ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 157, 12 October 1910, Page 7

ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, October 8.

"The peace, the freedom, the order, the happiness which the rule guarantees are not part of my birthright as an Englishman, and 1 bless God for my share. Where else shall I find such liberty of action, thought or speech, or laws that will protect me well?" Everybody, of course, knows that these words were used by Thackeray in his "Roundabout Paper" on the marriage of the Princess of Wales in 1803. The nation had taken the opportunity of the lad's arrival in England to make a great outburst of loyalty to the throne. What that loyalty precisely meant the great humorist who called his paper "Alexandrines" undertook to show those, few words above quoted. The same spirit is to be found in the resolution passed by both Houses of Parliament congratulating South Africa on the establishment of national Government under the Union lately formed. It is a congratulation on the freedom, order and happiness guaranteed to the people of the great Dominion of South Africa by its inclusion under federation in the British Empire.

Hon. members did justice to the subject with brevity, and on this occasion the memory of Sir George Grey was not forgotten. One or two men rose into fervid oratory, but for the most part the accepted rule was "no flummery." Outside in the lobbies one man said he thought it a little premature to congratulate the Boers on their entry into the Empire because in his opinion they had yet to show whether they will stav. That may be the opinion of more than one, but that could not find a place in the resolution of the Houses, nor could it be very well said in debate. Inside everything 'was correct and outside I do not think that there are here many doubting Thomases. Anyhow, everything was very orderly and timely. * * * * ,

In Parliamentary, as in other circles, there has been quite a flutter over a nasty development at ths new Government House. Invitations are out for many functions on a scale which argues an intention of entertaining very largelv; everyone had 'been inscribed in the visiting book, the dressmakers were in full blast, and there was much gossip about the coming enjoyments. But suddenly the announcement is made that there i= something wrong with the new Govnnment House drains that the Governoand his family find it necessary to flitto the house "they have secured in the Wairarapa until such time as the drainage is put right, all invitations being dulv cancelled for the present. Everybody at once set to work to blame somebody except those people who set to work to 'excuse themselves before they were suspected of being responsible. The Mayor ostentatiously declared that the Council had offered the Government the loan of their inspectors and experts who are the only people practised in the difficult art of making drains what they ought to he in the "up-to-date" manner; but the Department concerned preferred to rely on their own men. Mr. Wilford did not say that the course adopted was the cause of the trouble. But he declared emphatically that the Council cannot be held responsible in any way after the refusal of their offers to set matters in the right path. The Department on its side says that the drainage system adopted is in no wav faulty, the whole trouble being due to the temporary stoppage of one of the drains. All the public knows is that the whole force of experts obtainable are on the job. Most men think that the trouble is wholly unjustifiable in the present state of sanitary skill. There will probably be a row in Parliament about the matter. There certainly should be. To dump a Governor down in a new house and threaten him with typhoid is something that wants explanation, especially as some dozens of his people are not feeling well in consequence.

But Parliament has rows enough of its own just now. it has been a week of rows, one of them going to an all-night .sitting, the most remarkable part of which was its effect on the new members', the men who -have never seen anything of the 'kind in their quiet uneventful lives. Their astonishment and disgust was simply ludicrous.' 'lt is an ill house to drive, resembling the House which James I. called the "five hundred kings." What j those five hundred kings could do in the way of the irrepressible they showed later on by taking off the head of the same king's son. The House of Representatives is the heir of these kingships: also of the msn who earlier made the constitution good against absolutism and later when they had taken the head of the absolute ruler who annoyed 'them the most —barring the great despotic Tudors whom no one evr dreamt of withstanding—placed the constitution on the footing Wi 3 now enjov. They are, moreover, the heirs of all the standing orders and the many utterances, discussions, privileges and escapades pertaining thereto. Consequently, if anyone seeks j to drive them when thev are not in the mood to be driven there is trouble. After passing the Defence and Education Rills on Tuesdav night they were not in t'he mood. The Minister persisting, they stuck un everything right through the long rtinbt from half-past one to after eight. The hours dragged, the lights became oppressive, all reason departed, orginise' revolt reigned, in disorganisation. The dawn came, the birds rioted in the trees in the fresh moraine air of the grounds, the run arose in all his majestv on the assembly of boiled owls blinking and pretending to make jokes. But not a sfrok" of work would they do. rlenlv the stonewall broke. Th* Hou-f wnt to breakfast and coming back rmt through the greater part of the Bill thev had stuck up all night, in an hour. Fad the Lender of the Housp simplv askp'l them to pass the first clause before adjourning there would haw been little fuss. Probably the men would have asked to be allowed to finish the Bill.

Thursday night saw these, kings at it again. The Minister of P'lVir Works .wanted to put his Quarries Bill thro'iidi. Rut Mi» kings who obiect to something in th-> Bill and are in the mirrorih- on the matter stuck up progress in the sam" war for hours, and the Min-ster, warned In- Hie les*nn of Tuesdav night, i-hve war after ho. had been for some ho'.rs. Th-> kings did not reflect that had the Minister framed his measure on the English model they would have been wrestling with whins of scorpions. In England the explosive men are required to have mining certificates. C'>n'na v ed with the ordinary certificate of mechanical competency a'ked for in this Bill, what is it? Where were the kings? Main- of them object to thoi application of the Act to the local bodies I and to small quarries. The Minister "tnrlilv declared that the protection of life and property was above all things. But the stonewall went up all the same. ♦ * * * Estimates on Fridav night caused the kings some more sleeplessness, but that ! s the usual rule of the estimate. MemV's are for-' r' 'lectern* that it is the height of folly to try to alter the esti-

mates in any way, but they always insist on trying, nevertheless, and keep everybody out of bed for the vak purpose. » » * *

Defence went through the final stages with the necessary ami proper flourish of trumpets. Everyone beat the big drum on his chest, filled his lungs, and would have sung "Rule Britannia" if he had happened to think of it. That would have remanded us of the night dur ing the South African war time, when the House did sing the oid patriotic ditty with great fervor. » » * *

The most important work for the rest is the whole responsibility for the working of the estates under the Land Finance Act on the shoulders of the individuals for their holdings only, leaving the Government to shoulder the cost of the defaults. Another important new departure is the granting of power to pay for estates under the Land for Settlement Aats by Government debentures if the vendors will only take them. These innovations are expected to give a tremendous filip to closer settlement.- We shall see what we shall see. At present, however, we may hope these changes being made, to see better things in the future than we have seen in the past.

As the night was wearing to an uninteresting close, a whisper went round of something great in the wind. True it was, and the thing expected did not remain in the wind long. It was promptly on the floor, in company with the Premier in- explanation. Thus we got to the long unexpected Licensing Bill. It takes away the breath of every ma,n not ja total prohibitionist of the first water. There are no pin-pricks in it. It simply proposes to enable 55 per cent.- of the adult population to compel the balance to drink water for the rest of their lives. It goes further than the "pact" of last year in this direction, and at present the feeling except among prohibitionists is of exasperated wonder. It remains to be seen what will happen. There is an uncomfortable notion abroad that the prohibition element is in the ascendant. Certainly it is tremendously jubilant.

Gambling has also come in the heels of the week. The .problem is to be solved by the abolition of the bookie and the largely reduced use of the machine. There is much approval, but it is not unanimous. Here also it is shrewdly suspected that the Government has a good idrea of the side on which its bread is buttered. In fact, there is no doubt afoout it in ths ease of the Gambling Bill. But the doubt in the case of the other is real and makes the situation spe-. daily interesting. **• # * The essence of the week is such that no one can say that the sensations are increasing, of a session oice regarded as sure of the flattest existence.

IMPERIAL MOTOR GARAGE