POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LVI, Issue 75, 26 September 1898, Page 5

POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES.

GOVERNMENT CAUCUS. A caucus of the Government Party was held this morning, all the members of the Party being present or accounted for. According to the official report supplied by the Government Whip, the principal matter under discussion was the Old Age Pensions Bill, upon which there was much talk. A clear understanding was arrived at by the Party as to certain provisions of the Bill, and it was unanimously decided to endeavour to pass it. The Premier expressed the hope that the Bill would now be discussed on its merits, and without unreasonable obstruction. The question of the Bills to be passed this session cropped up, and it was announced that the Party would be called together later on t& consider the matter. The Premier stated, and it was agreed to, that certain important Bills would have to be proceeded with, however long the session might take. THE KIVAL BOUTES. A largely attended meeting of Auckland and Taranaki members of both Houses was held thif! morning, to consider the report of the Sub-Committee on the question of the Stratford and the Central routes for the completion of the North Island Main Trunk Railway. The Sub-Com-mittee decided — though not unanimously — in favour of the Stratford route. When the matter came up for consideration this morning it was very fully discussed, and the opinions of the two sides freely stated. The first queslion put to the meeting was a straight-out vote on the subject of the rival routes. This question had not been raised by Emotion, and the Chairman (Sir Maurice O'Rorke) put it to the meeting purely on his own initiative. It was strongly objected to by certain members, w,ho pointed out that no such motion had been moved, and also that it put many of them in an awkward and unfair position, because, while they preferred one route to the other, if they could not get the route they wanted they would support the other. The Chairman, however, insisted on putting the motion, whereupon Messrs. Brown, Bollard, and Massey refused to vote, and Messrs. Lang and Monk voted under protest. On the vote being taken the division resulted as follows : — For Stratford route (11) — Messrs. Holland, Morris, Symes, Lawry, Harris, Jennings, M'Guire, O'Rorke, Crowther, M'Gowan, and W. Kelly. For the Central route (6) — Messrs. Lang,Moak, M'Culloch, Herries, Scotland, and Swanson. A division was then taken on the report o£ the Committee in favour of the Stratford route, as follows : — For the report (12) Messrs. Holland, Swanson, M'Gowaa, Kelly, Morris, Symes, Lawry, Harris, Jennings, M'Guire, Crowther, and O'Rorke. Against the recommendations of the Committee (7) — Messrs. Lang, Massey, Monk, Holland, Brown, M'Cullough, and Herries. The Hon. Mr. M'Cullough movsd a resolution that a deputation direct the attention of! the Government to the necessity for completing the 12 miles of railway to connect the Auckland end of the line with the point of divergence of the two routes. The motion was negatived on the voices, although both parties must agree that the line should be completed to this point, and it was deoidec that a deputation composed pf all in favoui of the Stratford route should wait on the Premier at the earliest opportunity. THE PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. The Public Works Statement will be laid on the table of the House this evening. THE OLD AGE PENSIONS BILL. Consideration of the Old Age Pensions

Bill will be resumed this evening at the debatable clause 8. Fair progress is likely to be made, unless the Premier still insists on behig unreasonable, and forces members to sit till all hours of the morning. THE ESTIMATES. Although the Old Age Pensions Bill is being made a matter of urgenc\ F , it will probably have to stand down to-morrow evening and make way for the Estimates. EXPLANATION WANTED. Hidden up in the Contingency vole of the Post and Telegraph Dep.irLinout was a vote of £146, travelling expenses oL' the Premier's Secretary to England. This was one of the items unearthed by the determined demands of the Opposition for details of the large sums lumped together under the heading " Contingencies." The discovery was made shortly before breakfast after the all-night sitting last Tuesday, and was regarded as of special interest on account of the contradiction it appears to give to the details disclosed last session by the Premier of the expenses of his London trip. Last session Mr. Seddon, when pressed on the subject, said (Hansard, vol. 99, pages 633-634)—" Taking the railway and steamer fares, &c, for himself, Airs. Seddon, and his Secretary, and transports of luggage, the amount was £790 ; gratuities on steamers and trains and at hotels, £120 ; hotel expenses in America, Great Britain, and elsewhere of Mrs. Seddon, himself, and Secretary, £210 That (the total expenses, including £220 paid out of his own pocket) would be found to total £1970. The number of days he was absent was 149. lie thought ii would have been preferable if the erpenxps of the Secretary had beeii charged separately, and if that had been doiie the account against himself would not have been so large." Yet in the face of this statement of last session, on the strength of which the House parsed the vote of £1750 for the expenses of the Premier's trip to England, another vote is now discovered, increasing the expenses by £146. There can be no doubt that the expenses of the Secretary were stated to be included in the lump sum of £1750, for at page 940, vol. 100 of Hansard, the statement is again made by Mr. Seddon. The House distinctly understood that the total cost of the trip was £1750, and before the present session is over an explanation will be demanded as to why the item of £146 was not disclosed.