PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 130, 17 June 1885, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

(BY OUR SPECIAL REPORT**.,

Wellington, this day From conversations I have had with eevei 1 Legislative Councillors, I do not think the Lords will offer a violent opposition to tho proposal to limit future appointments to a period of ten years.

The Hawke'B Bay members are slow in __'_ior_. M_a OK-_^5K

lhe lost strongly objects to all the Legislative Council appointments exc__. those of Capt. Morris and Mr Taiaroa Can. Morris deserved something for standi. aside in tho reconstruction of the Ministry and tho circumstances undor which Tai-.__ retired, fan the. Council on a former o c . easion justified him in expecting to be re stored again to power. Both Howe and Council will be justified in most severe W condemning the wholesale elevation whinhave taken placo ™

The speeches that appear in " Hansard " are not the speeches as delivered in ths House, members being supplied with proofs of their speeches, and not infrequently the. completely metamorphose their utterances Mr Guinness has given notice to move that the practice of revising speeches ba discontinued.

Mr Hatch has given notice to ask the Government to rescind theOrder-in-Co.ncil re sale of poisons.its working, he considers being impracticable. '

The civil list account for the financial year is redolent of evidences of the ehort- ' lived Ministers of last session. Mr Stout" during his 12 days' Premiership, drew £66 9s salary, whilo Major Atkinson, who held' tbo same position for three days, received £28 13s lid as a reward for his labours Mr Wakefield, five days' Colom.il Secretaryship and Mr Hursthouse, for a similar term as a Minister of Lands, gave them euch £2 9a Hd. °,\ Mr Peacock asks the Government if they;' will assist in providing more perfect com. inunication across the gulf between Archi Hill and Kingsland railway station. , ' I Mr O'Brien of Parnell, having written to' Sir George Grey re old .oldiers claims. th*a t ' member for City East recommended h'ls^ correspondent tolpetition the House through: Mr Mobs.

____k Noto Securing Bill, •■ Y'Y Mr Dargaville's Bank Note Securing Bill will be introduced today. It Bocks to make bank notes a first liability on the assets of i bank. It was introduced last session, and got through the second reading, und _v then amongst the slaughtered innocents.

Tho Chairmanship of Committees.

Tho question of the proposed appoint, ment to Mr Fulton's re-election to,the Chairmanship of tho Waste 'Landi--'- ---' Committee haa been freely discussed ■ in the lobbies this morning, and (am understanding on both tides it the housenow is that all lost year's chairmen of) counties be returned unopposed. - tm "t Customs Revenue. YY. The Customs revenue for the fi_ia_oi-_.i year ended 31st March was £1,544,771. Of this, £351,191 was collected at the port of" Auckland at a cost percent, of £2 18sj Wellington, £247,044, at £2 5s 7dj Dunedin £424,654, at £2 Os 3d; and Lyttelton-arid' Christchurch, £223,007 at £2 17s 4d. Thft" average cost of collection for the. •whole colony was £2 lis Od per cent.; tie previous financial year, £2 Is 4d. In 1881. tin-. cost in the United Kingdom was £3 12_lldia The gum export for 1884 was valuedai"' £342,151, as against £336,606 for 1883. Ym. •

Govornmont and their Half-hearted Sntw ,' porters. .•.;;;.:•"_(;

Tho " New Zealand Times " says: There; was a tone of rather more independence ondf..-,' "judgment reserved" about the speedier i of Messrs Pearson and Hislop last nigit;; than would be quite palatable to Ministers, ;' Tho support accorded by them to the GotY ' ernment was the reverse of enthusiastic pir_ thoroughgoing, and we fancy gome wry , faces must have been covertly pulled in the"' locality of tho Treasury benches. ; -'<?",'. Amondmont o_ Licensing Act, V V Mr Steward has not yet decided whethtr ho will or will not introduce his usual bill -

to amend the Licensing Act. He has a bill prepared, and its main provisions ore to substitute an electoral roll with fe_a_.ler_.te*>

payers added, androll of residents including all females, instead of a ratepayers roll on. which elections arenowconducted. Also,t(f;. make it necessary for the committee to take a poll of electors to confirm any decision to _\ close a house for any other cause than mis* conduct. Mr Steward will not int«_t-(_v ; the bill unless be first gets a pledge from,',; those members who flooded it last session, with additions in the interests of extreme '

publicans, and so cancel its defeat. Native Land Legislation.

Mr Ballance is understood to haVecon*eidorably modified his Native Land Bill,. chiefly with a view of protecting negotiations being entered into or inchoates agreements fairly made. No .pattic.lar.; aro yet known, but a member of ths Opposition informs me that this alteration' will be very beneficial to Government tap-

porters in the Upper House.

Refusing a Honorarium. ( ~ ~

Some stir is being made over w_ attempt ! by the Government to oußt Mr.Fuller fromY the Chairmanship of the Waste; Land*,;, Committee. Last session, a sum of £100 was granted, most improperly, as many';| people thought, to the Chairman of ; the Petitions, Native, Goldfields, and' Waste Lands Committees respectively,5' in addition to their honorariums.. Mr Fal; ton, Chairman of the Waste Lands Commit-, „ toe, disapproving of this proceedingjdeclined, to receive the £100, and returned the cheque to the Treasury. The consequence;ls, tm__ the Government have determined to put Mr Fulton out of the Chairmanship, the dqtiesr. of which he performed with the utmost efficiency, and to secure it with the salary oi £100 for Mr Steward, one of their own sup*;' porters. The members of the Committee have been canvassed In a mannerwhich is hot considered 'altogetherstraightforward or fair in favour.JJL. Mr Steward, and it was ■ almost .by accident that the real nature oi-* the move was discovered. 'Inl order to make sure of success, the Government a. purpofe to add Messrs Pyke and Brojrn. „,. the Committee, but notice has been Rivtn from the other side to add Messrs .._.»;: and Lako, and if any further attempt is made to expel Mr Fulton from the Ch-ir*, manship, there will no doubt be a T8 i r?Y severe struggle. A prominent member^or £ tho Waste Lands Committee informa me that Mr Stewaid has intimated tojlio" _ Government his desire to be released-rom . tho candidature, but with what result baa i: not transpired. Tho Government, on the othor hand,|deny emphatically having can, vassed a single member of the Committee' in connection with their selection of Chair- ,- man, though they admit it is not ImprOj bable they may support tho candidature of a member from tho Government Bide of the House. Mr Stout showed me Mr Steward s lotter, and added that he had no feeling uj tho-matter. Probably Mr McKenzie will;' now be nominated in opposition to Mr ■

Fulton. . ■ >jM. Mr Ballance's new bill will authorise, v lawyers to conduct cases in Native, Lana;™ l 0 Couits. . .J -ji'ijp -A

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