POLITICAL NOTES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4913, 13 May 1887, Page 3

POLITICAL NOTES.

[SEECIAI. TO DAILY TELEOBAFH.]

[OTfN COBBEBPOHDEXT. —BY TEEEQHArH.]

Weixixoton, Last niglit. REPRESENTATION BILL. There's no change in the situation as to the Representation Bill, but a meeting of , members is to be held this morniug m con • eider the position of affairs generally. DISSOLUTION PREDICTED. A crisis and an. immediate dissolution is freely predioted in the lobbies to-day. TRAVELLING EXPENSES. Mr Pearson is to ask the Government whether their attention has beon drawn to come notable instanoes of apparently excessive charges for the travelling expenses of certain members of the Wasto Land Boards in Auckland, Wellington, and Otago, and whether they do not think a fixed scale of travelling allowances should be made. A LONG HOLIDAY. It is stated that an effort will be made to have the sittings of the House adjourned ■ from Thursday tho 19th inst., to the following "Wednesday, in honor of the Queon s Birthday. BURNS' STATUE. The ceremony of unveiling the Burns' • statue also takes place in Dunedin at about that time, and the Premier and Sir George Gcey are expected to be present. OPPOSITION TACTICS. At a meeting this morning of the usual Opposition caucus, after general discussion on the situation, it was decided to mako an attempt to compel tho Government to determine the representation question before allowing them to proceed with the debate en the financial policy of the Government. On the other hand, as stated in my tele- - gram last night, they are understood to bo desirous of plunging the House at once into the financial discussion. Having , in view Sir Robert Stout's promise made at a late hour last night, that the Representation Bill would be brought on on Friday, it is likely the Opposition tactics will be successful, and that they will force the Government to settle the question of representation at once. This is now the intention.

MR ORMOND AND RETRENCHMENT. Mr Onnond informs mo that his bill, to be introduced to-morrow, to Amend tho Governor's Salary and Allowances Act, 1873 will provide that tho Governor s ealary be reduced to £4500, with allowances, and that his bill to amend tho Parliamentary Honorarium and Privileges Act, 1884, will seek to reduce the honorarium of members to £100 or £150. DISSATISFIED NATIVES. Tho natives do not seem particularly fond of Mr Ballance's native land administration of last year. Somo days ago nearly three hundred natives petitioned the Houso asking that the Act should not bo put in operation over their lands at Otaki, and to-day another petition, signed by three hundred and seventy-five natives, was presented by a Maori member against tho Act. NATIVE LANDS IN HAWKE'S BAY.

The House to-day, on the motion of Mr Ormond, ordered a copy of Mr Elliott Barton's report en the removal and restriction of alienation of native blocks in Hawkc> a Bar. and a listtrf the particulars of the blocks dealt with in the report on Wednesday to be laid on the fable. RETRENCHMENT.

• T-iiefe was quite a rush this afternoon in the direction of retrenchment in the civil liet, no fewer than four members tabling •notices for the reduction of salaries, &c. In view of the probable early dissolution of Parliament, there are many uncharitable pwpfe who'hint that this sudden desire to make sweeping reductions is not altogether the possi,btom connection with a general election. The first to respond to the Speaker's mvitotion was Mr Orfcond, who gave notice to ask the Government if they wouia bring ma. bill tag for its object the reduction of the Governoi s salary and allowances, and also to bring in a bill to amend the Parliamentary Privileges Honorarium Bill. Mr Garrick intends to ask the Government if they will agree to the intrsduction of a measure providing iora reduction of the honorarium by £00. Mr Macarthur" will move in the direction of a reduction in the Governor's salary to £3500, the Premier to £1500, and other Ministers to £1000, and that, in viow of a reduction in the number of members of the House, that the number of members of the Executive Council be reduced to four, &c, &c. Jfr Barron also gavo notice that lie would move a radical motion in the same direction upon going into committee.of supply, further that the honorarium of members of the House bo reduced to£liso, and members of the Legislative Council to £100.

• CHABITABLE AID. Mr Eeid "brought before the House the question of local charitable aid. He stated that a southern County Council had passed & resolution urging the desirableness of each County Council providing for its own poor, and thftf contributors to hospitals should bo the proportion of the cost of each patient. Qlub resolution had been forwarded to thirty-five councils in the colony, twentyfive of ■whom had passed resolutions favorJng the proposal. He, therefore, asked the if they would nmend the Hospitals and Charitable Aid Act of last session in.) the direction indicated. The Ministers reply.-was hardly satisfactory. Sir Inline Yogei said-he had been requested by hie colleague, iho Colonial. Secretary, to pf&to it was not the intention of the Govern-

ment to introduce any amendments of the Act this session in the direction desired by the hon. member for Bruce. THE REMOVAL OF THE SHEEP INSPECTOR AT WAINUI. Mr W. C. Smith and Captain Russell, M.H.R.s for the Hawke's Bay District, waited on tho Colonial Secretary this morning to discuss with him the question of the proposed removal of the Sheep Inspector from the boundary of Hawke's Bay at Wainui, and to urge the necessity for that official's retention in tho district. During tho absence of the head of the Sheep Inspection Department, who is at present in Marlborough, nothing definite was arrived at, but the question will be decided on his return.