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THE DAY IN PARLIAMENT
Yesterday the Assembly put In a
very solid day's work. Members
woic in good form for-prespectlon,
trospection, and Introspection, and
allowed nothing to pass- without • a
careful inquiry into nil matters connected
therewith. Several amendments
were adopted iu regard to Marine
Board by-laws nt l'ort Cvgudl,
jffobart, and Table Cape. Other "small '
business, Including a notice of lnDtl'im'
i)y the Premier to Kraut additional
leave to Dr. Crowther on account of
Illness was accomplished, and tlien the
Premier moved the second reading of
the Bill to grant Mr. James Cbtsbolm
a pension ol' £U0 jtcr nullum.
Tills measure was debated nt length.
The Leader of the Opposition protested
against iL on principle. He could
not see why an exception sb&uld be
made in Ibe ease of the applicant, ir
such application lind been made prior
to the adoption of the Old Ace Pension
scheme tliero niiiilit lie something
in the claim, but as tb« claim vVas admitted
lo be nut :i legal one .lie objected.
Several Opposition members
followed suit, sinil en members of
Hie Fusion (Mr. Payne find others) required
an assurance to the effect that
Mr. Cbisliolm ii.nl expected to receive
a pension at the lime he joined the
.service. This was not forthcoming, although
the Premier pleaded hard for
the justice of the ciaim. He was twit-
ted with advocating it when on the
previous dn.v he r.nii his party had
refused to Increase the police pay. anu
Ills "humanitarian' tendencies were
severely criticised; and tile Government
met defeat on the Bill, which
was lost by 14 to 12.
As it was a Government measure
ihe defeat is significant. Ministers
have been known to regard in a very
serious light the defeat of a measure
Introduced by the Premier, but no notice
was taken of this rejection flnvo
a satiric inquiry !-y Mr. Long. "Are
you going to consider the position?"
Then tbe House again went Into committee
of supply.
The question of railway wages was
before tbe eomniit : .ce of supply, and
Mr. Long was ridiculing
the
wages
paid.
He showed that some of the
porters were working for 19/3 a week,
and tlmt a maximum ot G/ per dlem
was the giddy height of affluence to
which they could look forward.
Mr.
Whltsitt took a hand In the game.
"There are. "quoth he,
"hundreds
of people in the State ready to Jump
into the billets If they became vacant
lo-niorrow."
"That is a doctrine of
pure
and
simple barbarism."' said
Mr.
Long.
"On what do you base the theory?"
Mr. Wliitsltt—"On the law of supply
and demand."
'"No more barbarous law
has
ever
been enunciated," said
Mr.
Long,
"than that of necessity. .It should be
a question of the means of living in
decency and comfort."
Later on the Minister for Railways
pointed out that the rates of pay were
as follow:—Youths of 18 years of age.
Who are learners, 3F>/3 a week; when
tbe.v reach the age of 39, 4/ per diem;
20 years, 0/ per dlem, and at 21 years,
5/0.
Where is Mr. Kwinff? The hon.
member for Franklin who was responsible
for the recent bomb Iu the
Fusion camp, was not present at Wednesday's
session of the Assembly, and
only once for a brief period prior to
10 o'clock last nl?lit. After that hour
the hon. member remained ill tbe
chamber, but lie wore a sad and subdued
air. Why? Echo—and the Opposition—answer
why? The boil,
member bad trouble at Port Cygnet,
hut siuce the re-luslon he seems to
lack the fire be had before. Wli.v?
The big discussion of the day's debate
centred on the railways.
Jensen, who spoke with tbe authority
of an cx-Miuistcr. having spent some
of ills late tenuro of office In delving
into the mysteries of railway management
charged tbe Minister with having
little knowledge of the working
of the department, and none at all of
the preferential rates allowed
certain cases. The matter is reported
at length elsewhere, and much interesting
light was (brown on a vexed
question by the debate.
One of the most significant phases
of the question came as a result of
Mr. Long having moved the postponement
of a clause in the railway
schedule. All sorts of questions were
dragged Into the debate which ensued,
among other the political control
railways. Alanv members declared
against it, and the climax was reach
ed when the Premier, In so many
words and without circumlocution declared
his advocacy of the abolition of
flic present system. He favors the
appointment of a commissioner, free
from political influence, and gave an
undertaking that if Ills Government
got Into recess a BUI to give effect to
that view would lie one of the first
considerations of Cabinet. So Mr.
Hean may lose another source
anxiety iu the near future. Mr. Long's
motion was defeated.
Generally speaking, the debate left
railway matters in r. better state than
they were. Definite pnderinlihigR were
given by the Minister to ndjust: certain
matters of wriee mid conditions,
and Parliament: will see tliat the railway
servants get fairly dealt by.
Quite a war raced round ngricultu
ral matters also. The subject came up
on a statement by the Minister tliat
tile Government intended to abolish
the Council of Agriculture and apiiolnt
a director. Generally speaking, mem
hers favored the new departure, nnd
advocated a speedier and more effective
system of expediting a better
knowledge of the rural arts. Mr.
Whltsitt was the notable exception.
He was "agin tba Government,"
attitude in absolute harmony with
many of his previous utterances,
•wanted people with practical knowledge
and not theoretical. He waived
away nil Government experts and
training institutions, with a comprelienslve
genuflection. He saw no virtue
In dairy experts or poultry experts
or fruit experts, or any other
kind of'expert Give the people land,
he said in so many words, nnd they
will' produce all that is required,
which is .in Arcadian theory truly refreshing
In this weary age be stress
and intensity. Bat Mr. Whltsitt Is an
Irishman, and—well the Hibernian
wM! Jrye iis -
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