NOTES ON PARLIAMENT. Wellington, September 15.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4401, 22 September 1871, Page 3

NOTES ON PARLIAMENT. Wellington, September 15.

A curious question has been raised as to one of the causes of the deficit of the revenue —namely, the increased consumption of locally manufactured spirits. Who drinks them? I have been told that in the course of 20 years or so they will be fit for imbibiW but from what I hear I can hardly believe in. such a degree of consumption Is to alter the revenue. Mr, Macandrcw's 2 ? £?? \Beparate\ 8eparate Government for the Middle Island was a nitre flash in the pan. It M be heved that i' c was meant to come oa before the Financial Statement, so as to gwntly feel the temper of the House with regard to provincialism, but a series of lucky or unlucky incidents put it off from ■day to day, and when it come on it was no longer wanted. So Mr. Macandrew spoke out half-heavtily about it, and rumour says no one would have been more disgusted than himself had he seen a chance of successfully carrying his motion. The Lords nave been busy passing a Deceased Wife's Sister Bill ; and have received a slight check. It was moved and carried that the Attorney-General's opinion on the status of persona married under this Act and their ■children on removal to England should be tnot asked, but] laid on the table. Whereon Mr. Attorney-General announced briefly that, never having been asked, he had never given an opinion, and, therefore, none could be laid on the table. The Hon. Colonel Brett, a new Lord, moved, in the Upper House, for a Committee of Defence, at the same time as Mr. McLean, in the Lower House. Colonel Brett's idea was th*t the Volunteers were no use, and the Militia about the same ; "whereon ho was taken to task by Mr. Holmes. Colonel Russell did not much approve of the Inspector-Ganeral's report, and. wished for a commission instead of a committee. When are we to have done with this Militia and Volunteer question ? Last night— Friday— was a field ni^ht for questions and answers, and the Opposition received another blow. On Mr. Stafford's motion for a select committtee to inquire into the working of the Telegraph Act, the Government a99ented cordially ; and Mr. Gisborne took the opportunity, in the handsomest way, of stating that he felt he had been guilty of an indiscretion in reading Mr. Stafford's speech, but that he was sure the House would acquit him of any dishonourable intention— this eliciting a conciliating speech from Mr. Hall, who declared that no one for a moment could deem Mr. Gisborne capable of anything approaching to such a thing. The sting is taken out of the motion. There was another slight row — indeed two. The first about Mr. Fox's moving for the affidavits of several persons in the case of Monro v. Luckie and Collins, when Mr. Gillies, whose motion for Mr. Fox's affidavit stands now low down instead of prior, said that he had postponed his under the impression Mr. Fox would do likewise. This was contradicted, and the motion agreed to. But if Mr. Gillies does not mean fight when when his motion comes on — or when the affidavits are ©n the table— then 1 am very much mistaken. The other was on a motion concerning the regulations touching civil servants corresponding with the Press. The motion was quietly made, but again Mr. Gillies got up, and said that he knew an officer in the department of the Native and Defence Minister who was writing in a party spirit. Now, after all the abuse which has been levelled at the officers of that department, they onght, in my opinion, to be thankful to Mr. Gillies for showing to the House that he did give the department credit for some brains. Other members got up and said they also knew of cases, and the motion was assented to. There is no doubt that regulations on this subject ought to be Btringent, even from the point of view which is taken by the brethren of the pen, for it may happen, and often will, if civil servants are allowed to write for newspapers, that they can give scraps of information here, and little hints there, which make their communications, be they leaderß or otherwise, more valuable to the papers than better written articles emanating from wiiters who are not so much behind the scenes. You. will be pleased to understand that that is our view of the subject. We had also a Maoii debate. Mr. Karaitiana Tokomoana wanted — First, a rativelord; secondly, a (real) native minister; thirdly, eight more Maori members. The first he got, that is. in the Lower House — possibly because the motion did not affect it. The others fell through, and he very sensibly remarked that if their number was not increased he did not see what good four of them were doing Mr. Haugbton suggested that the former members, Mete Kingi and Co., should be translated to the Upper House oa account of their knowledge of Parliamentary ways, and was also heard to suggest something about a translation to Heaven. I believe I have forgotten to mention that the Education Bill is sent to committee. Mr. Fox replied, but there was not much to say ; and it is believed he, Mr. Curtis, and Mr. Hislop (the fia.ncr of the bill) have had an interview, and that Mr. Curtis's chief amendments will be conceded. However, as the bill has to come before committee, every one was heaitily sick of the speechifying on it.