POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 7623, 28 May 1888, Page 2

POLITICAL GOSSIP.

« ♦ [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, May 28. Jottings. The Colonial Secretary will introduce the ' Otago Harbor Board Indemnity Bill, which j vests part of the North Heads in the Board, ! as promised by the late Government; ; legalises certain payments made by the Board; and allows an overdraft equivalent to half the year's revenue. The latter provision will probably in Committee be made applicable to all harbor boards, in accordance with the Comptroller-General's advice. Private information from Sydney states that Mr A. D. Bell, the New Zealand representative, is taking an important part in the deliberations of the Rabbit Commission. His special knowledge on the subject has been the occasion of his being appointed to act with the expert engaged by the Sydney Government in conducting the investigations that are to be made. Newspaper Exhibitions. Thanks to the Minister of Education, New Zealand will be represented at the International Exhibition of newspapers to be held shortly at Aix-la-Chapelle. Mr Fisher has forwarded an exhibit consisting of 175 publications issued in and circulating in the various parts of the colony. It consists of journals of all kinds—from the metropolitan daily to the small country weekly or reli gious monthly. Inspector Shearman's Petition. Inspector Shearman's claim for compensation has been before the Petition Committee for the last day or two, and so far, I understand, he has made out a very good case for consideration. He has, however, supported his claim by several charges, by implication, against another officer in the Service; and I believe that the recommendation of the Committee will state that these am not justified by the evidence adduced. Ripening of Fruit. It has come to the knowledge of Mr Hobbs that M. Pasteur has given Sir J. B. Thurston, Governor of Fiji, a recipe for a process by which the ripening of fruit may be retarded, and its shipment to a foreign market therefore made more feasible. He has brought the matter under the notice of the Premier, who promises to communicate with Sir J. B. Thurston on the subject and endeavor to obtain the recipe from him. Personal. I hear that the date for Sir George Grey's departure for England will be a month after the session closes. The Hon. Walter Johnston (Minister of Works in the last Atkinson Administration) leaves for Home with his family next week, and will endeavor to push the dairy industry business as regards the colony. Getting: at Pensioners, Mr Downie Stewart's Pensioners Bill prevents persons residing out of the colony from drawing more than half their pensions while absent, but they are entitled to leave of absence without deduction for one year out of every five. Authority is also given to the GoverHor-in-Council to extend the leave of absence, on account of ill-health, without the payment of the pension being affected. Retrenchment. It is said that the retrenchment in the several departments effected by the Government will reach a quarter of a million in money, but the news appears too good to toe true. The celebrated retrenchment coup of Mr J. F. Burns, the New South Wales Treasurer, two years ago, resulted in a saving of L 400.000 from an annual expenditure of over L 8,000,000; but a saving of L' 250,000 out of an annual expenditure of L 4,000,000 beats Mr Burns's record. lam sure your readers will only be too glad to hear that this saving of a quarter of a million is an actual fact. A Curious Omission. The cause of the absence of the missing despatch No. 96, upon the formation of the present Ministry, from among the Governor's depatches presented to Parliament last week has given rise to a good deal of curious comment. From the date of the institution of constitutional government in this country it has been the custom for His Excellency the Governor to inform the Colonial Office of the formation of a new Ministry, and to give the names of its members. This despatch is always included among those printed for the information of both Houses of Parliament. In accordance with this custom the announcement of the new Ministry was given in the Governor's despatch (No. 96) of October 18 last; but, singularto say, this particulardocument is notinoludedinthebatch of despatches presented to Parliament, the selection of which rests with His Excellency himself. The omission has aroused an interest in the despatches of the Governor of this colony that has lain dormant since the time of the Grey - Cameron despatches, which were always looked forward to as being remarkable as much for what they did not contain as for what they contained.