PARLIAMENT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1549, 4 September 1905, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

'(Per. Press Association.) Wellington, Saturday. After tbo Telegraph offioo closed this morning, the land debate was adjourned on tho motion of |Mr Houston, and tho House rose at 1.15 a.m.

THE OPPOSITION GETS A LAUGH

INTERRUPTING THE PREMIER.

Tho Premier, in hia spceoh on the land tonuro, woe much interrupted, the Opposition Booking to laugh down the points that wore made. . , Mr Massey challenged tho Premier to make the amendment one of “ no conn-* dence." , The Premier refused to do so, ona simply said he would continue his remarks. Mr Massey: “Very well, then, you won't gain anything by it.” / ' . Mr Beddon asked the leader of the Opposition not to attempt to drivo him. (Laughter.) ... Mr Massey: How have the mighty fallen. ... Mr Seddon: At all events, 1 have been mighty. This is more than has fallen to his lot. The Premier wont on to say that this was a great question, and one on which they wanted a free discusaion. As the Premier proceeded he was greatly laughed at, and frequently interrupted. Such cries bb " Back to the wall" ana “ Where’s your' back now ? ” alternating with ironical laughter. . Mr Massey: Your party ought to be ashamed of you. Where is your back now? A member: Has he got his back to the door ? ' Mr Seddon: Some people haven i got a baok to put to the door. (Laughter.) The Premier, in further references to Mr Massey’s amendment, declared that tho only amendment which gave him something definite. to go upon was Mr Taylor’s. He read Mr Taylor’s amendment, and said, “There you have ft straight out issue, and no quibbling.” Mr Massey : The Premier has just used a word, sir. which was ruled the other day to be unparliamentary.* The Premier: I did not apply it to the hon. member. The Speaker: If tho Premier used the word he must withdraw it. Mr Seddon: I only applied iMo the amendment* which I said was a quibbling amendment. The Speaker: Ido not see rnuoh difference between what a person writes and what he says. ' Cries of " Withdraw! withdraw l from Opposition members. Mr Seddon : Then, sir, I withdraw, baoause, as you have said, it is the ruling of the House of Commons, not supported by you. (Laughter.) The Speaker: It is enforoed by me. Mr Seddon: Yes, enforoed by you, hot not believed in. ' ‘ Mr Massey, who was in excellent fignting form, gave the Premier an uncomfortable half-hour. Instead of moving the amendment which the' Premier had just deolfned to aooept as a want of confidence proposal, he moved a substitute amend* ment to the effect that the House had no confidence in the Government. “ There," exclaimed Mr Massey, “ will the Premier take that as a .no-oonfidence motion ?" • The Premier’s reply jwns awaited with breathless attention.. »When the division takes place,” he said, “ I will givo the honorable gentleman my reply.” (Loud laughter.) Mr Massey: The, Preminr’s reply reminds mo of nothing so much as the bleat of a frightened sheep. (Laughter.) Mr Seddon: Why not oall me a lamb? Mr Hawkins: You are not innooont enough. (Laughter.) Mr Massey said he was only sorry that the language permitted by the rules of Parliament contained nothing sufficiently strong to express his opinion of the Premier’s speech, of which every follower of the Government must be heartily ashamed. ■ The Premier here twitted Mr Massey with not moving his original amendment. “ No," was the response, “ the first was not strong enough."...; ~ Mr Massey went on to describe tho Premier’s attitude as “ the most miserable every taken up by any man in his position in the colony.” “I wonder,” be said, glancing towards Sir Joseph Ward, “ what tho Minister for Railways thinks of it.- Is this," he scornfully oßked, “ the sort of thing for a K.O.M.G. to lend himself to ? ” (Laughter.) Mr Seddon: The honorable gentleman

is evidently jealous, and wants to oocne over to these benches and became a K.O.M.G. (Government laughter.) Mr Massey: This sort of position may be all right for an LL.D., but I always thought a knight was a gentleman who faced his difficulties, and did not run away from them, (Laughter.) * * Still continuing his scornful tone, Mr Massey asked what about the Premier now, and the: tinsel and war paint in which he had gone about the oountry claiming to be the “ Sandow of politios ? ” (Laughter.) Mr Massey.: No, but I am trying hard to. “The champion opportunist of the colony,” was, he said, the most fitting term to apply to the Premier. Mr Massey then oritioised the report of the Land Commission, and asked what was the good of setting up a commission if it was not to report in accordance with the evidence. He also referred to several of the oommis.' sioners and to the reasons why, as he Baid, they were appointed. Mr Seddon: What about Mr Mo* Oardle? Mr Massey : Oh, I will deal with him later on. He said that when Messrs Fowlds, Laurenson, and Taylor were conducting their land nationalisation cam l paign laet year, the Premier telegraphed to them wiehiDg them success. He contrasted this with the Premier’s present position. In the eourse of some further remarks, Mr Massey quoted a newspaper extract to show that a large number of settlers had left the country because of the insecurity of tenure. He said that every leaseholder should be allowed to acquire the freehold by paying off sums of £25 or over at any time. - Mr Hawkins: The Promier will oollar that if you do not look' after

(Laughter.) , „ Mr Massey : It will not be the first he has collared. (Laughter.)

In the course of his speech on the land question the Premier compared Mr Massey to a spider, who was trying to lure the Crown tenants, like flies, into a net, so that he could crush them by the imposition of the land tax. “ Walk in, walk in,” was what the hon. gentleman was saying. ; . * “ We will walk into you directly,” said Mr Buchanan, amidst an outburst of laughter. Mr Kirkbride stroDgly Bttaoked the “ series of generalities,” by whioh term he described tbe Premier’s proposals. The i

" strong man” who had boasted a year ago that his.back was against the door in defonoe of the leasehold had now got his ear to tbe ground and was going back on the leasehold.. They had heard of the Vioar of Bray. “ Well, he sits there (pointing to tho Premier) on the Government benches.’’

Mr Seddon: No, he is braying there. (Ministerial laughter.) Mr Kirkbride : I am not going to be debarred from continuing my speeoh by any rude remarks from the Premier. Tho Premier: lam not rude. Yon compared me to the Yicar of Bray, and I said you were braying. The Speaker here intervened with the remark that these interjections wore becoming too frequent on both sides of the House.

The Premier: I suffered very much from it when I was spooking. , The Speaker: I will see that you aro protected in future.

I Mr Kirkbride likened the Premier to I “ Mr Facing-both"ways.” I Mr Wilford said the hon. member was I reading bis speech. I Mr Kirkbride: lam reading an extract I from Bunyan’s 11 Pilgrim's Progress.” I (Laughter.) J Mr Flatman: What has that got to do Wth the land question?

The Speaker said if members did not desist from these interjections he would have to take stringent measures. Mr Eirkbride said that the. character well befitted the Promier, who. instead of leading the House, asked the House to give him a lead.