PEARLS FROM PARLIAMENT

Free Lance, Volume V, Issue 217, 27 August 1904, Page 20

PEARLS FROM PARLIAMENT

I KNOW that the Govei nment have mopped up pretty well all the spare cash in the country. — Mr. W. Fia&ei. * * * The Right Hon. the Prenuei thinks that he could off his own bat defeat the Russians without any organisation — Sir W. R. Russell - * « I would therefore counsel him (the Leader of the Opposition) to carefully consider whethei he should not recant and again put h imelf into the lunmng for the High Comanissionership — Sir J. G. Ward. It is absurd for an honouiable member to say, "I am opposed to borrowing, and I want the construction of roads. bridges, and lailways to go on a,ll the same." — Mr. Hanan. * * * Many passages in the Budget also lemindone of another flowery writer who, it is reported, embellished a former Budget, and with such success that he has since been worthily rewarded bv a seat in the Upper House. — Mr Duthie. * • • The pievious Government left things in such an infernal mess that it was quite right to alter the system, whatever it was. — Sir J. G. Ward. » * * We have a public service throughout the oolony packed with all manner of people for whom there is zeally no genuine need. The whole Government system is overgrown and conducted in a manner that, aftei the money is gone, nobody can tell how the lai ge bulk has been spent or point to tangible benefit to the people's welfare — Mr. Duthie. * * ■" Mr. Hanan. — Let us promote new industries of a finer and more highly skilled nature, so that the productive powers of our people and the manufacturing interests of the colony will be more fully developed, and the colony made less dependent on foreign countries for its manufactured articles. Mr. E. M. Smith. — Make use of my exhibition. * * * There seems to be an idea that oui volunteers can be made into soldiers by giving them an annual weekly encampment. Our country ladls are not likely

to be benefited by climbing mountains or fording rivois on holidays. — Mi . Buddo. *■ * * Take, first of all, the Public Works Department. The way they have been humbugging— l can call it nothing else — the cities ovei tramways, streets, and drainage i^> a disgrace. It shows absolute want of common-sente on the part of the men administering the Department. — Mr Millar. * * •» Let us <ill, as members, unite to tell our constituents that wo will not have any mo c public buildings in the coilony for, say, the next thiee. years. Let every member say he will take up a position of that kind, and, if so, there would be some real sinceiitv in the criticism levelled at the Administration, as to the legiet at the inoi eased expenditure on public buildings in the colony. — Sir J. G. Waid. # But. though I have not read the Budget, I listened attentively whale it was being read to see if I could pick out .some giaans of oats among the chaff — to see if I eouldi find "one halfnennvworth of bread to this intolerable dieal of sack." We aie all rejoiced to find the Premier is in such excellent heaJth. It apnears to me he is moie vigorous now than he has been for many years past. — Mr Lang. • * * The blacksmith is sometimes not found in these 1 back districts, and is often incompetent when found, so the bootmaker generally draws the teeth He has one rnstiument, and if that does not fit the tooth, the sufferer has to take his chance with the pinchers used in boot- repairing, and if those fail, the bootmaker will gouge out the* stump with the spike an the handle of an oldfashioned coi kscrew. — Mr. Moss # * * The^e short-dated debentures seem to be a sort of Micawber, always waiting for something to turn up — a sort of finance that does not appeal to me. It is like the case of the man who is neai'y always in debt, and when any of his creditors pester him few lepaymemt he gives them a bill, and fervently ejaculates, "Thank God, that's settled." Well, I am afraid that for some yeais to come our Treasuier will have a good deal of practice in saying, "Thank God, that is settled."— Mr. Rutherford. It was very peculiar that a "T. E. Taylor," residing at Ohristohurch, should recommend the working-men of Christchurch to take advantage of the golden opportunity of acqunmg a fleehold, and that Mr. T. E. Taylor, the honourable member for Chustohuich City, should stump the country and say that freeholds were going to bring the country to perdition. Had he been endeavouiing to induce the work-ing-men of Christohurch to invest in the bad security of a freehold? — Mr Remington. * * * If people cut down and destroy the "tiee of 01 edit" of New Zealand, how

are they going to 1 eplace that tiee? They take their sharp axes of criticism and lop down boughs that bear fruit, but how aie they going to i eplace those boughs, so that the tree may blossom agaan. and' bring forth fruit? They remind me of the boy who went into the garden with a sharp axe, and cut down a tree. I can almost fancy the honourable member for Bruce coming up to the Premier and saymg "Father Sieddan, I cannot tell a he , I cut down that tree with my little axe. — Mr. Witheford. Mr. Rutheiford (having recited thirteen verses of Sir William Stewarts immortal epic poem, "The Cruise of the Mapourika") — I say, aie we going up there to annihilate and wipe' out the*=e poor innocent beings P I say, No Is this fairy scene to be cha«eed by the vandahstic hand of the Briton for the sake of filthy lucre? I say, No , andi I shall do my best in the interest of the natives by voting steadily against all further expenditure on. these 1 lovely islands. If we have any surplus cash — which we have not — then let us spend it on our back-block roads, even in tunnelling Cook Strait , in. fact, on anything rather than in the Cook Group. Let us keen the withering, the deafhdeahne, effects of oui so-called civilisation away from these innocent, these trustful, people. Let us give them a chance to live.