Political Notes.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 6813, 20 July 1893, Page 3

Political Notes.

[feom oub special coebespondknt."!

[BY TBTjEQEAPH.I

Wellington, Last night According to Mr Fish, there is ten times as much laud in Central Otago available for close settlement as is contained in the Cheviot estate. My prediction that the Hon. W. Montgomery would be appointed to the Executive without portfolio to assist Sir P. Buckley in the work of the Legislative Council has been fulfilled, the hon. gentleman having been sworn in this forenoon. It is anticipated that while hia colleagues are electioneering in various parts of tho colony, Mr Montgomery will remain in Wellington conducting departmental matters. The announcement made in the House by the Premier that the Hon. Mr Carroll, though conducting native legislation, has no portfolio at present, may be taken as meaniug that tho vacant portfolio will not I bo filled till it id seen whether Mr Oadman J is re-elected to tho House I Hpeikiog with forty years' experience as > a painter, Mr Fish declares that tho colony \ lost £260 by the carrying out of the paint- j iog of the Police ''ourt offices in Welling- | tou under the co-operative system instead! of by tender. The work cost £560, and j the member for Dunedin says that while the normal r, • of wages in Wellington is 9s 6d, the men employed on these buildings averaged 10s lOd per diem. Mr JKarnshaw says that tho rail way; delegates now meeting in Wellington'Jepteteni.,.' / the traffic department of the<Ber*ibeivlafad ■ ; 'do.nojfcjrep&pent thg worksfibp;h)inds;r4y v -•> i;• I^Tlija'■- native .-measures, vt&iph; are. to be V. l *pjßiaajJ,'ojQlthia:seßaionrare-the-Wee*. Goapt ; ''B^ttJ^'irat" i th£rJtet£ye-I<a«iisi \, .' , I > ■ :.. :- ■■■'■■-■ " ' -••Tne^Poatmßeter-General considers looij ' asßJetanoe will have... to giren if f ae various new telegraph and post offices ap. plied for are to be granted. Tho Government aro going to ' £1000 to the Wanganui H'duoation Bot v & for school buildings some time before they ' are entitled to it. The Minister for Educs. ' tion says it is proposed to give in tiig ' future much more liberally to the poore r \ Boards than during the past two or thre a ; years. . ..,.. ■-• v': ■ -." "" ■:■:>■ './•-';• ,a^- J The Mfiistac i that J of public-i|oli,oaM^l^r};^v^--^^|*r : of ? the J Iv rep y .fii>MrißiMrStoiih. , B.requeet for; t a ; on tho Mafia watit -.railway line, to induce , the company to run purely passenger trains, , the Premier says that the Uoverninout could not entertain tho proposition, aa the : local authorities along the lino have bor- ' rowed money fur road?, &c , on the strength ' ol these rates, and if the suggestion of ro- j mission were carried out, tho-e bodits would . come on the taxpayers of the colo:iy for the interest on their special loans. The Premier told Mr E M. Smith that he would move in one of the three liquor Bills to come up this session for compelling all clubs to pay ordinary license fees, and be ! subject to Sunday closing- ' The Martini-Henri rifles ordered by the i Government are daily expected. i The member for Wapier repudiates Mr 13. M. Smith's suggestion that the Napier j harbjr loan was a failure. Ho says it has j been fully subscribed, above and at par. j The Friendly Societies act Amendment Bill, which passed the lower House last ( year, is to be re-introduced in a modified form. The telegraph and telephone extensions at present asked for would cost £I#o,ooo, ' so the Poatinaster-General told Mr Cr. ' Hutchiuson, when that member wanted an extension fcoui to Ohingaiti. j The Premier told Mr Fish that a Bill was j bying considered to deal with the question i of electric trams, aa it is one new to New i Zealand. i The report of the Gutnfields Commission | is expected in August. The Premier says ] thero will then be ample time to give ( legislative effect to it if noces-ary. , Hansard will be sent to all Parliamentary Unions. Such assurance was given to Mr Fish, who put the question at tho instance , of the L'uuedin Parliamentary Union. . The Public Petitions Comtnitteo report that B. E. flkelton, of Napier, who prays ' for compensation for wrongful imprisonment and injury to his business, has no claim on the colony. In asking a question as to the Railway Etnp!oyeV Conference, Mr Earnsbaw said the men at tho Invercargill and Hillside ! workshops had never been consulted regarding the appointment of delegates to the , conference now bitting. If tho men had been consulted the delegatoe now in Wei- ' lingtcn would not have been the men sent, and whatever decision they came to, it would not be an oxpreision of tho opinion of the railway men. What he said of Dunedin aud Invercargill, he said, was alike also of Wellington, and the rest of the colony. The Premier read a reply from the Commissioners to the effect that the conference had been called in response to several requests made to them, and they understood that the delegates fairly repressuted all grades of the employes They wore elected at opt-n meetings of all grades. Leave had not baen refused to the employ e-i, as Mr Earnshaw asserted, for a similar conference. The Premier added that it was certain that the Commissioners had refused leave on a previous occasion during last session.