POLITICAL NEWS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4389, 22 August 1885, Page 3

POLITICAL NEWS.

[by telegraph.] [from our own correspondent.] Wellington, August 21. Sir Frederick Whitaker's bill to alter tho constitution of the Legislative Council, is rather of a startling character. It provides that all members of the present Council retain their seats, but when they cease to longer hold their seats by the effluxion of time, the number of members in tho Coumil, shall bo equal only to half the number sitting in the Mouse of Representatives. When a vacancy occurs five members of the General Assembly may nominate a candidate. Each member of the Assembly shall have one vote in an election for a member. The election is to be held in the Parliament buildings by ballot, and the clerk of Parliaments is tobe returning officer. The election is to be held between the hours of twelve noon and two the same afternoon, and to be decided in the usual way. If either House twice rejects a bill passed by the other House members of both Chambers may sit together as one Legislative Assembly and deal with the bill in the ordinary way, each member present having , one vote, and a majority deciding the fate of the measure. If the Premier desires that a member of the Cabinet should be appointed to represent the Government in the Legislative Council, he may make such a recommendation to the Governor, who in such cases may appoint such member to a seat in tho Council. The following was the distribution of the vote of £4,000 to public libraries laot year : — Auckland, £o(i4 los 6d; Taranaki, £71 7s 3d; Wangnnui, £231 3s 7d; Wellington, £177 4s Id; Hawke's Bay, £387 16s Id ; Marlborough, £52 10s lid; Nelson, £297 7s 6d ; North. Canterbury, £715 Os 9d ; South Canterbury, £153 17s ; Grey, £94 2s 7d ; Westland, £97 9s 3d ; Otago, £601 13s Id ; Southland, £214 4s 4d ; total, £3998 11s lid.