PARLIAMENT OPENS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 232, 25 June 1920, Page 8

PARLIAMENT OPENS

ELECTION OP SPEAKER SIR FREDERICK LANG CHOSEN OTHER PRELIMINARES The first session of the twentieth Parliament of New' Zealand was opened yesterday. Tho only real business of tho day was tho attestation of members of tho new House of Representatives, and tho election of a Speaker of the House. First of all tho members of either House met in their own places. In tho Legislative) • Council, the Commission of the Governor-General announced tho purposo of the meeting—that of instructing tho members of tho House to "make clioico of w fit an.d proper person to fill. thar. high and in\portant office" of Speaker, 'lllie members of the Commission were the Hon. W. C. P. Carncross (Speakor of tte Legislative Council), the Hon. Sir Francis Bell (Leader of the Legislative Council), Sir William Fraser, Sir Walter Buchanan, and the Hon. C. A. C. Hardy.' Tho members of tlho House attended in answer to tho summons, and heard the charge to elect a Speaker. Thereafter they withdrew to their own chamber, and tho election was made and the other formalities duly fulfilled. There was a very good attendance of members of both Houses. About 25 members of the Legislative Council attended; and tiho absentees from the House numbered about a dozen. . i

THE LOYAL OATH FOUR LABOUR MEMBERS AFFIRM. .. The first business on the reassembling of the Houso after members had eomo from the Legislative Council was the attestation, of all-members of the:new Parliament. In batches of four ur five they wore called alphabetically by the Clerk (Mr. E. W. Kane), and they severally swore "to be faithful and bear truo allcgianco" to His Majesty King George the Fifth, All members save four took tho oath, and the four made an affirmation, the fotir being all Labour members, Messrs. J. M'Combs (Lyttelton), F. N. Bartram (Grey Lynn), E. J. Howa.rd_(Christchurclv South), and P. Fraser (Wellington Central). Tho only irregularity observed was that Dr. Thacker held the book in his left hand! PQSirioNITroiBERS • APPROPRIATION OF BENCHES. In the appropriation of seats there are few notable features. Members have distributed thomselves according to groups, but as the Houso is divided equally by the central aisle, some few of the new members of the Government Party have taken seats on the cross benches to the left. of tho Speaker. The members or the Labour (jroup have aiso taken seats in this position. Mr. E. Ifellett, of Dunedin North, who is understood to be an unofficial Labour member, .--at r.ear the "official" party, Messrs. Holland, Fraser, and Co. Mr. C. E. Stathaiu, until this session a member of the Reform Party, is now an Independent, and ho took his 6eat on a back bonch on (ho extreme left. He intends to sit there for the session, for he considers himself absolutely independent, and ho hopes to arrange to share a bench with Mr. J. Craigie, member for Timaru, who also is quite independent, having definitely left the Liberal Party. electionlT speaker SIR FREDERICK LANG UNOPPOSED . HIGH COMPLIMENTS EXCHANGED The election of Speaker resuited, as had been expected, in the unopposed return of Sir Frederick Lang, Speaker cf the House for the past seven years. The ceremony is peculiar, in many respects. Tho Clerk of House sits in his chair below the Speaker's chair. JIo is not allowed oven to suggest to members the business before them. All !lmt he is allowed under the Standing Orders to di> is to point to any members who stands up with the intention of addressing the House. So it was on tiis occasion. He pointed to tho proposer of Sir Frederick Lang, nnd then to the seconder. After the speechea of these two gentCemen had been made there was an interval of siloiico. The Clerk could not ask whether there were other nominations, but after a reasonable interval—a rather long intervalSir Frederick Lang rose to make his response, and to offer his thanks for the kind things eaid about 'him by his proposer and seconder.

A Good Speaker. Mr. GEORGE HUNTER (Waipawa) said that he had much pleasure in moving that Sir Frederick Lang take tho chair as Speaker of the House. He said that, coins; back to tho year 1851, tho first Speaker of the House had been Sir Charles Clifford. New Zealand Lad been fortunate in having been able to select as Speakers men of high character and marked ability. He mentioned among them Sir Charles Clifford, Sir Francis Dillon Bell (father of tho present At-torney-Genera)!), and Sir George Maurico O'Rorke (who held the record for length of service). But for strict impartiality, kindly consideration of TSonourable members, and close attendance to Parliamentary duties, Sir Frederick Lang held a record unexcelled by any of those honourable gentlemen of the past. He said that the House, in re-elocting Sir Frederick Lang to the post of Speaker, would be showing no more than a proper appreciation for his past valuable services. He was quite sure that in his pesition of authority Sir Frederick Lang'would be ablo- to maintain the high traditions which had always .been maintained by the New Zealand House of Representatives. He ventured to express the hope that Sir Frederick; would be Mr. Speaker as long as he lived. Mr, L. M. ISITT said that it afforded I him very great pleasure to eccond tho proposal. It was on this occasion some measure of satisfaction, ki consideration of the straitened ranks of his party, that for the election of Speaker tliero should be no party issue raised. Every member of his party was satisfied with I Sir Frederick Lang as Speaker. He wished to say that he had long held the opinion that here in this dominion we should follow the precedent cf the British Houso of Commons—that n.ice an* honourable member was elected Spei ker of theHousa lie ought to be savod' the turbulence of election fights 'by common consent of nil honourable members of tho House. A sine qua non of a Speaker was impartiality, and he suggested that if the Speaker were saved .tho embarrassment of an election contest Impartiality would be to him more easy. ITo did not suggest that Sir Frederick Lang reeded improvement in impartiality, because there was no member of the House who had a strongor desire to hold evenly the scales of justice. Nor was this all, for honourable members know tho sort of man who wore his justice like the spinos of a porcupine. Sir Frederick Lang was the opposite of this 110 lad often marvelled at the forbearanco of Sir Frederick Lang with the indiscretion and trying behaviour of 78 members _of tb) House (the TOth being Mr. Isitt)! Ho had heard an ex-member of the House, and an ex-member of the Liberal Party, say that from the f'.rst day th.nt Sir Frederick Lang entered tho HAuse ho hnd won tho lovo and respect of every member of tho nousa by his oourtesy and kindly spirit. .All old members of tho House would remember Mr. Speaker for his many kindnesses, and ho was sure that tho new members would 'lie equally fortunate.

Mr, Speaker's Acknowledgments. SIR FREDERICK LANG, speaking from his seat on the floor of the House, said that lie wished to'express his appreciation of the honour that it was proposed to bestow upon him, tho greatest honour that honourable members could bestow upon a brother member. He wished to thank tho mover and secondor of tine resolution for their very kind and flattering roinarka lie 'noM unnn it as n' special honour to have the resolution moved by two such honourable members of the House—Air. Hunter, a representative of a country electorate in the North Island, and a supporter of the Government party, and Mr. Tsitt, a representative of n city constituency in th» South Island, and a member of His Ma- .

jesty's Opposition. Ho hnd had tlio honour of boing a member of the House for 2G years, and during that time ho had always maintained the position as a privato member that so soon as lis was elccted he was the representative not only of tho people irhoi had voted for him, but of all the people in tho electorate. He mentioned this because he thought that this view ought to bo taken, to a still greater extent by one sitting as Speaker of the House. In his office it would be his duty to mete out equal and exact justice to all, with absolute fairness and strict impartiality. It was most gratifying to him to know that during the seven years that he had occupied tlio Speaker's chair tho New Zealand Parliament had maintained tho high reputation it had always had. If the House did him the honour of electing film to the Speaker's position again, ho wouTlt do his best to uphold the honour and dignity of the House. In thi6 He felt sure that he would have tho generous support and assistance of honourable members, for he realised that overy honourable member was just as anxious as ho himself to maintain the high traditions of the New Zealand Parliament.

The mow and seconder of the proposal then led Sir Frederick Lang to rtio Speaker's chair. Before ho took his seat, Sir 'Frederick I.ang thanked members again for the honour that they had done him in electing him Speaker for the third lime. In his position in the chair, lie snitl, ho would divest himself of all party associations; he would know no party; ho would know no friends, persamu'. or political; nnd he would endeavour so to carry out his duties that honourable members would not regret tho confulcnce placed in him, Congratulations. Tho Primo Minister congratulated the Speaker on his Te-election to office. The decision of the Houso was a compliment to Sir Frederick Lang, and also to the, doctors of Manakaii, who had provided tho Houso with a Speaker for twentyseven cut of the fast forty years. Mr. Mnssoy added that it was just twenty-sis years sinoo lie and Sir Frederick Lung had first taken their seats in tho House. During those years they had s?en ninny changes, and had been privileged to t'ike part in many important events. He trusted that Sir Frederick would continue for very many yoare to bo member for Manakau and Speaker of tho House. Ho felt euro that the Speaker could rely upon the support of hia fellow members in maintaining the hip'h reputation of llio New Zealand Parliament. The Hon. TV, D. S. Mac Donald (Leader of tho Opposition) a'so congratulated the Speaker. Tho members of the House recognised that in discharging the duties cf his office Sir Frederick Lang had acted ns far ns. was humanly possible with absolute jiustico to every section and party. Strenuous days might bo r.hend, but the Speaker could bo trusted to naintnin his own tradition of fairness and honour.