NO AGREEMENT YET IN SIGHT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1855, 15 September 1913, Page 4

NO AGREEMENT YET IN SIGHT.

i "Friday , and Saturday witnessed one of those periodical interruptions in tho routine procedure of Parliament when | .work is suspended in' favour of oljstruc- ! tiou. ' For tho time being the legislaI tivo machinery is out of gear, and tho ! j state of affairs, is still abnormal. Just ; 'before midnight on Saturday.the Chair- ; :ihanof Committee (Mr. A.-S. Malcolm) l left .the Chair, because the laty of tho ! land forbids Parliament sitting on f Sunday, but ho will resumo it again 1 to-day, and tho situation will bo taken' ;.Jup:wlicro it was left off. ' Tho position , 'is. that the progress of tho'Estimates j '.is*'being obstructed, tho 'contention '■ being-that., certain "reports -which havo - f ]iot»yet,bc'ori'circulated .should have i boeil.: circulated . before-the .Estimates j .were brought down. . . • Tho. sitting. was tho second all-night : ono of the present session, and was fur ; longer- than tho ono that preceded it. Oil i that occasion (some weeks, ago)', the . Pensions Hill was obstructediuntil-about : seven o'clock in tho morning,- but at' j that stago pcaco w.as. declared,- and worK !, was dono upon'the Bill before tho House j rose an hour later. On tho present ; occasion, tho situation is-still, as acute | as over, although tho House had been i sitting for thirtyrthree hours and a half I' when the Chairman left the Chair at : midnight on Saturday. i-' The debate can bo properly described i only 'by' that' word, the use of which tho Standing Orders does not allow, and i for'which'it is polite to substitute; j "Tho wall' that Balbus built." Tho j- motion discussed from 7.30 a.m. until j' 8.30 p.m. oh Saturday was that tho 1 salary.of Dr. Beattie, medical supcrin-. i tendent at the Avondald Mental Hosi- jiitai' (Auckland), -should be reduced by : £20.'""* Probably 'there" was not' a meiu- !. her in the Hbuse'who'wanted to havo - Dr., Beattie's salary reduced,, and ,tbe sleepy 'Oppositionists wore reduced to. I dreadful straits, discussing lunacy and | kindred, subjects to keep the talk going, i That-, amendment.was disposed of finalj ]y, and tlio--latter-'part of the evening was Occupied-'almost as/drearily with ' discission on a motion to report pro- :. gross. .. " ' ' . - . a Forced Division. / When The DoaiNiox went to press on : morning tho House was disf cussing immigration. Mr. A. H. Hind- '< i marsh' had moved'to 'reckco an item by ■ £1; os'-a protest against the'Govern-' ment's assisted ; immigration policy. ,The "members who had kept tho discussion going wero willing in tho end to let thb question go on tho .voices, but Mr." Escott (a-Government supporter) called f. for" a 'division'.' The' amendment was negatived by 29 votes to '21. .The divi- ■ sion was the first taken sinco tho apl' pointment of Sir Joseph Ward' as ■ Lea At of tho Opposition. j' When Mr. Escott; before tlio doors were unlocked, explained that ho had ;. force'd the op]>onents of the . Govern- ; ment to a division, Mr. Witty ejaculated - angrily, "You needn't, we are not - cowards." ■ -,•< '