PARLIAMENT AT WORK

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 257, 24 July 1920, Page 8

PARLIAMENT AT WORK

RUN OUT OF BILLS ■ ' SPEAKER'S RULING J, CHALLENGED / LAUOUR LEADER HEAVILY DEFEATED Tho Opposition was absolutely without life yesterday. Indeed, it has been 'in 'n, stato o£ suspended animation during the ivliolo of the with tho result that business has been going through with groat rapidity. Four Bills were dispatched-in little more than an hour during tho afternoon.. The Gaming Amendment Bill and the Judicature Amendment Bill had reached tho third reading stage,and they . were duly put through that and passed. There were two other Bills for second reading, the Magistrates' -Court Bill, dealing with, the : salaries of Magistrates, and tho Arms Bill, proposing drastic restrictions on tho rights of private citizens to have in possession certain classes of firearms. A lively debate on tho Anns Bill could have been, expected nfi certain • under normal conditions,- but tho Labour'members of the House were not interested or would not speak of their interest, and the other members of the House seemed to approve of the Bill so thoroughly that tlioy had nothing to say about it. At any rato, theso two Bills -wero put through not only the second reading, 'but'the committee singe and the third reading. . Mr.MasSey asked the IJousc then to discuss .Ministers' replies io questions, but there was no frantic eagerness on the part of members to take advantage ■of the opportunity afforded. ; 1 , . In the evening Mr. Holland's motion challenging the-Tuling out of his previous motion about the British Government's policy 111 Ireland yas taken. It was .thought that the discussion might .become not ,a dobate on the correctness of Mr. Speaker's ruling, but a debate on the Irish question. Mr. Holland, however, adhered strictly to the procedure question, and the division was taken practically without, dobate. Mr. Holland had tho support only of his own purty, four present, and the,other four p<iiied for the motion. - The House rose at the almost unprecedented hour'of 8.20 p.m.