POLITICAL NEWS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3725, 23 June 1883, Page 3

POLITICAL NEWS.

[by telegraph.]

[from our own correspondent.] Wellington, This clay. The first division of the session has taken place, and Ministers havo strengthened their position, their majority last night on what may be termed a strictly party vote being fourteen. There wero several disaffections from the Opposition side of the House. I was able yesterday to telegraph from tho House that all other business was postponed to enable the debate to at once take place. Considerable excitement was manifested, and in the evening the gallarios wcro crowded. The speeches, with the exception of Mr Green, (Dunedin East) were very brief. After the division the House went into Committee of Supply, and another hour and a half was devoted to a discussion as to the legality of all payments since the Ist of June, Mr Buchanan (Napier) maintaining that, as the Act of last session was identical with the English Act, and as we were not following English precedents, all such final payments were illegal. The Treasurer afterwards announced the Government measures for the session, as well as tho dates when he would make tho various Statements. When Major Atkinson was in the midst of an impassioned reply to Mr Montgomery a very audible "hear, hear" from the gallery arrested the attention of the House, and when it was discovered that the delinquent was a five-year-old youngster the House was convulsed with laughter. It, however, cost the interrupter his scat in tho gallery.