MR. WILLIS'S EXIT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1810, 24 July 1913, Page 7

MR. WILLIS'S EXIT.

DEBATE IN NEW SOUTH WALES ASSEMBLY.

EX-SPEAKER SEVERELY CRITICISED. By Telegraph—Pross Association—Copyright Sydney, July 23. In the Legislative Assembly, following tho resignation.- of Mr. Speaker Willis and the tabling of his statement referring to th'e Lieutenant-Governor (Sir William Cullen), Mr. Wado (Leader of the Opposition) traversed the statements contained in the document tabled by -Mr. Willis, and declared: — "This cowardly man, before retiring from the Speakership, endeavoured to tlirow discredit upon a man who is as high above. him as the sun is abovo tho earth." Mr. Willis's, statements were deeply biased, and based on falsehood, and involved a* breach of confidence. Ho defonded tho action of Sir William Cullen and himself •in connection with the events following the choice of Mr. Willis as Speaker, and gave a direct denial 1 to the version contained in the document of what had transpired at the meeting between Sir William Cullen, Mr. Holman, Mr. M'Orowen, and himself.

Mr. Holman followed Mr. Wade. He said ho had not seen any of tho statements which appeared in the document, and was not in a position to say that all tlw statements were inaccurate; but' they certainly did not represont any cf the statements mad© by him to a third person. Regarding Sir William Cullen, he (Mr. Holman) never saw or heard anything on tho part of the Lieutenant-Gov-ernor which was not characterised by the sincerest regard for the rights of the people, and a desire to preserve tho constitutional rights of Parliament.

STORY OF A COMPACT, Mr. Henry Willis's resignation of tho Speakership of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, after a period of Parliamentary dictatorship probably unparalleled in the\history of Australian politics, revives interest in the oelebrated compact of August, 1911, between the Labour Government (whoso majority had been extinguished by recent by-elections) and a member of the Opposition to continue the existence of tho New South Wales Parliament, as then constituted, pending the passing of tho Redistribution of Seats Bill, so tiding over an imminent dissolution and a general election in the existing electorates. Mr. Henry Willis, member for-Upper Hunter, and opposed to the Labour Government, consented to be nominated for tho Speakership on the following conditions:—

That Bills which have passed the Assembly shall be dealt with in tho Upper House, and the same be disposed of for this Parliament. That all contentious measures now before Parliament shall lapse. That no contentious measures shall bo introduced this Parliament. That the Budget bo delivered with L out delay, and the Estimates for the year bo passed on tho basis 'of the temporary Supply already granted. That tho redistribution of 6cats resolution bo passed, and an appeal mado to the constituencies at the earliest date practicable. That my occupancy of tho Speakership shall be a guaranteo of tho foregoing understanding being adhered to. That the Houso shall close its sittings before 11.30 p.m. Mr. Holman was subsequently interrogated in the Assembly, and bound down to a definite promise to dissolve after the conditions of tho compact had been fulfilled. Mr. M. F. Morton: When does the honourable member say tho dissolution will be? Mr. Holinun: I say, as far as can be anticipated at this moment, it will bo either before Christmas or immediately after. Mr. M. F. Morton: Is it a certainty within six months? Mr. Holmon: I think so, certainly. It depends entirely on the progress that can bo made with the boundary commission's work. It is being pushed on.

In an official statement to the press, Mr. Holman, then Acting-Premier, oxplained that "in the present position of parties, Parliament is impotent to deal with contentious matters, and tho understanding arrived at between the ActingPremier and Mr. Willis is that under these circumstances Parliament shall now enter on a short session, which will be devoted to preparing for tho inevitable appeal to tho country at the earliest practicable date. . . fiy this arrangement the prosent impasse has been overcome, and the necessity of subjecting the country to the experience of tifo elections—one in the immediate future on the obsolete rolls, and the old electoral divisions, and tho other when the new electoral boundaries have been determined—will be avoided.

This was in August, 1911. On the stiengtli of a subsequent score at n byelection (Liverpool Plains) the • Labour Government considered that its obligation with regard to a dissolution no longer existed, and it continued to carry on. "But," said the "Daily Telegraph, "there was not a word in the compact about carrying on after this by-election; and there was not one word in the speeches of Mr. Holman before tho poll was taken to lead to the conclusion that its result would affect the agreement in the slightest degreo." Correspondence tabled in the Assembly subsequently, showed that Mr. Willis, more than three months after he became Speaker, wrote to the Premier complaining of the breach of . the condition that no contentious measures should bo introduced, "The Income Tax Bill," he pointed out, "is a most contentious measure, as shown in the Assembly debate." He therefore <?xpressed The view that the measure should be amended in Committee, so that its operations might be narrowed, and the estimated amount of revenue reduced by .£400,000. He also complained that the Estimates -were excessive. This was long" after such measures as tlioi Industrial Arbitration Act had Leon introduced, and the Government Tiad brought down proposals for increased taxation— a period during which, observed the "Daily Telegraph," the .Speaker had preserved an eloquent silence. _ Fourteen months later, in February last, in a state-, ment to the ore«s and to the electors of the Upper Hunter, Mr. Willis, notwithstanding, this "most contentious" legislation, averred:— "My occupancy of the Speakership was for the passing of the redistribution of seats proposals before a geneneral election, hence I await the dissolution." In this statement the speaker announced Ill's intention of resigning at the end of tho recess. "The opportune time for me to act," lie wrote, "is not instanter, but when the Assembly is summoned to meet for business."