WHAT THE ASSEMBLY SOMETIMES DOES.

Evening Star, Issue 4220, 5 September 1876, Page 4

WHAT THE ASSEMBLY SOMETIMES DOES.

The member for Newton (Mr Swaneon) is none of your orators, but a plain, business man, who hits ouj, straight from the shoulders, calling things by their proper names, utterly regardless whether by doing so he offends friends or foes. In the course of his speech—an amusing one, by the way—-on the Separation debate, he contrasted the doings of the Assembly with the mode in which Provincial Councils did their business; and this |s how he delivered himself:— This House is very kind to some people, and very unceremonious to others. One night the hon. member for the Thames (Mr rr Rowe) happened to be away (I do not know where he was), when an important provision affecting mining interests came on, and the Honse suspended proceedings in order to give him an opportunity of deliver lug his speech. That was extremely kind, but I recollect that another mining representative had an important measure on the paper. He happened to be away playing billiards when it should have come on, and the Honse showed him no great kindness hut passed on to the next «rder. .... We are told now to rise to the occasion, but I tell yon will have to rile to a very considerable height. 1 have leen I do not know how many Bills passed through committee as fast as the Chairman could read the side notes, with

only nine members in the House and with Only oneindividual’inthe public gallery. We are told we are to rise to a great height in legislation, but I have seen the proceedings of this House stopped to enable hon. members to go to a spree. It is perhaps only natural that some people who exercise their heads a great deal should like occasionally to exercise their heels; but I think the eonstitnncies did not send us here for any snob purpose. It has been done frequently before, and once or twice this * session. lam reminded that I ought not to complain, because, on one of those occasions, 1 got a matter through myself, on account of ' the adjournment. It was arranged that the House should not sit later than six o’clock. I had a notice on the paper which had been wandering up- and down for five or six weeks, with no hope of getting it on that session, and I was determined that the House - should not adjourn until something was done with it. It was then agreed that the motior should be allowed to come on and be carried, provided that I did not say a word about it And that is now law. I ought not, perhaps, to complain about the balls, for I got thai thing done on that occasion, and had there been no ball I certainly should have failed "We have heard a great deal about the Pro vincial Councils; every epithet has beei

applied to mem. nave you ever uearo. 01 any Provincial Council sending Home for plate for Bellamy’s ? I do not knew what other Provinces have done; but they have not risen to the dignity of doing that in the Province of Auckland at any rate. Has anyone evef heard of the Auckland Provincial Council sending Home for knives, forks, and spoons, for large quantities of crockery and crystal, branded with the name of the Province, and paid for at the public expense? And yet this House, which has risen to an enormous digigjty, is not above doing that. Honorable members of this Assembly did not only do that, but they sent Home for their wines, of the best kind. They Can have as much liquor as they like, and can distribute it among their neighbors at the end of the session—of Course, payment, and I can safely recommend it as excellent tipple. Has any Province ever done anything like that, I want to know T Then it seems there was a nice job to be given to someone : it was desired that there should be a housekeeper connected with this establishment. No good reason was given for such an appointment and they hit upon a happy excuse at last. They said it was to give a tone to the servants ; that was the sole reason given for making the appointment of housekeeper. 1 think if something had been done to give a tone to hon. members it would have been better. I have here a circular, Sent to me, which I very much dislike, for I am in the habit of paying for my sherry and everything else that I get. Let me read this document:—

■Wellington, Bth August, 1876. The amount of upwards of L7OO being outstanding at “ Bellamy's," members are requested to pay the sums due from them at once, and for the future to pay their accounts regularly once a week. The books are made up every Monday morning, and are to be had on application at the bar at “ Bellamy’s.”.

W. D. H. Baillib, E. G. Wood. I could put these gentlemen up to a plan how to get the money instead of sending out a document of this kind. What I object to is that it should be sent to me or other bon. members in the same position; it ought to be sent to those who owe the money. I can ■clearly understand that there are men who have the right of going into Bellamy’s, and who have run up a score, trusting to this House to vote a sum to pay off their debts. Let the House Committee do as is done on the Stock Exchange—put up a big black board and chalk on it every man’s name who does not pay and the amount he owes. I cannot understand a set of men sent here not paying for the food they eat and the wine they drink. I say it is a disgrace and a scandal to have such a circular seat round to us. Has any member of a Provincial Council ever had such a circular sent to him ? I should be glad to know whether it was the ProvinciaUsts or Centralists . who ran up this bill of L7OO, so that the people who 'go in so much for the unity of the Colony, should see how much their representatives owe, at Bellamy’s. No doubt very free use is made of Bellamy’s; there is no mistake at all about that. I have seen such results from the existence of Bellamy’s in this House as I am sure have never been seen in any Council. I have seen the Native members, whom we are told to look upon as barbarians and savages—l have seem them offer |in this House to carry a member home and promise to put him to bed and not to hurt him, so that the proceedings might be carried on. That was during my first session. I think that this House is much improved in that respect. I have seen this House cleared on a subseT quent day—l am not sure whether it was not. on the following day—so that no one should hear what took place—so that the dirty linen might not be washed in public, while the offending member was being reprimanded. I have seen a member taken out

of this House bythe Sergeant-at-Arms ami the messengers. I have never seen anything like that occur in the Provincial Council of Auckland. I have heard speeches about cudgels, cowhides, bowie knives, and revolvers in this House. All record of the scene that took place was struck out of ‘Hansard* for fear of injuring the feelings of a lady. Was ever such a thing seen in the Provincial Councils ? I win tell you what I heard in the lobby from a distinguished leader of a party that is going in strongly for a united Colony; j heard him say to a whip on the other side, “If you make any of my men drunk, I will keep the talk up for a fortnight.” Was ever any such thing heard of in the Pro vincial Council of Auckland ? I never

Siw in that Council a couple of men ~'told to vafah an fcpn, member lost

he should get on the “spree ” and be out of the way when the division took place. That took place in this House? Have we not heard how people got up on the roof of this building and passed bottles of grog down the qhimney to another hon. member who was under lock and key in a committee-room, to make him drunk ? And yet we hear talk of what a superior Legislature we are ! I say such proceedings are a disgrace to any legislative body.