PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 25, 29 July 1895, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

thb"fobeign" consuls. Apropos of the question put by Sir Robert Stout respecting tho despatch to tbe Seoretary of State objecting^to citizens of New Zealand acting as Foreign Consuls, and the Premier's reply that it was because they could not be acquainted with the laws of the country they represented, and his further statement that no commnication had taken place between the Government and any of the Foreign Consuls, we are informed that Mr. George Fisher, Consular Agent for Italy, in forwarding a copy of the despatch which waß recently laid on the table of the House to the Cavalier P. Uorte, Consul-Gene-ral for Italy, Melbourne, wrote aB follows : — " I do not expreßß any opinion in regard to this despatoh beyond this: that in this country we havts no knowledge bearing upon any reasons whioh could in any way justify the forwarding of .such a despatch to Lord Kipon. The foreign Consuls represented in thia colony by British Bubjects are :r- Sweden and Norway, Colonel Pearco ; United States, Dr. Cahill; Portugal, J. Duncan, Esq.; Netherlands and Belgium, C. J. Johnston, Esq., M.L.C. ; Denmark, H. D. Bell, Esq., M.H.R. ; Italy, George Fisher. It would be as easy, and not lees presumptuous, for the British subjects representing foreign Consulates in this oountry to say (quoting the words of the despatoh) that ' in their opinion they consider it very undesirable that tho present New Zealand Government Bhould any longer remain in office.' But this of oourse the British subjects representing foreign Consulates in this country conld not, under any circumstances, have the indecency or the presumption to say." Mr. Fisher at the same time (2nd July) sent a copy of his letter to His Excellency Lord Glasgow. What ia really a grave constitutional ohange appears to have been entered upon in a very jaunty fashion, and a practical uoousation of incompetence brought against the consular representatives without giving them an opportunity of meeting it or knowing of its having been done before we published the fact. A NIGHT IN LIQUO3. We ore promised a repetition of scenes of former sessions in the shape of " a night in liquor " on Wednesday. Mr. M'Nab intends to bring on the Bill of the Prohibition Party, and its opponents promise it a worm reception. THX FINANCIAL STATEMINT. The Financial Statement is now certain to be laid on the table to-morrow evening. The Government is deßiroua that the debate should begin on Friday evening, but, 'in view of the importance of the proposals to be made in the Budget, will offer no resistance Bhould there be any general desire on the part of the Opposition to postpone it till the following Tuesday. iNOTHIB IITSTKBY. We related on Saturday how thu Premier detailed to the House a number of instances in which we had published the most secret and exolusivp information relating tolGovernmeut affairs apropos of our publication of the main recommendations of the Tariff Commission. The sequel to that was a visit of the members of the Commission to Ministers. The Commissioners expressed to the Premier their Butprise at the publication of the recommendations in the Bvinino Post, and stated that they had not Bupplied the information, which must therefore have come either from the officers of the Customs Department, Ministers themselves, or the Printing Offioe. The Colonial Treasurer said it could not have come from the Customs Department or from the Printing Office, and Ministers did not for a moment think it had come from the Governor. The Premier said nothing, but during the interview Mr. Wm. Hutchison, one of the Commissioners, said that he had read with surprise in our article that the recommendations of the Commissioners were not to be adopted, and he added significantly that if any of the main proposals were departed from he would be found voting against the Government. JOTTINGS. The Speaker of the Legislative Ccunoil entertained Ma brother members at Bellamy's on Saturday evening.