March ISI mentioned in that clause of the Bill. Then a junior Whip camo in. and passed down tho front of the Ministerial bench, with-a smilo on his face, and Mr. Handel Booth was shortlv ruled out of ordcJ? One Minister, however, Mr. Masterman, could not refrain from jumping up and pointing out, his voice trembling with auger, that the effect of the Opposition vote yvould have been to 'lcavo tuo Navy and Army without their pay, "an action too discreditable even lor a discredited Opposition." Those words stung tho Opposition to some purpose. They were not going to stand that sort of thing iroin Mastermun, ns they put it. Discredited, indeed! How about"tno Marconi "scandais"? "Mar eoni!" Marconi!" they siiouted. A lew bawled "Sticky-fingers!"—an unpleasant un-English gibe borrowed irom tho French ■Parliament. Tho uproar was only interrupted in order to put points of order to tho Chairman. As the Chairman rosu there wero shouts of "Ask the clerk! A North of Ireland member, who had been ordered lo leave tho House, shouted from his corner: "Mr. Whitley, I suggest that you consult the clerk upon that point."

. "Marconi! Marconi!" Sir Eiifus Isaacs, tho Attoruey-Gencral. in tho Libeifil Government, whom most persons beliove to bo tho future Lord Chief Justice'of England if tho health of tlifi present Lord Oliief Justice should continue to fail, has been giving evidence during tho week as to the transaction in American Marconi shares nut of which the falsa rumours 61; bis dealings appear to have arisen. Mr. Maxso, the editor of tho "National Review." possesses u curious temperament'. Ho has not yet come forward and admitted that thoso American transactions were the origin of rumours, if indeed tlicy were. And tlas drew from Mr. Isaacs a demand that ho should come forward and say who his informant was, "If there had been tho faintest truth iu any one of these stories which were circulated,' ' the AttorneyGeneral said warmly, "I was destroyed, and rightly destroyed, for all time. Sir Jfufus Isaacs said that, when tho statements appeared in tlie various newspapers, lie took advicc as (o whether to institute an action for libel in each case. Tho were generally vaguely worded but he, himself, had thougnt an action could well be brought,against the "Eyo Witness." However, it was lus invariable habit to tako the legal advico of others where his own a flairs weie concerned, as, in those matters, ho no\er felt too confident of his own judgment. In tho first place, he wrote to the I rime Minister, enclosing an article from the '"Eve Witness," and informing, thn Prune Minister fully of his transactions, in American Marconi shares. Ihe lrime Minister's answer, which was called for by the committee, was read by Sir Rufus Isaacs. It ran as follows:— "My dear Rufus,—l return the enclosed (the article). I have read carefully this scurrilous rubbish, and I am clear!} of opinion that you should take no notice of it. Samuel (the Postmaster-General) dives somo excellent reasons in his letter. I suspect tho 'Eye Witness has a very meagre circulation. I notice only one naEO of advertisements, and that occupied by books of Belloc's publishers. Prosecution would procure it notoriety, which might Yield subscribers. We have broken weather, and but for .Winston there would bo nothing in the newspapers. (Loud laughter.)— Yours always, it. H. ASq,''That," explained Sir Rufus Isaacs, as tho laughter subsided, "that was a reference to a controversy which was going on in the newspapers between Mr. \\ inston Churchill and Mr. Bonar Law.