IN THE HOUSE

Hokitika Guardian, 8 July 1930, Page 2

IN THE HOUSE

A HUMOUROUS MEMBER.

MR McDOUGALL SPEAKS

Almost constant merriment accompanied the speech of Mr 1). McDougali (United, Mataura) in the Address-in-Reply in the House of Representatives on Thursday. For half an hour lie. spoke on all manner of subjects. ranging from his affection for certain members to his experience with a gentleman who deprived him of £l. Frequently he was called to orded by Mr Speaker, who. with the permission of the House, allowed him “some latitude’ ’in the delivery of his address.

Mr McDougali explained to tii House on rising that he had not Intended to speak that night. “But.” he added, “I heard the honourable member for Thames, and he put :• rponkey gland into me. and so I got on my feet.” They had heard a great deal about the promises that tli«> T T iiitecl Party had failed to keep, but they had yet to learn ■ whether the Reform Party had even-made a promise it had broken. /‘When the House met in 1929 there was £2.000,009 on the wrong side,” h* deelared. Mcmheria: Oh ! No.

Mr McDougali was to V one of his colleagues. “Well, ves,” he said, “but anyhow that is the position.” They could not blame the Government for all the ills that had arson. “No one, not even the Op position—and they know a lot—knew that there was going to he an earthquake on the West Coast,” he said “and that earthquake cost the country a lot of money.”

Mr McDougali referred to a visit to the south by the Leader of the Opposition. R.t. Hon. J. G. Coates, and Mr W. -T. Poison (Independent, Stratford). “The right honourable gentleman girded unto himself 80 faithfnReformers at Gore,” he said, “and told them that the cost of living had he°n effected by the primage duty. He told them that every farmer in the country had been affected by the sup er-tax. As he sought knowledge, he telegraphed the Leader of the Opposition to find out the meaning of his remarks,: but he -received no reply. He expressed much concern because he found that the Leader of the Oppose ition “left the district like a pilgrim in the night and was gone in the morning before the first cock crew.”

LOST A POUND

The member for Thames, M,r A.' M

’.’■"'uel, next came in for attention. ‘.‘You know,” Mr McDougali confided to the House, “the; member for Thnmes is a very nice; fellow, ai»i J like him because I met a fellow like him down south once. He was selling potato peelers, scented soap and other articles too numerous to mention,” he added amid loud laughter. It was explained to the House that the gentleman referred to had a small purse into which he put a sovereign, then inviting anyone to buy it for £l. “Well, I gave him £1 for it,” Mr McDougali said, “and when I got round the corner, Mr Speaker, what do you think I had—a 4d. purse and a dead spider. I have been awfully careful of gentleman like that since.” Mr McDougali expressed much concern over the Parnell by-election. i‘i maintain it was not won by a ‘fair go’, ”he said. It was lost by what I call a rabbit punch. This first past the past business is the sheet anchor of Reform : get rid of that and you will never see Reform again.” He then referred to what he termed the financial recovery of the Government. If it had come into office faced with a deficit of £421,000 and it had changed that into a surplus of £150,000. Mr. J. A. Nash (Reform, Palmerston) : What did it cost to do it? “It cost nothing but brains,” Mr McDougali replied amid loud laughter.

A LAND DEAL.

The Palmerston North deviation was referred to by Mr McDougall, who said that he had visited it himself. He had found that land had been bought in the vicinity for £75 an acre and sold for £IOOO a quarter acre. Mr Nash: Who did that. “This bloke here,” said Mr McDougall, pointing to himself. “Are you not proud of us?” he asked, quoting further figures to show what the Government had done. Reform voices: No. “Then that shows how little you have about the eyebrows,” lie retorted amid renewed laughter. He was speaking again when Mr Nash passed a further remark. “I wish the honourable member would speak up,” Mr McDougall said. “I don’t like to hear a man talking round his ear. I ask your protection t Mr Speaker, for I am not too good at hearing.”

Mr McDougall was continuing when a member asked him from what pace he was reading, whereupon Mr Speaker asked him if he were reading his speech. Mr McDougall threw some papers under his desk, paused, and then took them out again. “Well, Mr Speaker,” he said. “I cannot go on very well without having a look at the notes. I did not know T was to speak ''to-night, and I came in and picked them up in a hurry, and I have not got a very good memory.”

SOME LATITUDE.

“I think if no objection is tyken I

will allow the honourable member some latitude,” Mr Speaker said, and as there was objection raised Mr McDougali was allowed to go on. Reverting to the Palmerston deviation, he said he went into an office in Palmerston, outside being the name Lovelock and Nash, and he asked it they had any cheap land to sell.

Mr J. Bitchner (Reform, Wnitaki) rose to a point of orddr, asking Mr Speaker whether the member for Mataura should be allowed to refer to the private business of another member. Mi- Speaker said that he did not think anything had been said to which exception could be takeil, and Mr McDougali added that he would be very sorry to insinuate anything against the member for Palmerston. He did not even know that the member for Palmerston was a partner in the firm to which he referred. Ati- Nash; You knmv it.

Mr .McDougali: T knew it?

Mr Speaker said that it was bettet that the question should not 1 e further proceeded with, and Mr McDougali chanced the subject., Mr H. S>. S. Kyle (Reform, RVonvtnn\ rose to a point of order, snvinc that, Mr McDougali npw>nred to V reading his speech, Mr Speaker sa-' 1 'bat with the consent of the House be bn-* already allowed the speaker so"’f Mitiule. but that if the -vent of nrdewere persisted in be would a"ain have (n a«-k whether he were reading his speech. “No. sir. T cm only ta’-ine" nctoihf /be notes.” Mr M.oPoue-all replied. He «<v‘d be was sorry he bad trodden on ■the toes ef the member -for Pi'ceacfen os he bad referred to the members 'bn TT-mtnd Party ns “dumb dogs” and “bVnd pups.”-

A f|iiet>ng further figures, Mr ■' r '>T'>orinr-d] had cast, a refloe+ion unon him in regard to alleged land pureha'ses and sales.' He wanted to make it nerfeoflv elp.ar that he had never n-’n-ed any land qi (be vicinitv of the Palmerston No?-th railway deviation nor li-ul he made anv sales there. That was the second time -such an innuendo had been made in the House, and be wanted it understood that he had never had had any dealings in land near the deviation.

Mr McDougali, after being questioned by Mr Speaker on the point, made clear that lie had no intention of casting any. reflectioni on Mr Nash. “If I said anything that reflects on the member for Palmerston North’l humbly and sincerely apologise,” he said. “But.l'he ’ added, amid laughter, “I don’t know, .whether I did sny anything.”