A BREEZE IN THE HOUSE.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 31 October 1901, Page 3

A BREEZE IN THE HOUSE.

The Deputy Speaker and the

Premier.

The Rulings to be called in Question.

(008 PARLIAMENTARY HBfORTBR.)

Wellington, This Day. The Opposition scored pretty heavily against the Premier this afternoon.

Mr Seddon wished to lay on the table a paper relating to the compilation of the Patea electral roll.

Mr J. Allen raised a point of order as to the way in which the question should be put.

He was overruled by the DeputySpeaker on that point. In the meantime, Mr Pirani had got hold of the paper and raised a further point, that the paper contained a criticism of a debate by a person outside the House and that, therefore, it was against the standing orders. The Premier said the statement had been made by Mr Haselden that 500 names bad been added to the Patea Electoral Roll the day before the writ was issued, and this paper was a letter from the Registrar of Electors saying that the statement was not found on fact,

The Deputy-Speaker said that it was a gross reflection on a member speaking in the House, and he had no hesitation in ruling that it could not be laid on the table.

The writer used the term “outrageous mis-statement” and no document containing such a reflection could he laid before the House.

Mr J. Allen : “ Secretly, silently and aurreptitously,”

The Premier could not conceal his chagrin, and members laughed loudly at his discomtorture.

Their merriment increased when the Deputy-Speaker refused to allow the Minister for Public Works to lay on the table a telegram he had received from an official, commenting on and denying a Statement made by Mr Pirani, about useless iron being buried near the Makohine viaduct.

The Premier speaking with evident heat gave notice that he would, the next day, question the Deputy Speaker’s ruling.