PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 206, 29 August 1905, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

: ■ I FROM THE GALLERY. iM Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.* WELLINGTON, this day. UNIFORM SCHOOL BOOKS. When the education estimates were -nder consideration on Friday night an pjendment was tabled, with the object ; nf providing for uniformity of school j vpgka throughout the colony, but was aj,—to out by the minority of two votes. When the Estimates are again before the House there will be a motion for recommittal, and this will very proigblv be carried, as there has been an active whip in this direction, and there js' a strong opinion prevailing among members that uniformity of schooi jooks should be insisted on at present Sot only a° the various boards adopt Afferent readers, but individual boards jot infrequently change the books, the heavy expense of these being cast on the parents. There is also an objection to jjiy firm or firms having a monopoly jf school books in the colony. ELECTORAL LAW. | In Committee on the Electoral Bill an |! amendment was moved by Mr. Massey, | that persons incapacitated by illness I jrom voting at the general elections should have the power to vote by electors right, attested by the medical jnperintendent of the hospital. This wa« j defeated by a single vote, the Maori I rote. Mr. Massey asserted, and there is . possibility that the clause will be re- , {omniitted with the object of inserting jlr. Massey's amendment. At all events ! inxotion to this effect will be considered. THE NORTH TRUNK LINE. During the course of his reply to the deputation which wr.itc-d on him regard - jug the Midland railway, the Premier j H ade a brief reference to the North Trunk line. The Midland line should, he ' b jjjiL have been completed years ago. j and if it had been kept in step with other lines in Sir Julius Vogel's public Forks policy, it would have been com- j tided; but ryving ii to the company took up ten year.-. Taking into consul | a&tion the revenues raised by Canter- j hury and Westland. these provinces had j tl j stronger claim than any other part of j >few Zealand for the expenditure of ] public mone}'. He hoped that if it was j iot completed in time for the opening of the Christehurch Exhibition, that the North Island Main Trunk would be so iar completed as to enable people to come from Auckland to Wellington overlaid. There would be no difficulty in ioing this, because, although the gap would not be entirely bridged. tltTe mid be a connection by coach over the uncompleted section. The general prosperity and the outlook were very good, but only a certain amount of money wa = available for public works. Members tere getting wan and pale wanting to know~what they would get; but his--only anxiety as Colonial Treasurer was jto make a" fair allocation. A million ! was to be raised by loan, £60,000 was transferred from the Consolidated Fond, snd £800.000 left over from last year. This made matters in public works ratter easy. While there would be a fair allocation, he hoped that taking the anall expenditure on the Midland railway in the last few years, as compared with the amount spent on the Ota go Central and the North Trunk, if there wis a little more for the Midland this year, even the most fastidious would not complain. ] jottings. ;; The report of the Auditor-General on ! the Fisher charges will not be brought down for a day or two. An Imprest Supply Bill will be taken to-day, and probably there will be more j mud-slinging. "We hope. Sir, that ycu will give up lie West Coast railway, and we'll all j pray," concluded one speaker at the j ffidknd railway deputation, who is cvi- i dently more familiar with petitioning than with deputationising.