WELLINGTON NOTES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 605, 24 September 1913, Page 5

WELLINGTON NOTES.

Wellington, September lib The week now ciosing will be iong remembered by members cl the Mouse of Representatives tor tiw very senseless stonewalling of the Estimates by certain members of the Opposition. For oventy hours or more, the Hou3e remained in Committee whim the work of the session was h-Id cp by a bond of silly talk that was senseless as it was pahry avid useless. The trouble began on Friday night, whan the stormy newels of the Opposition party Messrs Russell, Isitt, Wilford, and

; Lanrersen, wera much in evidence. Ostensibly the "stonewall" was ; organised as a protest against the alleged withholding of the Government : of certain departmental report 3, and notably that of the Health Department. But. even when the reports : asked for were presented, the "stonewall" continued, and members on the I Left maintained their obstructive I tactics, using the forms of the House 1 to delay business in every possible i way. It was an unedifying spectacle ! and one that reflected little credit | upon the stonawallers. Snrae one has estimated the coat of the members' speeches at £1 per minute. That I seventy hours' stonewalling, if this estimate is correct, has consequently cost the country £4200. The member for Avon is consistent only in his inconsistency. On several occasions during the present session he has assured the Minister for Justice (Hon. Mr Herdman) that the introduction of the Public Service Act had lost him his seat for Wellington North. On Wednesday be declared lhat Hons. Herdman and Fisber had "prostituted thsu- positions for the sake of gaining political support. These blessed Commisisoners," he went on to siy, referring to a re mark made by them that "reasonable contentment exists in the Govern rent Printing Office," "have bought political support at £5 per head" Mr Herdman promptly disclaimed any knowledge of the 'alleged villainous conspiracy." into which, Mr Russell alleged Mr Fisher, tho Commissioners and bimsslf had entered, "to increase the salaries of the Printing Office emnloyees in order to gain their political support. Of all the silly, reckless charges so far hurled against Ministers by Mr Russell, this is absolutely the silliest and the most indefenaiblp. It is insulting alike to the Commissioners and to ths Ministers. The latter are prepared for insults when Mr Rus3ell runs amok in the House, but the Commissioners are not. ■>

In its zeal to discredit the Government, the New Zealand Times has again censured in unmeasured terms the actions of its predecessors. The Conciliation and Arbitration Bill introduced by Mr Massey in the House last week is, to a large extent, a consolidating measure which re-enacts most of the provisions of the existing law Included in its provisions is lbs clause imposing penalties upon the strikers and those who aid and abet them, which was framed by the Ward Government in 1908 and which is now the law of the land "It would be impossible," the Times says, "to conceive anything more oppressive and despotic than the penalty clausa that has been devised to strive and thus suppress a strirke. Of itself it is sufficient to condemn the Bill and the autocratic Government that has impudently placed it before Parliament. It provides that any person or union shall be held to have aided or abetted a strike that makes any gift of money or other valuable thing to any individual or union that is party to a strike." A comparison of clause 6, sub-section 2of the Act -of. 1908, and of clause 13-1 sub-section 2 of the Bill introduced last week will establish beyond all question ths authorship of the provision, which as already statsd is part and parcel of the Ward Government's Act.

Writing of the law against strike! reminds me that the Maoriland Worker and the "Red Feds" are very bitter in their denunciation of the new consolidating measure, and that in the line of criticism they have aiopt-d they are supported by Mr E. Treger, ex-Sacretary for Labour, and now ore of the bright and shining lights cf the Federation. The new Labour Bill, as the Evening Post very properly point? out, thwartß the amiable ambitions of the "Revolutionaries," who aspire to dictate to the public and their representatives in Parliament. "The Reds scorn such a calm evidencehearing tribunal as court. They would throttle justice with her own bandage, seize her sword, and present it at th« public's throat." The Labour Bill consequently comes in for their unqualified disapproval, although to the majority of thinking men and women it comes as a sincere attempt to safeguard the rights of both the workers and their employers, and to decrease the possibilities of strikes occurring until all methods of conciliation have failed. The Bill is regarded as a distinct improvement on the existing law, and there is really very ltitle fault to be found with it.

It is tolerably certain that the Government will not adopt the Seject Committee Bill for the refrom of the Legislative Council, nor will they allow their own Bill to be set aside in its favour. The Committee, was set op by the Council suggest that when vacancies occur the election of members of the Upper House should be rmde by members of both Houses. The Hon. O. Samuel, who ia a strong supporter of the nominative system, suggests that to avoid party contests in the filling of vacancies not more than that number of vacancies should occur in any one day, some of the members retiring next year should be I given extensions of time for one, two, or months. In order that the ; Council should keep some influence in j selecting candidates he urges that ; the precede the vaean- ; eiea. At the same rime Mr Samuel : disclaims vesnciiis-nbiiity -.'.-.v the Bill I brought down i'by th.- Select Cnnrruttee. and nays he \?, not to put it \ up in opposition to the Government i Bill.