A STONEWALL IN THE COUNCIL.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 30 October 1901, Page 4

A STONEWALL IN THE COUNCIL.

The-Closure applied for the first

time.

[oUR PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER ]

Wellington This Day.

For the first time in the history of the Legislative Council the closure was applied last night. After a test division had been taken on clause 21, Conciliation Boards were virtually effaced. Kigg then moved to report progress, and aided by Jenkinson, Lee, Smith and Jones, ho sot up a mild stonewall.

This began at nine and soon after eleven Feldwick finding his patience exhausted moved that the standing order 130 be put into effect.The standing order is as follows. —Any member may at any stage of a debate move that the Council do at once divide upon a question in debate, and such motion it seconded shall be put from the chair without discussion, so soon as the member then in possession of the Council should have concluded his address. This carried and the question put.

Bigg, Lee and Smith deprecated the application of the closure, which was a form gag of a minority. Feldwick replied that as four members had carried on the stonewall he felt he was justified in appealing the standing order which had been in existence without being enforced for the last thirty-five years.

The motion to report progress was put immediately and defeated, after which the obfraction ceased, the bill being reported shortly after midnight.