Parliament.

Manawatu Herald, 24 September 1895, Page 2

Parliament.

HOUSE OP KEPRESENTATIVES.

Batubday, September 21. The House met at 7.30 to further consider tbe Customs and Excise Duties Bill No. 2, but no business was done. [We clip the following instructive report from the N.Z. Timeß.~} Immediately after the House went into committee on the Bill, Mr Maasey moved to reduce the duty on boots, shoes, slippers, not otherwise enumerated ; goloshes, clogs and pattens, vamps, uppers and laces from 25 per cent to 20 per cent. The 25 per cent duty, he said, was considered by the trade to be prohibitive. The Colonial Treasurer suggested that as the item of boots was a very debatable one consideration of it should be postponed for the present, and less debatable items proceeded with. ■ ■ This suggestion met with considerable opposition, and Captain Russell insinuated that the adjournment of the item was suggested in order to enable the Government to bring down new and more iatisfactory proposals. A warm discussion immediately sprang up on the question of postponing the item, some suggesting that the House should adjourn altogether until Monday. The Premier said there was good reason for postponing the particular item mentioned. There were members present who wished to retaliate for being brought there that evening, and others had stayed away, refusing to accept the will of the majority in favour of a Saturday sitting. He knew the temper of the House as well as anyone and could see nothing but mischief if such important items as those relating to the duty on boots were dealt with with members in such a mood. The proper course, be thought, would be to report progress, and he therefore moved to do this. At this motion the debate broke out anew, and members spoke in ' strong terms for or against adjourn- ' raent. This was kept going for j about bo hour and a half. I

Captain Bussell charged membtra with playing a farce. The Premier, he said, had absolutely lost all control of the House for Bottle Weeks past, and showed his utter unfitneia to lead it. There was no possibility of members doing any business that night, bo let them go home and blush for themselves at bringing mob disgrace upon the Colony. The Premier said he regretted that members of the House who had bftn sent there to represent the Colony should be acting like schoolboys. But neither he nor anyone else could control them. He had seen earlier in the evening, and had pointed it out to the House, that members were not in the humour to go on with business. He had, therefore, moved to report progress. He do* plored that on such an occasion* Ifie] Leader of the Opposition, occupying the responsible position he did, should not have supported him in maintaining the high position the Parliament of New Zealand held among colonial Parliaments. If Captain Bussell doubted his (Mr Seddon's) fitness to lead the House, he advised that hon. gentleman to take the earliest opportunity of testing who was most fitted to lead. It would be a great pity, he said, to now spoil the splendid record of the New Zealand Parliament, and he would therefore hope that his motion to report progress would be at onoe agreed to. The debate, however, was keffc going until 10 o'clock, when the motion to report progress was carried by 34 to 20, and a few minutes later the House adjourned until Monday evening at 7.50. Before adjourning, however, the Premier announced that if there was a full house on Monday he would go on with the tariff, but if the House was a thin one he would tak? other business.