A STORMY SCENE IN THE VICTORIAN ASSEMBLY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5209, 1 December 1877, Page 1 (Supplement)

A STORMY SCENE IN THE VICTORIAN A SSEMBLY.

I The Melbourne Arym* thus describes a rs- ■ cent scene in the Assembly : “ The most \ .stormy scene witm s ed in the L"g : s!ative As- ) sombiv since the days of the ‘stonewall’ occurred last evening. It was half a comedy of errors and ha ; f ot a more serious ca*t. The (livenim nt wished to pass the seven lines of railway Bill through th-; House ai one Httdng. Mr. G. P. SmUh, und r a mis ipp ehension, as it afterwards appear-d, that the Go alburn Valley line was to he pr 'ce.ele l with, obj ected, and as he sat down he interjected that the Bill had bettr stand over u Ail Mr. Gillies came b tele ro the Mouse. Ti e m mtiou of rhe name of the ex-member for Rodney was sufficient for Mr. (’faunson. who went off at a tangent To put himself in order he moved the adjournment of the House, de-cribed Mr. G-. P. Smith in passing as a petty, low, contemptible police-court practitioner, and proceeded to deal unsparingly with allege 1 malpraet ces on th ; part of Mr. Gill es, waving as he spoke the p.inted pipers of the Peter McArthur land case about Ids head. Mr. O-aunsori had spoken for twenty minutes when a message was conveyed to him that Mr. G. L\ Smith had been enlightened as to what Bill was before the House, and would withdraw his objection. And now the complication began. Mr. G. P. Smith desired to state why he had objected and why he withdrew. The Speaker would not allow him to do this, on the ground that by taking an objection to the second reading he had spoken already, and could not be heard again. ‘ Are hou. members on this side not to be allowed to speak at all?’ exclaimed Mr. Smith, who thereupon received a lecture from the chair, which he took in a spirit the reverse of meek. Sir John O’Shanaasy came to the rescue, but was put down, the Speaker refusing explicitly to hear him, and ruling that an hon. member who disagreed with the chair, must give notice of motion for the next day. Sir John O’Shauassy, who assured the House that he was calm, perfectly calm, also intimate I plainly that he was not going to be muzzled by any man, and Mr. Smith said, if ho was not allowed to explain, then he must per ist in hi; objection. As the hon. member for Boroond.ira per-Lted in this determination, the Speaker ruled that Mr. Gannson had a right to go on with Ids Imlffinished speech, which he accordingly did ; amt for half an hour more Mr. Ganns m did the mod-volcano business, singling out Mr. Gillies for special abuse, and begging the Chief Secretary to let him bring on the McArthur motnn. From this point the House was in a oontuuial storm. At one time Mr. Z>x was ou his legs to explain that he had not taken the hat round to collect coppers for Mr. Gil ies, Next Mr. G. P, Smith was inti uating that, if any one else bub Mr. Gaunsoti were speaking, he, though a sick man, would administer corporal punishment to him. Then Mr. Richardson defended the Elections and Qualifications Committee, and Mr. Mackay complained of “ malice and cowardice,” and fought a point, of order out ; while Mr. Woods and other Ministerial members were eloquent ou the point that Mr. Smith, and not Mr. Gaimson. had originated the scene. Finally, at 11 o’clock, as if moved by a simultaneous impure, hon. members seized their hats and retired, leaving Mr. Mcßain on his legs, and the Chief Secretary and three or four non-irritated gentlemen in possession of the House. No Lime was lost in dropping the curtain, and the worse than wasted evening was abruptly terminated.