PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1833, 20 August 1913, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

A DAILY SUMMARY.

Save for a. flash or-two of real conten- • tion the Financial. "Debate dragged on tamely in the House of Representatives yesterday, and eonic regrets were expressed that it did not come to an end with, tho sitting. Tho debate lit*! never once since it started borne the appearance of -the first-class party engagement which it is supposed to be, and, judging by yesterday's experience, it ig unlikely to attain that character-in the time that remains to bo spent upon it. It is possible that it may flicker out at any time, but the general opinion'seems to be that it will last for another day or two. As soon as formal business had been disposed of, tho Hon. W. Eraser, by permission of the nouse, dealt forcibly with some misrepresentations to which ho lias recently been subjected in reference to the loan of "d£SO,OCO obtained by the Government from the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Company. Mr. JTraiser exSlained that while. he was a director of )Q ■ Loan and Mercantile Company, liis function was purely advisory. • He held no shares in the company, :; and never had held any. His part in tho matter had' been confined to letting the Minister for Finance know that the money was available. ; (■ 1 . The adjournment of the Financial De,bato had been moved on Friday by a Government member, Mr. C.A. Wilkinson, but it was left to an Oppositionist, Mr. J. C. Thomson, to carry on the debate. Mr. Thomson began by saying that the Government members were not showing much interest «in the debate, but his remark .sounded strangely, in view of the fact that at the time there were only fourteen Oppositionists and two Labour members in their places, whereas there were about thirty Government supporters present. '

During a great part of the afternoon the attendance of Opposition members fell away to half a dozen and thereabouts.. Tho number of. Government members present was'also much reduced, and for a few minutes, soon after four o'clock, there were only 19 members in the House,' exclusive of the Speaker. In these somewhat discouraging circumstances, the debate drooped and lost interest, but was not suffered to die out altogether. . The burden of keeping it alivo during the afternoon was thrown wholly upon the Opposition, and they accepted the task, although they resented the refusal of the Government to put up speaker for speaker. Mr. J. C. Thomson spoke for an. hour, and assailed the Government, with a'good deal of vigour upon a number of its policy proposals. Mr. Witty, who came next in order, asked tho Government members if they ere afraid to speak, aaul thin proceeded to turn "his little hour", to account by throwing as many controversial bricks at 'his opponents as he could lay hands oh in tlhut space of time. Some of the numerous charges that ho. tossed, aoross the floor were promptly dfenied by tho Prime Minister or Ms colleagues, ana others were simply laughed at. When Mr. Thomson concluded, and again when Mr. Witty came to an end of Ms dharges, the debate seemed in danger of collapsing. On the latter occasion Mr. Sidey and Mr. Wander rose simultaneously. The for-, iner oaught the .Speakers eye, and though' he was anxious to give way. Mr. Mandor would not hear of it. Mr. Sidey was left' to embark upon a temperate criticism, of the ■ Government's financial methods, wMcli he continued after the dinner adjournment. Mr. F. Idander, who spoke next, was tho only Government spoaker in the debate during the sitting. Ho enumerated various Talorms for which the Government was resionsible, and generally defended its pdlicy. In deploring the bitterness party strife he declared himee)lf an advocate of- tho Elective Exeou- ,■ tive. , ' ' ; The debate was continued by Mr. L. M. Isitt, who spoke with less than, his usual fire. The greater'part of his speech was devoted to a series'of dharges against the administration of the Cook Islands. The last speaker of the day was Mr. J. Payne, member for Grey Lynn., In the course of his speedh ho denied that he had oveir beeij-fpwlE'ed'.'in; anv-tvfpy, to, tyie Reform party. The Primo Minister'stated : that he . would produce • a written pledge which Mr. Payne had sent him. The debate was adjourned- on the motion of Mr. A. Harris, and the House rose 6t 11.25 p.m.