UNWILLING PARLIAMENTARY PICNICKERS. A Forced Holiday.

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 151, 23 May 1903, Page 8

UNWILLING PARLIAMENTARY PICNICKERS. A Forced Holiday.

AN extraordinary state of affairs ha>> arisen at the Islands- According to late news received, it seemb that the members of the Government party now closely looking into Island politics, on behalf of the people of New Zealand, want to get home, and can't I< seems, according to a correspondent with them, that, irrespective of their wishes, which are to at once come back and save* their country, they are being toted round to islands they don't want t<- goto, and aie wasting their precious time on niggers who are not New Zealand colonials. * * * When they return, there is some talk of bringing in a bill providing that members shall not be forcibly dragged away from the bosoms of their families to waste precious time on islands that don't belong to them. There isn't the least tittle of evidence that the reporter was "inspired" to write the note saying that members objected to an extended holiday. Such a> thing would never have occurred to any man of the party. You see, the trip having been planned in Wellington, and the several islands to be visited agreed upon, no member having the welfare of his country at heart would have looked to see if all the islands' mentioned were dependencies of this colony. T * • The bare thought of several seriouslydisposed gentlemen being forcibly driven to insular gaieties is shocking in the ex treme. Their constituents left memberless almost on the eve of a session of Parliament, doomed to pigeon-hole their requests' until the Minister of Customs shall give the word "Home'" A great number of members would not have gone on that trip if they had known that they were to be prisoners, doomed to dreamily dawdle through an, archipelago when they were aching to be at home, doing something for their money. * * * The extra week or so holiday, as a matter-of-fact, has been forced on unwilling mem, and there is not the least doubt that the whole affair will be discussed at great expense when the Mapourika gets home, and the members are in their places. The objection ot the members to the extended trip is the best answer to the cavillers who were assured that they intended going away only for personal enjoyment. Their horror at being bound to "follow the man from Cook's," so to speak, entirely discounts that supposition. * * * It is to be sincerely hoped that the liberties taken will not seriously injure the health of the objectors 1 , and that they may live down the insult. It is obvious that when the Government

wants to find out something about its possessions again it wiJl have to use very strong measures to induce members to forego the pleasure of doiag their duty at home to facing the misery of a forced cruise.