CHAP. viii] RELATIONS OF THE HOUSES 583 
business and to pass very important railway Bills, but not 
s0 long as Mr. Philp was in charge of the Government. 
Mr. Kidston maintained that it was essential that the 
Upper House should be compelled to yield to the wishes 
of the Lower House, while the Premier maintained that 
the Upper House was entitled to throw out Bills unless they 
were certain that the country approved them. Accordingly 
Mr. Kidston’s amendment in Committee of Supply, that 
the Chairman should leave the chair and report no progress, 
was carried by the coalition vote of thirty-seven to twenty- 
nine. The Government then saw that it was impossible to 
proceed, and on November 20% Mr. Philp announced that 
instead of resigning they had decided to ask the Gover- 
aor for a dissolution, and that the Governor had granted 
a dissolution. He moved to adjourn the House, but was 
defeated by thirty-seven to twenty-six, whereupon Mr, 
Kidston proposed that the House should adjourn until the 
next Friday. Mr. Kidston protested against the action of the 
Government in not resigning. The leader of the Labour party 
most energetically attacked the Governor for his action, but 
the Speaker pointed out that he must not make personal 
allusion to His Excellency. If he wished to criticize the 
advice which was tendered to His Excellency he would be 
in order in doing 50.2 It was pointed out by another member, 
Mr. Bell, that Mr. Kidston could have adopted the pro- 
cedure of Mr. Ballance and asked the Governor to refer 
heme for instructions, but he had taken a more considerate 
course and tendered his resignation, with the result that the 
new Government had been proved not to have the confidence 
of the House. 
On the 22nd of November Mr. Kidston moved an amend- 
ment for an address to the Governor with regard to the 
political situation. The address pointed out that the 
Assembly was elected on May 18, 1907, and was a most 
Tecent expression of the will of the country ; that for four 
years the Legislative Council had obstructed measures 
Parliamentary Debates, c. 1756 seq. 
" Thid., p. 1763. 
t Thid., p. 1761.