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.
