THE PENNY POSTAGE SCHEME.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 24 July 1901, Page 3

THE PENNY POSTAGE SCHEME.

(Our Parliamentary Reporter.)

Heated Debate in the House. Wellington, This Day. There was sulphur in the air in the House last,night, but luckily the expected row did not come off. In committee on the Land for Settlements Bill the matter of Penny Postage was, by some peculiar means, introduced into the debate.

An exchange took place between Sir Joseph Ward and the Opposition on the question of who was responsible for the Reform. After a time the so-called “pleasantries” became rather far fetched, and a rather heated argument took place on the same subject, in the course of which, Sir Joseph was charged by Mr Pirani with wasting the time of the House. The Postmaster-General replied in effect, that he should talk as long and as often as he pleased, and he would allow no one to dictate to him in that respect. Then Mr Pirani threw out tho insinuation that the Postmaster-General had only taken up the Penny Postage in earnest in view of the Royal Visit and the prospects of a Knighthood, and he added, that as to Sir Joseph’s remarks, ho could afford to treat them with contempt as Sir Joseph hardly knew what he said, and his remarks were not worth taking notice of. Sir Joseph, speaking with some show of heat, replied that ho considered Mr Pirani deserving of being treated both in the House and elsewhere with supreme contempt. Mr Pirani said he felt sure if Sir Joseph’s remarks were repiorted, ho would be the first to admit’ justice of what he (Mr Pirani) had said, “It wns a pity that a Minister should interrupt business in the way he did.” Sir Joseph “you are not going to trifle with me, make no mistake about it.”

The attitude of both gentlemen during the episode was such as to give the impression that a “row” was pending, but as one of them had already spoken as many times as the standing orders allowed, the episode passed without further recrimination.