ILLUSTRATED PETITIONS.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 21 October 1901, Page 4

ILLUSTRATED PETITIONS.

Maoris and Gin Bottles

Wellington, This Day. Henceforth no pictorial or illustrated petitions will be received in the House. On Friday, Mr Pirani presented two petitions with reference to alleged excessive drinking among Maoris in the Taranaki district, which contained a picture in the centre of a lot of printed matter. The illustration represented a whare, with a Maori attempting some terpsichorean feat, and in front of him were scattered on the ground a number of empty booties and casks which, judging from the hilarious condition of the aforesaid Maori, evidently contained waipiro when full.

Mr Fraser (Napier) questioned whether such petitions complied with the Standing Orders. The inference to bo deducted from the picture was untruthful; it was an insult to the Maori race, and discreditable to those who placet the pictures on the petitions. The Premier pointed cut that the practice was an innovaiion. He oujected to such petitions being received. Mr McGuire (Hawera) said a good deal of what was contained in the petition was quite truthful, and had proved up to the hilt. If the House was not prepared to legislate to prevent these Maori men and women drinking, the same kind of petitions would continue to come in. The natives were destroying themselves from excessive drinkif g, and the sooner the House rose to the occasion the better. Mr Monk said the statements wore correct, and had been proved before a committee of which he was a member.

The Deputy-Speaker ruled that the petitions having pictures on them were not in accordance with the Standing Orders, and therefore could not bo received. Mr Pirani cut the illustrations out with his penknife, and then offered them to the Speaker as two petitions without pictures. Are you going to present the “hole” of the petition P queried Mr Fraser.

“Yes, I am,” replied Mr Pirani, peeping aciosi at the member for Napier through the hole he had cut. The Hon, Mr Hall-Jones drew attenlijn to tlu fact tint the Standing Orders said tbero must bo no interlineation or erasure.

The Speaker called for the petitions, and after examining them, ruled they could not be received as there had been an erasure.