THE FRIENDLY SOCIETIES BILL.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2043, 11 August 1885, Page 2

THE FRIENDLY SOCIETIES BILL.

How the Goldfields Members Love One Another. The following portion of our Wellington correspondent's telegram on Friday night was crowded out of our last issue :—: — Those nf your rcadeis who arc interested in the pacing of the Friendly Societies Amendment Bill have to thank the irrepressible member foi ICum ir.i for having .successfully jockeyed tho bill la->t night. It happened in this way. Mr Monteith, another mining momber, had a, bill on the oidei paper for .in amendment of tho Mines Act, to which Mr Setldoti proposed a new clause. This clause wts ignoininmu-<]y rejected liv the House, which evidently angi-ied the lnembei for Ivumara no slight degiee. The next bill foi discussion wis Mi Dow nie Sto wait's I'awnbrokeisßill, in nio\ ui£ w Inch the n.enibei in chaise said lie should be very luief, as \\c understood there was home other business which the membeis wero anxious to bung foi ward. Two or thiee other members made a few temurks on the bill, when the member for Kum.ua lose with an ominous air and bent brows. It w.vs by this tune 12.20., and the tide of the House is that no new business cm bo taken after 12.30. Mr Seddon continued speaking for neaily 10 minutes when Mr O'Connoi, a goldhelds member, who was in charge of the Fnendly Societies Act, pointedly asked him whether ho was talk ing the bill out. Mr Seddon looked straight at him and continued his oiation, although he was twice told by the Speaker that he must confine himself to the bill under discussion. By this time h;ilf-pi*t 12 had ai lived, and Mr O'Connor, seeing his chance was hopeless, left the chanibei with several other members, so as to retaliate on the member foi Kumaia. The Litter, seeing the little mo\e, at once concluded Jus temarku, and only barely escaped the humiliation of being "c mnter out," as there was no quorum piesent. Some membeis having called attention to the " state of the House,"' the bill was lung, and a quotum brought in. Mr O'Connor als > came bick and said ho wished it to be placed on recoid that Mr Seddon (who was at this time absent) had openly declared his intention of acting a* he had done He c.iiisideied it an unjustifiable act for any membei to iw the forms of the Hoiwe in such a (li.innei, and it was by n i means the first time the membar had acted in t ie snne way. The Speaker li3re called Mr O'Connor to oi del for attacking a memh ■[ when he was not piesent to leply to the charge, but Mr O Connor said his motive was merely to have his protest recorded in Hans.ud. The matter then dropped, and the House roue. It is questionable whether at this st.ige of the session the Friendly Societies Bill will have another chance of coming on, ah the Government will shortly monopolise all private membeis' days for Government business. L i>t night's obstruction was only anothet illustration of how those (ioldhelds nieinbeis love one another.