WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2695, 6 October 1871, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Wellington, October 2. Generally cut off from communication with' the South for a week or ten days, we have to-day a plethora of steamers all advertised to sail at the same hour—the Taranaki, Ahuriri, and Keera—l suppose upon the principle of trying to “cut each others throats.” The krrangement, however, or want of arrangement, is a serious inconvenience to the public. You will have learnt some days ago by telegram that the Otago W&sto Lands Bill was read a second time, and accordingly stands referred to the Waste Lands Committee. Although there was a strong general feeling against the Bill, many members would not goathe length of opposing the second reading, considering that it was but fair to allow it the consideration of the committee, in accordance with the universal practice with regard to measures affecting the sale and disposal of the waste lands. The division, as you have seen, was a very narrow one, and an analysis will show that the majority, small as it was, was made up by the votes of three Maori members, who had yielded, it would appear, to the importunities of the. energetic J. C. Brown. Tairoa, the Otago Maori, declined to record his vote, and it may be seen that this course was adopted by Mr Macandrew and a number of other gentlemen. The debate occupied altogether two evenings, and was principally remarkable for the startling onslaught upon Mr Reid and his land policy by the Colonial Treasurer, and for the bitter recriminating speech of Mr Reid in repljr. These were both very good in their way, and you will no doubt find' room to' republish them in full from the pages .of Hansard. The Goldfields Bill was the same evening read a second time without further debate, and in accordance with‘the Standing Orders, is now referred to the Goldfields Gomfittee. It is understood that strong aWeinpts ttil| be made to excise the delegation there being a pretty general feeling amongst the goldfields members that the sooner the General Government assume the whole control the better for the mining community; of course the other side will show light, and may probably lead the committee, m which case the question will be directly fought upon the floor of the House. It is alto proposed that those portion of the Bill rights and positions of the pastoral tenants shall be excised and treated independently, thus leaving the goldfields Bill purely a “ min ng statute,” a course by the way which, I think, was recommended by the Miniug Commission, which sat last April in Dunedin. There is a good deal to be said in favor of the Bill. 1 Should the new Land Bill ■pass, it might well comprehend within its provisions ail waste lands within goldfields; and should it fail in becoming law, the existing sections having reference to this subject might stand unrepealed in the various Acts at present in force. The “Administration of Justice ” under the new Bill, as in the Act of 1866, appears to me unnecessarily cumbrous and not very intelligible. It is to be hoped the Committee will see their way to brevity and simplicity in this important portion of the measure. After a great deal of fighting and beating about the bush, the Government managed to oamr thfc first vote upon the kstimates-~Clasß 1, public domains and buildings, amounting to a reducion of L3OO, so that the vote passed at L 2230. Mr ( reightou, as you are aware, occupied a whole evening in attempting to force Ministers to take back the Estimates and reduce them by L 50.000; this was defeated 'by a very-large majority. Next, Mr Macandrew moved to the effect that all

salaries -above L4OO a year should be re* duced *at the rate of 25 per cent, upon all excess over L4OO ; this, after some , discussion, was also rejected, it being considered of too sweeping ans impractical a character.' 'On.e whole pp to the smaU hours was occupied in factious opposition to the progress of business by Mr Stafford and his new party, who, although numerically powerless to effect anything themselves, are sufficiently powerful to impede, and venom* ous enough to cast aside all consideration for the gratification of personal spite and party spleen. We know now fortunately that there is an organised Opposition, and of whom that Opposition consists; and I may refer you to the “leader” in Tuesday’s/«dependent for a pretty faithful “ totting up” of the component parts of the very “mixed lot ” wiioni th? member for Timaru has collected together. Ministers very properly stood firm, and declined to allow the Public Works Statement to be made until at least one item of ‘the Estimates had beep pfjssech So soon as this was done, Mr Gisborne delip vered the very able and satisfactory state* meut which will reach yon by this mail. It does not seem to afford much ground for an Opposition attack, although of course they will cavil and sneer, and prophesy, as is the wont of some of them, terrible things. The large majority of the House are more than satisfied, and their first impression upon hearing Mr Gisborne is amply confirmed by the perusal of the statement in print, t Mp Vogel gave notice upon Friday of the proposed duties upon cereals ant} timber, and

of the alteration and additions in the stamp duties. I have not heard much said upon either subject, but I imagine the House will be inclined to deal with the first of these from a revenue point of view, entirely guarding itself from sanctioning the principles of protection per se. Even were these principles involved, it is a subject which would have to be dealt with by the House apart from party considerations, until it be. comes, as it may and probably will do in time, the question itself, which will bo the making of parties. At the present time there is difference of opinion amongst the supporters themselves of 4be Ministry and the Opposition, as to the policy or otherwise of protective duties, and this will clearly he shown in any divisions which may take place. The additional stamp duties appear to me, from a cursory glance at the tables, to include a variety of documents which, up to this time have, without any assignable reason, escaped scot free. If additional revenue is necessary, this would appear a yery fair way of raising it, being in a very general sense a tax upon property, and not falling in any way severely upon the individual. There has been no general debate upon the financial policy as a whole, and probably now it will be taken in detail, as the several Bills necessary to carry out the policy come down to the House. The Treasurer promises some of these this week, and it is very desirable they should be discussed in a full House. The approach of the shearing season begins to make many of the members anxious to see their way to the conclusion of the session ; but with the amount of business still undisposed of, the House can hardly be prorogued for another six weeks. Rumor has it that negotiations have been opened with an' Otago M.L.C. to join the Government, and that he is not unlikely to do so , nothing, however, up to this time would appear to have been settled. The Hon. John Hall has been seriously ill, and lies now in a very precarious state. He will be removed home so soon as he recovers strength for the journey. I need not say how much his loss will be felt in the House at this critical time, especially as it was hoped that he would have been induced to join the present administration.