ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.
(Extracted from the Diary of Toby, M.P.)
The Speaker (lapsing for the first time from Parliamentary etiquette at the sight of Sir George Reid ready to take his seat in the House). "Advance, Australia!"
House of Commons, Monday, January 10th.—In spite of sharp rebuke administered by Speaker last week the Pertinacious Pringle to the fore again—to be precise, to the Forward. This the name of weekly paper that is published in Clyde district, and has of late emerged from obscurity by "deliberately inciting workers," as Lloyd George said, "not to carry out Act of Parliament passed in order to promote the output of munitions." On motion for adjournment Pringle perceived opportunity of attacking Minister of Munitions. Accused him of suppressing the sheet because it had reported proceedings at meetings attended by him in Glasgow, at which his speech was interrupted by noisy minority. This course of procedure imitated by Pringle when Lloyd George, replying, quoted passages in the paper making violent attack on the King and systematic attempts to stem flood of recruiting.
"These things," said the Minister, in passage loudly cheered, "meant life or death to our men in the field. They are not suitable matters for Parliamentary sport. We are dealing in tragedies. I am doing my best to save the men at the Front. I am entitled to be helped, not to be harried."
Outhwaite, coming to assistance of Pringle, otherwise prangling all forlorn, jumped upon by Captain Campbell.
"If I had the Hon. Member in my battalion at the Front," he said, "he would be strung up by the thumbs before he had been there half-an-hour."
This scarcely Parliamentary; but it passed the Chair, leaving the gallant Captain, who modestly wears well-won ribbon of D.S.O., time to adjure the House to "get on with the War."
Business done.—In House barely half full Motion carried calling upon Government to enter into consultation with the Overseas Dominions in order to bring economic strength of Empire into co-operation with our Allies in a policy directed against the enemy.