PARLIAMENTARY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1532, 19 June 1891, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

(from OUR OWN - OORRESFONDBN' .) WELLINGTON, June 18. Re Legislative Council Bill, fclie main provision of the abolition of life tenure and substitution of appointment for seven years is not to apply to existing councillors : absence without leave for a single session, as in the other Chamber, is, however, to involve forfeiture of the seat, and no re-appointment can be made in such case until after the lapse of 12 months. A similar provision is inserted in case of members voluntarily resigning. It is not proposed to give Council the right to elect its own speaker, the Governor still retaining power to make that appointment. Ministers have not yet solved the chairmanship of committees difficulty, and are still dallying with it. It is reported they have dropped W C Smith, finding him generally unacceptable and noses are being counted in the interest of Mr J. W. Thompson, and Mr Smith has been solaced with the promise of a seat in tiro Upper House whenever calls there are made. It has been arranged between the Premier and the leader of the Opposition for the Financial debate not to commence before Tuesday. Taxation bills will not be in circulation before the middle of next week Mr Joyce is introducing a bill to amend the law of divorce by making the following additional grounds of separation ; Incurable insanity, wilful desertion for seven years or separation by deed for same period, imprisonment for life or for seven years, and adultery alone on part of husband. Mr Taylor’s Coroner’s Inquest Bill, providing for the payment of jurors on a sliding scale ranging from 3s to 7s per day, was read a second time to-day witli out debate. The abolition of coroners’ juries and grand juries is sought in the bill introduced by Mr Guinness Every member of the House except Carroll and Mitchelson is now in Wellington. Mr O’Connor is urging the Colonial Treasurer to compel stamping of passenger tickets, and other documents, which,though receipts to all intents and purposes are unstamped. The late Minister for Lands, Hon. G. F. j Richardson, called lot' a return showing

the thousands of pounds which his successor stated at Palmerston South were spent by stock inspectors without control from head quarters as well as the names of the inspectors alleged to charge for use of their own horses and those who charged for the hire of their own horses. An important communication from bondholders of the New Plymouth Harbor Board has reached the Government. Its general tenor is. that bond holders will •accept 4 per cent, interest on the loan instead of (3 per cent. provided the Government will guarantee the payment of interest. The Government propose to lay the document on the table of the House. It is certain to lead to some discussion. Mr Fergus presented to day the petition of Jas. M’Neil. sub contractor under Maher and Sons on Skippers dray-road, asking for consideration of his case, inasmuch as that he forbore to press his law suit against the contractor, which, had it been gone on with, would have stopped the work and caused embarrassment to the Government.

It is rumored that Mr dames Rivers, the well known Alexandra sport, intends to dispose of his racing stock. Already over 300 000 sacks of grain have been carried on the Southland railways this season to Invercargill and Blufl. The building trade at the Bluff is very busy, over 100 men being employed in erecting stores, etc. It is expected that an insurrection will shortly break out in the Sandwich Islands. The conspirators are planning the capture of the Queen unless her majesty agrees to a modification of the constitution and increases the power of the natives, Mr Fache draws attention of parties in search of a comfortable dwelling to the advertisement announcing the sale of freehold section and house, opposite the Church of England. Cromwell, on the same day will be sold household furniture etc. The following important events are written on the pages of history : Magna Charta signed, June 19, 1215 ; James r., the first monarch of Britain, born June 19, 156 G. To be hereafter written, the official opening of the new iron bridge across the Clufcha at Cromwell, June 19th, 1891. Steps are being taken to endeavor to have a school established in the neighbor hood of Springvale and Galloway Station. Should the attempt prove successful the site chosen will probably lie on the station side of the Manuherikia River. We understand that there are between twenty and thirty children in the locality who would attend school. The work of laying poisoned grain over the country is now in full swing, and if what we can sec in onr rambles is any criterion of its effects wo should imagine bunny will get a groat thinning. The dead and dying are lying about every where. It yet, withal is a brutal system, as the contortions of the poor animals whilst dying evidences that their death is a hard one. The concert to have been given this evening in the town-hall, Alexandra, in aid of the local school funds, in consequence of the demonstration on the occasion of the opening of the new iron bridge at Cromwell, which, it is conjectured, will take a good many away from the district, is posipoued till Friday the 2(3th inst. Mr W. J. Strong, late schoolmaster at Bannockburn, passed through Clyde on Friday last en route for Dunedin. On the eve of his departure from Bannockburn a banquet was given him by a large gathering, representing residents of Bannockburn and Cromwell. During the evening he was presented on behalf of the Bannockburn Football Club with a gold Maltese cross, as a recognition of their esteem Mr Fames, the Government auditor lias been in the district during the past week, going through all the local bodies' accounts. That the Government should have a certain say in the affairs of public bodies to which the consolidated revenues contribute we do not pretend to gainsay ; but whether the end sought is obtained by the cursory glance into the accounts the auditors are able to give for want of time is entirely another matter. We have ever held this auditing by peripatetics to be a sham, and we have now no reason to in the least alter our opinion.

We have received Cook’s Australasian Travellers’ Guide, which contains a vast amount of information as a route from all the chief centres of each cf the colonies, and the cost of travel not alone to the other colonies, but to any part of the world This firm has brought their guide and their system to a state of perfection that must prove a groat convenience to travellers. Travelling by this system all the annoyances and worrying attendant on the changes of steamers, trains, cars, or by whatever other means, is saved, and moreover by utilising the firm’s coupons the traveller requires only to carry the trifle of cash he may require for those little extras that can only bo thought of at the time. No one, who is in the habit of travelling, should be without this excellent guide, which is to be obtained at all of the firm’s offices. At the conference at Wellington of county council icpresentatives from the South Island resoluions were passed : That the revenue was quite inadequate, and unless t he Government gave help the county system must break down. That the act should be amended to enable counties to tax all vehicles. That in consequence of so much land being reserved for the Midland Railway the colony ought to pay rates on unselected lands not exceeding L2OOO to any county in one year. That Nelson, Westport, Grey, luangahua, Westland. Queenstown, and Vincent County roads should be recognised as colonial works, and the cost of maintenance thrown on the Government. That the counties should have all the revenue in mining districts coming from mining. That the Government be asked to pass a validating act freeing members from the responsibility cast on them by act of keeping the revenue up to the mark.’ A meetfng of the members of Parliament for the districts affected is to be held to consider the position.

A statement showing the pastoral and agricultural exports from New Zealand for ten years, 1881 to 1890, is now before ns. Were we to judge by the doleful cries of the croakers —those ultra pessimists who look no deeper than the surface for grounds for their absurd fears —the country, as the Yankee would say, is going to “eternal squash.” But the following figures, which we may assume to he facts put a different face altogether upon the matter, and in dubitably prove to the contrary. In 1881 the total was L 4 299,011, in 1885 L 4,982,805, in 1890 L 7,351,391. The Hues most worthy of remark for 1890 are : Wool, L 4,150,599; frozen mutton L 1,087,617; wheat L 672,247 : oats, L 231 397 ; butter. L 122,701 : rabbitskins, Llll SSO ; preserved meats, LI 36,182 ; cheese, L 24.056. The steady increase in the total number of rabbitskins exported and the value during the ten years is evidence that with all the efforts made bunny still keeps gaining ground. The figures arc ;In 1881. number of skins 84,514,685, value L 54.774 ; in 1890, number of skins 102,517,077, value Llll,Bßo.

Thb cricket team Lord Sheffield is taking out to Australia will leave for Melbourne ! on October 2 The wheat crop in the United States is estimated to afford a surplus of 200 000 000 bushels for export purposes. The Hon. J. J. C Abbott. Q.G., who held the position of Minister without portfolio, has accepted the Premiership of the Dominion of Canada. A public meeting in Lyttelton expressed its approval of the business like manner in which the Hon. J, M'Kenzie was dealing with the land question. In the smaller towns of Germany only the sweeps wear the chimney pot hat. By a curious coincidence they are worn mostly by legislators in New Zealand. “ Rough on Rats.” - Clears out rata ( mice, roaches Hies ants,bedbugs beetles, insects, slunks jack rabbits, sparrows gophers. At chemists and druggists. Advice to Mothers !—Are you broken in your rest by a sick child suffering with he pain of cutting te< th ? Go at one# to a chemist and get a bottle of Mrs Winslow's soothing Syrup It will relieve the poor sufferer immediately, It is perfectly harmless and pleasant to taste. It produces natural quiet sleep by relieving the child from pain and the little cherub awakes u as bright as a button ’’ Ifc soothes the child, it softens the gums allays all pain relieves wind regulates the bowels and is the best known remedy for dysentery and diarrhoea, whether arising from teething or other causes Mrs Winslow's Soothing Syrup is sold by Medicine dealers everywhere at Is lid per bottle.