A STUPID FARCE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1913, 22 November 1913, Page 4

A STUPID FARCE.

-—i —« ~ Whh.e New Zealand is passing through the most serious industrial crisis in its history, a riclismlcms 'farce is feeing ilcWd i.ii tiic'H(jusc of lieprcseafcaliyw by, members of the

Opposition, led by Sir Joseph Ward. The •doctors of Now Zealand will no doubt consider both the time and the place singularly inappropriate. The Opposition and thoir LabourSocialist allies are continuing thoir obstruction of the whole business of the country in the hope of preventing the Government from repealing the Second Ballot Act. No one wants the Second Ballot except w. few .people who think they can gain a party advantage hero and there by tho political intrig"uo which this undesirable voting system breeds and develops, Yet ill order save it froiii extinction the Opposition are wasting an enormous amount of valuable time and preventing many useful measures from reaching tlic. Statute Book. No description, however vivid, can convey an adequate idea of tho manner in which the procedure of Parliament is at present being degraded; but if tb© dec tors could only see and hear far themselves the absurdities that are being perpetrated at their expense the chief characters in the farce would in future be compelled to find some otter stage on which to do their play-acting. _ Almost «vory word in the Bill is being discussed at interminable length, with vain and tedious repetition, and the time is further spun out by ludicrous points of order and a long afray of childish amendments. The whole gitmc is so Utterly futile and foolish that, intelligent schoolboys would he ashamed to take part in it, but certain Mem* hers of the House are apparently of tho opinion that this sort of thing is not unworthy of l-hq representatives in Parliament of the people of New Zealand. How long this systematic obstruction of business will continue is only known by those who are responsible for it. The u.nfoi> lunate taxpayer, like the Prime Minister and his supporters, can only wait with what patience tiiey may possess until Sin Joseph Ward and his supporters see the folly of their stupic! and indefensible conduct.