POLITICAL NEWS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3783, 30 August 1883, Page 3

POLITICAL NEWS.

[by telegraph.J

[from our OAVN correspondent.]

AVellington, This day

I Aroudor how the debates on Mr Pharazyn's two motions Avould have gone

had members of tho Council known lioav near the old gentleman they Avere badgering

was to reality in the second motion. That motion avus that members living Avithin twenty miles of AVellington belonging to

the Council should not be paid, and that those living beyond that distanco should receive £1 per diem for the time they Avere absent frome home, though he Avas Avilling to accept an amendment that they should be paid ono hundred guineas per annum. AVell, the Bill that Avas circulated is precisely on those lines, except that the distance is limited to ten miles. Now, the query arises, AVhat will bo done ? The Times this morning, Avith its usual blundering positiveness, says the Council cannot do anything Avith the bill. AA r ell, as they can throw it out, I presume that is doing something Avith the bill, and I understand that is precisely the course that is to be followed. We had another of those nice scenes yesterday Avhich the newspapers head "An Otago Row." The House is tiring very much of them. At first they Avere amusing, and, as avc always like to hear our friends abusing, avc relished those toavs. ' But the samonoss and vulgarity of them is getting too much for us, and yesterday the House listened Avith impatience to part of tho braAA'l, and then declined to hear more I am. uiridcl _Ir __. W. .reen is not what WQ Avould expect from his cloth and calling. In tho Council, as I Avrote some Aveeks ago, the Native Land Bill will receive its happy despatch; and, as the Goldfiolds Committee havo reported against tho bill for the abolition of tho gold duty, because they must cither accept or reject it, that bill is doomed. The committee Avould have recommended the'roduction of the duty if that had been asked, but not its abolition. I have seen a bill pass through many strange vicissitudes, but I think I have never seen a stranger tiling than Avhat happened to the School Committees Election Bill yesterday in tho Council. On tho order being culled upon for its committal, Dr Pollen moved that it be committed that day six months. Tho division resulted in a tic, seventeen on each side. The Speaker AVas about to explain Avhy he avus going to give his A'otc Avith the Noes oAving to the latency of the session, Avhen Mr Campbell rose

and said he had voted Avith the Noes when ke should have voted with the Ayes, and asked if he could amend his A-ote. The Speaker said, if he had said "No" when he Avas asked, that could not be done. Mr Campbell at once admitted that he had said No, and thereupon tho bill, Avhich had occupied the attention of tho .Assembly for more nights than any any previous measure which had been introduced this session, and for whioh tho proposer must have experienced great trouble in getting hold of the valuable statistics Avhich he presented, and must havo spent a good deal of money over his littlo bill, and all Avas wasted because a member thoughtlessly did not understand Avhat ho Avas doing.

It is anticipated that a large number of bills AviU be announced to-day or to-morrow as having been abandoned and relegated to tho Slaughter of tho Innocents Basket, Avhich this year will be more than usually voluminous.