OTAGO CENTRAL RAILWAY. STONEWALLING.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 286, 1 August 1888, Page 4

OTAGO CENTRAL RAILWAY. STONEWALLING.

ALL NIGHT SITTING. Wellington, July 27. This measure found its way to the top 0/ the Order Paper yesterday, and the stonewalling tactics of last week were resorted to on an organised system. Strong exception was taken to the measure by Messrs John McKenzie, Fish and Duncan, three Otago members, and they spoke warmly in denunciation of it. Mr McKenzie declared that it was devised to enable several gentlemen in Dunedin to make fifteen or twenty thousand pounds. The obstruction ot Messrs Fish and McKenzie ceased with their speeches, and it was then that the Auckland members took a hand in the game, and kept the fun alive. Conspicuou& among&t bhe&e were Sir George Grey, and Messrs Goldie and R. Thompson. Sir George Grey made several able speeches?, in which he said a great wrong would be done lo the country and its prospen ty by giving away a large block of mineial and fertile country to strangers. The lives oi children depended on it, he said, and llie Hou&e laughed, but the laugliLci did not turn Sir Geoige Grey from hi'- puipo&e. He was relieved by Mr R. Thompson, who is, an uncompromising opponent of the Bill, and he said ho would leave the Government party if they assisted or were willing to give away half a million acres of the best land in Otago in order to ]etam their seats on the Treasury Benches. Mr Goldie then had a turn on the stump, and those who are aware ot the fluency' with which he speaks can understand how useful he was in a stonewall. He was engaged on a humorous and .satirical speecn, and appeared to be wound uptogoforseveralhours, when the House, at 11 o'clock, took pity on the o\ or worked reporters, an r i ordered the galleries to be cleared. There was then e\ciy probability of an all-night sitting, as both sides declared their intention of stayliiii till halt-past two this afternoon to accomplish their object.

LATER. The stonewall continueb merrily, and is likely to be kept up till midnight on Saturday. The piinoipal speakers have been Mebsrt. Duncan, Goldie, R. Thompson, and Sir (ieorge Uiey. Ab nine o'clock this morning, Mi Fergus moved the the galleries be again opened, and this was agreed to. Mi O'CaJlagban and Major Steward iiuve relieved Mr Hamlin as Chairman ot Committees. Attention ha.-- been called innumerable times to the slate ot the House, but all attempts by the opponents ot the Bill to get a count out haA c signally failed. At 9.40. when your representative alone occupied a seat in the press gallery, Mr Taylor that now that reporters were present ho wished to complain cf the frivolous conduct of the member for Marsden in calling attention to the want of a quorum every live minutes. An hon. member — " Every five seconds'." Mr Taylor rose to a point of older. Vas the House to be bored by listening to the twaddle of the opponents of the Bill .' He had sat in his seat for ten hours ard had had quite enough ot it. It was the habit ot members to call attention to the state of the House and then make a bolt from the chamber to prevent a quorum being present. Major Steward, who was piesiding, ruled that it was perfectly competent tor any member to withdraw, because noChairinan or Speakei could compel him to remain wifchin the precinctb of the chamber. However, now that the question / had been raised, he might explain that he always counted the hon. member who called attention to the state or the House, so that it did not matter whether he remained or not.

THE DEBATE STILL PROCEEDING. REMARKABLE SCENES. The pioceedings in connection with the Otago Central Railway Bill aye most reraavkablc. The House was sitting all nighfc, and the debate is still proceeding at the time of wiring (noon). Mr Goldie spoke for two hours and a half last night, andwasstill on the preliminary canter ot his speech when he was brought up by a point of order. He then postponed the main part of his speech till a later period of the debate. Mr Robert Thompson then took up the running, and spoke for four hours and forty-seven minutes. His discourse was full of reasoning and argument, and was far above the average of stonewall speeches. He annoyed Mr Pyke very seriously by suggesting that the names of the syndicate should be struck out and tho^e of Sir Robert Stout and Mr Ballance inserted in their place. Several times he complained that members were snoring instead of listening 1 to him, and the Chairman had each time to =end round a messenger to waken the members. Sir (Jeo. Grey followed Mr Thompson in an eloquent speech, lasting an hour and a-half. It was then about seven o'clock in the morninjj. Major Stewaid relieved Mr Hamlin as Chairman, while, during the night, Messrs Pyke, Barvon and Hutchison had taken charge of the Bill in turns. Mr Duncan followed Sir George Grey, and the earlier part of his speech was interrupted by the breakfast adjournment of an hour. At nine o'clock, when the galleries were again opened, Mr Duncan was speaking and continued till eleven, when he stopped for refreshment after a discourse of three hours. Sir Geo. Grey, who like the others was up all night, entered the chamber while Mr Duncan was speaking, and was cheered by the House. Mr Fish, looking as fresh as a daisy, continued the debate, and was frequently interrupted by the ringing of the bell for a quorum. (Five times Messrs Joyce, Scobie Mackenzie and Dr. Fitchett had to leave breakfast to make up a quorum.) He urged a compromise between the parties. Mr Fish was speaking at noon, and was urging that the Otago Central should be constructed out of the unexpended balance of the North Island Trunk loan. There is every prospect of the sitting continuing till midnight on Saturday, when the House must adjourn. > / Mr Fish continued his speech till 1" o'clock this afternoon. When he had been speaking two hours he urged that the , debate should then be adjourned till another day to allow the Government business to proceed. At one o'clock Mr Hamftn adjourned the debate till 2.30 p.m. "^he sitting appears certain to last all m'gflt again and till midnight to-morrow. /

Efforts were made yesterday afternoon to patch up the deferences between the supporters and/opponents of the Otago Central /^ill. The' Premier having declare^ that the Government considered bhe measiu*e of such importance that they would take ijp no other y I

business until it was disposed of, an adjournment was made from 4.30 to 7.30 in order that a compromise might be arrived at. Meetings of both sides were then held, and culminated in a joint meeting of the two parties, at which resolutions were carried to the effect that the line be extended to Eveburn, 35 miles beyond Middlemavch, instead of 140 miles as proposed in the Bill, the Government to undertake the construction and set aside sufficient land for the purpose, and the work be carried out with the least possible delay. These resolutions were considered by the Cabinet, but no decision was arrived at, and on the House resuming, the Premier asked for an adjournment until Monday afternoon, when he would be prepared to state the course the Government proposed to take. After a long discussion this suggestion was agreed to, and the flouae rose at 7.40, after a continuous sitting of 30 hours, the only intervals being thc o< 3 for rest and refreshment.

NORTH AUCKLAND RAILWAY. There seems bub little doubt that the obstructionists have secured this point, that the North Auckland railway will be constructed on the same principle. When Mr R. Thompson waited on the Premier last night, Sir Harry remarked, "I suppose you will want the North Auckland railway made on the same principle ?" "Yes,*' remarked Mr Thompson, "we shall." " Well, ' &aid the Premier, " 1 don't see why it should not be done foy one as well as the other."

THE COST OF THE STONEWALL. Southern members say the cost to Auckland of this stonewall will be the San Francisco mail ser\ice. The feeling of Auckland members on this question is very warm, and they will look to the Government to accept its due responsibility. The direct service contract also requires renewal, and the Auckland members will have something to say on this question if it is attempted to abolish the San Francisco service.

THE STONE WALLERS. Mr Hobbs appears to be a trifle unhappy because he did nob have a turn ab the stonewall. He worked hard to keep it going, and was to have taken his turn on the stump yesterday afternoon. The compromise, however, renders his speech unnecessary, and his notes are now waste paper. The obstructionists claim that they have secured a great victory against the principle of giving: away large blocks of land to foreigners to make the line.