The Patea Mail. Established 1875. FRIDAY, JULY 27, 1883. OPPOSITION TACTICS.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1065, 27 July 1883, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. FRIDAY, JULY 27, 1883. OPPOSITION TACTICS.

One of the stock grievances of the Opposition is that the Government bring down their Estimates late in the session, and then when members are weary of legislative 'duties and anxious to get away to their homes, rush them through the House. By this means, it is contended, the expenditure of the country is not sufficiently scrutinised by the House, and an opportunity is afforded for slipping little sums through upon the Estimates.in favour of districts the support of whose member has stood the Government well in the hour of need. This is one of the arguments used by the Opposition, generally when Parliament opens. In the speech which Mr Montgomery made at the beginning of the session he charged the Government with having delayed the Estimates with a view of getting them passed without alteration. He also said that the business of the country was obstructed by the Government in the course they pursued.. Major Atkinson explained that it was Mr Montgomery’s own followers who were to blame because they were eternally on the alert to seize an opportunity to either plunge into a no-confidence debate or stonewall a measure that did not meet their approval. How far the Major was right has been well illustrated during the present sitting of the House. Already there have been three or four no-confidence debates, and the other night a “ stonewall” was set up while the estimates were under consideration. To give our readers some idea of - the “ carrying on ” in the House, we will quote an extract or two from the Posts report. After detailing what had been done np to 11 o’clock, our contemporary says : “ The discussion then degenerated into attacks on the Ministry by the Opposition,'relative to pre-emptive rights in Canterbury, Domesday Book, and the Land Act, 1877. At first the discussion was confined principally to Sir George Grey and the Minister for Lands, but was afterwards carried on by Mr Seddon and Mr Fish, who took turn and turn about in continuing the talk on every conceivable subject except the Estimates, the proceedings being enlivened by a relation by Mr M. W. Green, of the history of his political conversion. At 3- 80 a.m. the motion to report progress was negatived upon the voices,” Some votes were then passed, but when the item £2OO Inspector of Hospitals came up, Mr De Lautour moved that it be struck out. This was the signal for fresh pranks, which are thus recorded : “ Thereupon Mr Turnbull spoke for upwards of an hour, and read the Inspector’s report on the 38 hospitals of the colony to show that Dr Grabham had earned this money. He several times called attention to the state of the House, drank two or three glasses of water, despatched the messenger for appendices to journals of the House to quote from, and was frequently called to order. His remarks elicited derisive cheers at the conclusion of almost every sentence. He repeated himself over and over again, not only as regards bis sentiments, but also in the phraseology nsed in expressing those sentiments. Colonel Trimble temporarily relieved Mr Hamlin as Chairman of the Committee, and on the return of the latter at 5 o’clock, Mr Turnbull was exhausted for the moment, and the matter went to a the amend® ment being negatived by 21 to 10. Mr Turnbull again got on his logs, and moved to report progress, taking tbo opportunity of delivering another lengthy exordium, embracing a variety of subjects from the National Compulsory Insurance scheme to the Terawhiti diggings. Mr Hamlin said lie would

not .allow the time of the committee to

be wasted in this manner. Mr Montgomery, the silent leader of the Opposition, had vanished from the scene an hour or more previously, having vainly appealed to the committee to consent to report progress. As. a matter of fact, there were, at half-past 5, only four. Opposition members present in the Souse, a quorum being provided from the ranks of the Government supporters —the members referred to were Messrs Barron, Joyce, Turnbull, and Harris. One or two others peepet} in from time to time, but did not remain long.” And so it went on until 7.25 a.m., the time being filed up with “ fishy ” jokes about “ barren ” debates. The votes gradually passed as the Government were determined not to give way .until the items in Colonial Secretary’s class were finished and then progress was reported. The tactics displayed by the Opposition were not such as would inspire the country with confidence in them as a governing body, and so long as they continue them Ministers are safe. In the early part of the night it was even proposed by Mr Joyce to pass the Estimates in gloho without considering the items at all, and that because the Government very properly refused to take back the estimates and reduce them by a lump sum of £50,000. It is an extremely simple thing to say that such a reduction can be made, but quite another matter to show how it. can be done. Instead, therefore, of getting into a “pet” because Ministers stated that they could not see their way to undertake the reduction, it would have been more to the credit of the obstructionists if they had quietly proved their assertions by specifying where the expenditure might be curtailed. But they could not do that, and therefore spent the night in annoying ministers by a fruitless attempt to tire them out. The result of the night’s work went very much-in the direction of proving.the case against themselves, lor although the Treasurer said be would be very glad to be shown where a saving might be made, it was more than the Opposition could do to gratify himj-and the Estimates passed as printed.