PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 263, 29 August 1888, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

(BY TELEGRAPH.—PABLIAMENTABY

REPOBTBR.)

Wellington, this day. THE PROROGATION. Parliament will be prorogued by proclamation in place of by Commission as usual. • THE RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS. There is now some probability of th Chairman of ", the Railway Board being ap" pointed from the House. Itia absolutelycertain that neither the Hon. Mr Richardson nor Mr Loughrey will be appointed Com-' missioners. MINISTERIAL EXPENSES AND ALLOWANCES. 1 The return of expenses of the Ministerial establishments for the five months ended on May the lObh, 1888, was laid on the table of the House last night, and shows a marked reduction of figures as compared with • those of previous years. The total amount drawn by Ministers as travelling and house allowances was A 307 10s 4d. Tha sum expended in repairs to Ministerial residences was £15 18s 3d ; outlay on furniture and fittings'was £37 16s 3d. . - PROPERTY TAX BILL. In the Council to-day the Property Tax Bill was read a third time, and finally passed. • THE NATIVE BILLS. A committee, consisting of Messrs Waterhouse, Pharazyn, Miller and the AttorneyGeneral, has been appointed to consider the reasons of the House for disagreeing with the ammendments made in two of the Native Bills. ANOTHER STONEWALL. In the House of Representatives Mr Taipua has been btonewalling the Makau Mohakino Bill in committee since 11 a.m. to-day. At half-past two the Government agreed to strike out Clause 4, dealing'with the allocation of native lands in the Western Mokau block, and the obstruction to the Bill thereupon ceaaed. SIR JAMES HECTOR AND THE ,: "SPECULATOR." In his official report on the Victorian Exhibition Sir jJamea Hector attributed to Mr Witheford, of Auckland, the credit of inspiring the condemnatory articles on the mining exhibits from New Zealand which appeared in the New Zealand " Herald." Ihe Premier last nighb received the following cablegram from Mr Witheford :—" Am not author of telegram imputed to me by Sfr J. Hector. Uas authorised representative of large mining interests in New Zealand, deeply regret that Parliament and the press of the country have been mediums tor promulgating serious reflections on our mining negotiations in Australia. In justice to the goldfield community; I beg permission to lay before the House thia unqualified contradiction of Hector's statement regarding myself and specimens of quartz supplied by companies^" : . . .' ,