PEARLS FROM PARLIAMENT

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 64, 21 September 1901, Page 16

PEARLS FROM PARLIAMENT

AND the idea that, because women aio not so able to teach the higher standards, theiefoie thej should got lower pay foi the low ei standauls than men get foi the same woik is ndiculous nonsense — Mr. Pirani. * » * You can no moie claim the light of absolute owneiship in land than -sou can claim the absolute right of owneiship to air 01 water, or any other natural gift of the Creator to mankind -- Mr. Hanan. * * * My objection to the Statement is its inordinate length I object to its periphrastic redundancy, its cloudiness and complexity of diction, its contradictions in relation to surpluses, remissions of taxation, and of borrowing. — Mi Cieo Fisher on ledundancy. » • • We are the wealthiest country per head of population in the whole world. That is a big thing to sav, but it is a fact nevertheless The wealth of this counts 'amounts to no less than £288 for e\ei\ man, woman, and child in the colony - Mr K G Allen ftveiv co-opeiative man is a \ ote toi tho Go\ eminent, because he daie not \ ote otherwise I say they dare not do it. Let the ballot-box next time be taken iiom the polling-booths to Hunteiwllc or Patea, and the votes counted together with a'l tho otheis, and they will see where the co-operative % ote will be then Mr Haselden. * * * Mr. Geo Fisher — Suppose Don Juan (Seddon), the libertine and betiayei, to \anish in a, cloud of blue name, who is to succeed him ? An hon. member. — Chaos. Mr. Fisher — His name may be "Ohaos," but it will not be Captain Russell, for Captain Russell is destined no inoi e. to lead a party in this House. * * * We have been attacking the hoaiylieaded usuiers, we have been rescuing the small faimeis fiom the clutches of the moneylenders, who were squeezing (heir 10 and lo per cent interest out of them robbing them of all the pioht of their farms. We have remo\ ed the load of taxation imposed on them thiough the medium of the propeitv ta\ and now some of our land-reform-i>is would get rid of the lease in perpetuity. Mi. Hogg. * • » The honouiable member tor Riccarton complained about the increase in the indebtedness of the colony, and honourable membeis must have noticed his quivering \ oice indeed, you could almost see a quiver m his eve from here--when he said that he actualK tiembled to think what the consequences might be if we were not able to obtain money in the Knghsh maiket in twelve months from now Sn J G Ward * * * It is a lemaikable thing that the number of lunatics should be inci easing at the rate they are. The member for Waitemata sajs he is not surprised at it I am, however, surprised at it because, aftei all, what is the gieat predisposing cause of lunacy ? It is dunk and whatever the young colonial is, he is not a drunkard And I do not think that it is lehgious mania that is tinning the heads of so many colonists What is the cause of this lunacy vv — Mr. Laurenson. An hon member — Bad laws * * * The Piemier is the type of the political sceptic and libertine He believes in no such thing as honesty of conviction or virtuous conduct. By his pohc\ he has killed the work of his foimer commandant betrayed the child of his later yeais, and now by a proposition - tho most e\tiavagant ever put befoie Parliament- of a public works expenditure of Cl, <)">(), 000, he insults the memory of his former "levered leader" Captain Russell. When the Pienner says the good ship •Finance" has to be steadied one wondeis what ho means — whether we ought to go down below and trim the ballast, or sit on the gunwale to keep her from lolling oi send a tiesh hand to the wheel to steei liei piopeih He had better take my advice, and stay a.shoie, and leave the steadying of good steamers alono to those who understand the business.— Mr. Hutchoson.

The very fact that New Zealand has stood the strain of the prodigality of administration during the la&t eight or nine years is sufficient pi oof that it cannot be ruined. If we were to-morrow on the verge of bankruptcy, New Zealand would immediately, if left alone, use, phoenix-like, from its ashes. It is not time-serving politicians nor bad (statecraft that can ruin it, or it would be in a much worse predicament than it is now. — Mr. Hutcheson. * ♦ * These bees, during the debate have taken the form of figures, and they have been swarming to such an extent that some members have them in their bonnet, and I am inclined to think it will take some time before those bees are got out.— Mr. Willis. An lion, member. — Flies, you mean. Mr Willis. — No, there are no flies on the Government, anyhow. Mr. Massey. — -Though I am prepared to admit that it does contain a certain amount of good advice about prudence and economy in connection with financial matters, still, coming from the source it does, it reminds me of Satan leproving sin. Mr. Seddon. — "Seddon," not "Satan." Mr. Massey. — I do not wish to suggest any comparison. * * * Mr. Pirani. — Any man in the colony who wishes to disqualify the Premier fiom sitting in Parliament has only to bring an action under the Disqualification Act for receiving moneys outside the amounts which are allowed, and he would have a very successful result to his suit. Mr. Seddon. — You could get rid of me very cheaply at that price. Mr. Pnani. Perhaps, unfortunately, we do not want to get nd of the Piemiei at the present time. Wo arc very pleased to see him stew in his own juice for a little bit longer. — Mr. Pirani. * * * Sir J G. Waul. — We have a civil service in this countiy of which wo ought to be proud, and, because some honouiaJole members get an imaginary notion into their heads that our finances are dislocated, the hist thing they do is to make a set at tho unfortunate civil servants and reduce their salaries to a paltiy pittance. Take the salaries of the higher officers. Mr. Atkinson — Start on Ministers Sir J. G. Ward. — The honourable gentleman can start anywhere he likes. He knows perfectly well Ministers are indifferent to anything of the kind. * * • Yes, the Opposition have piped the one air — that the colony was on the veigo of the piecipice ot financial disastei — and the manonettes ha\e danced to it. Thej ha\e nnpiesscd two or tluec honourable membeis who I think should lia\e known better. 1 appear in this House to-night, sn, and in tins debate, as a student and a pupil. I wish to learn what the actual position ol the colony is financially. Possibly lam not able to grasp it, and analyse it unassisted, and consequently I have to listen to the speeches of honouiable members and weigh their utterances. — Mr. A. L. D. Fraser. Shall Helios, the Sun-god, hand to Phdjthon vCaptain Russell) and Upaphus (Mi. J. Allen) the chanot and the reins of Government.'' Not for a week, not for an hour. Honourable members know, as well as I do, the Opposition policy is cnticism. May tlu.^ criticise ' nut when they ask the country and ask membeis to help them to direct the coloir\ in the way it should go, the countiy gives them their answei at the hustings — Mr. Wilford drifts into the classics. * * * The hououiabic member lor the Subui bs is still very young, and the sun is still the cause and parent of all things to him , his political lummaiy plays the same pait in his hmiament and hi* theological system as the sun played in_ ihc theory ot our primitive forefathers Of course, he will grow out of it in time. May I add a woul ot caution w ltli regard to his exposition of the parable '^ It will certainly lead better than it sounded, and I would urge upon tin* honourable member for the Suburbs that when lie next makes a display of di^ical learning in this House it will b(< less novel, but it will be more lmpicssivo if he first learns how to pionounci' the names.— Mi. Atkinson * » » And wlieie was his (Mi. Pnani's) vutiwhen the £40 was given to membeis J The honourable member for Palmeiston opposed it, and took his stand in the House and voted against it Theie is consistency but the honouiable member who congi atulates himself in his own papei on the position he took in regard to these two subjects, after not voting against one of the pioposals and then accepting the benefit acciuing therefrom well he is ,i political juggler his kaleidoscopic changes from one side to another must remove anv confidence one should lune in him.- Mr. A L. D. Fraser.