POLITICAL SUMMARY.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7382, 7 August 1889, Page 2

POLITICAL SUMMARY.

Tas main feature in the Parliamentary history of the past month has been an exhibition of stonewalling in the Lower House of unprecedented obstinacy so far as the annals of that House are concerned. From Tuesday afternoon, July 24th, till midnight the following Saturday, the House sat continuously, with only brief intervals for refreshment. One memberto kill time, made a speech of eight hours' duration. lie " broke the record "so far as the present Parliament is concerned, but Btill fell far short of the achievement sf a member of bygone days, who Spoke ou. one occasion for seventeen hours, hereby gaining from his admiring fellowmembers the appropriate epithet of »leather lungs/ of which we understand he was not a little proud. Eeverting to the present " stonewall," the cessation on Saturday night was merely in the nature Df an armed truce, so as not to profane Sunday with the struggle. It was resumed with unabated ardour on Monday morning at 10.30 a.m., but it was arranged to adjourn daily at 10.30 p.m. until the termination of the conflict. The casus belli was the new Representation BUI brought down by the Government on the withdrawal of their first measure, which, it will be remembered, embodied the Habb system. The second Bill fixed the quota at 25 per cent, instead of 18 per cent., as in the Act of 18S7, and provided thaS this amount was to be deducted from the town population in apportioning the number of members to which the different electorates were entitled. This was strenuously opposed by the town members, on the ground that the deduction wa3 far too large, while the country party, on the other hand, urged that a still larger allowance ought to hav e been made in their favor. The fight continued until Friday night, when a settlement was at length arrived at. The main feature was that the quota was to be 28 per cent., and was to be added to the country districts, not deducted from the towns. Another important provision was that towns of over 2000 inhabitants were to be placed on the same footing as the four principal cities. The practical effect is stated to be that under the Bill as it now stands the country will return fortynine members, and the towns twentyone. The Bill was further considered in Committee on Monday night, and mad e good progress. An important new clause, introduced, by the Government, amalgamating the electorates in each of the large cities, was agreed to, as was also an amendment by Sir Geoboh Gbet, to prevent 'plural voting.

The only other topic of great public interest in the political world has been the publication of what is known as th e Wabd-Hislop correspondence. It arose out of a case in which Mr District Judge Wakd sentenced an Oamaru resident named Cheistib for alleged fraudulent bankruptcy. Mr Hislop, as Minister of Justice, called the Judge to account for trying the ease, on the ground of his being to some extent interested, inasmuch as he had mortgaged some) ©f his property to tlxe Company by whom -the prosecution vas instituted." The conviction was upset on appeal, on technical grounds, and Chj_st_e has petitioned the Hous e for the removal of the Judge. The case is further complicated by the fact taat Mr Hislop is a member of s legal firm who have been acting for Christie, a fact which the Judge has not been slow to retort on the Minister. The matter is under consideration by the House. It is also stated that th e Bofieitors of Christie have issued a writ against Judge Ward for alleged malice in the ad-ninistration of justice. In these ciirninistances any comment on this ex. Inordinary case would be obviously out of place.