Parliamentary Gossip.

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 168, 16 July 1894, Page 3

Parliamentary Gossip.

NOTES FROM THE QALLEISY

(BY IELEORAPH. —PARLIAMENTARY RE

PORTER.)

Wellington, this day. RAILWAY MAINTENANCE.

Ik the annual report on the maintenance of the railways of the colony we find that 177,502 sleepers were laid during the year. Ab.out 155,502 were for ordinary renewals, and about 22,000 were laid to increase the number per rail length. Aboub fifty miles of main line were thua raised to a higher standard of stability. The rate of renewal of sleepers under ordinary maintenance shows that the uniform rate increased during the past four years. The stipulations inserted in contracts for sleepar supplies, with a view to aecurine winter-felled "timber, are working satisfactorily, and an improved quality of timber is being obtained thereby. The comparison of traffic revenue and expenditure for the last fourteen years shows a steady increase all along the line. In the year ending 1881, the number of miles of railway laid was 1,277, the revenus 1836,454; expenditure, £521,957; the number of parcels, horses and dogs carried, 286,865 ; of cattle sheep and pigs, 300,704; and of passengers, 2,849,561 ; while the number of season tickets issued was 6,499. In the year 1893-94 the number of miles laid had increased to 1,948, while the revenue stood at £1,172,793, and the expenditure at £735,359. The number of parcels, horses and dogs carried had increased in fourteen years to 486,787; the number of cattle sheep and pigs to 1,433,070, and tfaa number ef passengers to 3,972,701. The number of season tickets issued in the year was 17,226. This is a somewhat remarkable increase and shows thab Boason tickets are being taken advantage of by a great many people

TIME LIMIT TO SPEECHES.

The time limit to speeches introduced by Mr Reeves will commend itself to all sensible people who have had any experience of our Parliamentary proceedings. " The only objection to it," says the "Post," "really appears to be thab the limib he proposes is too wide in its general application, although scarcely wide enough in some particular instances. Half-an-hour is more than a sufficient limib for ordinary speeches. Very few members over have anything to say which coald nob quibe easily be compressed into fifteen or twenty minutes, but on a no-confidonce motion or a debate on the Budget an hour is not sufficient time for prominent members to traverse the wide field which is often opened in such discussions, or to fully express their opinion upon the numerous-subjects they may have to refer to and criticise. Nor ie an hour a sufficient time for a member to reply in after a debate which may have lasted for many hours, or even days or weekß."