POLITICAL POINTS.

Evening Star, Issue 9501, 25 September 1894, Page 2

POLITICAL POINTS.

[Fbclm Over the Chaib.]

, : , WELLINGTON, September 25. The Petitions Committee met this morning to consider the.complaint of the West Coaafc shareholders regarding alleged mismanagement of the affairs of the defunct Equitable Insurance Association. Mr John Beyan, exmember for Hokitika, attended for the purpose of giving evidence in support of the allegations contained in the petition. A telegram, however, was received from Mr J. B. Callan, late chairman of the directors, asking that consideration of the matter should be postponed, as he wished to present himself to give evidence, and hia late codirectors also wished to be represented by counsel. As the telegram advising them that the inquiry wa3 to commence to-day was only received on Friday morning sufficient time had not been given to them to get their papers and to instruct their representative. The Committee decided to postpone the investigation till Friday next, and wired to Mr Callan accordingly.

The Minister, of Lands and Mr H.l>. Bell had an alteration this morning over the Lands Improvement Bill. Mr Bell said that settlers buying Crown lands under certain conditions should be prepared to make their own roads,, whereupon the Minister ventured to express the opinion that if .the hon. gentleman went into any bush district in Wellington and made such a statement oh the pablic platform he would be pelted with flour balls and rotten eggs. Mr Bell retorted that the Minister should reserve language of that kind for his own followers, because it hadnoeffectupon him. The Hon. Mr M'Kentie, rising to a point of order, petulantly complained of insulting language being used towards him. Mr Bell denied that he had said anything insulting, and the Chairman ruled that there, was nothing in the Minister's point of order. Mr Bell then repeated his previous remark, whereupon the Hon. Mr M'Kenzie again, submitted his point of order. Sir R. Stout ridiculed the idea that any point of order had been raised, and the Premier, who had just come into the Chamber, said he thought his colleague was perfectly right. M r Guinness, however, said that he had already ruled, and could not reverse his previous decision, after which Mr Bell was allowed to continue his remarks without interruption.

Iu the House to-day Mr Saunders, amid laughter, gave notice that he would move in the first week of next session that Standing Order 104 be repealed; that the Premier, Treasurer, and Leader of the Opposition be permitted to speak not more than ten hours; that three members of the Opposition, to be elected by the Opposition, be permitted to speak not more than five hours in any lunar month; the last three to be phanged during the session only after illness or change of Government; that all other members of the House be permitted to speak for only two hours in one lunar month; time spent in asking questions (not exceeding two minutes) not to count.

There were forty members (including Ministers) at the Government caucus at noon to-day. A good deal of chaff at the expense of the Premier was indulged in, bat the agreements as to the Bills to be persevered with or dropped, as the case might be, were arrived at with practical unanimity. Mr G. J. Smith and Mr Crowther received no invitations to attend the caucus, and the former wrote to the senior whip (Mr Mills) asking whether his exclusion was intentional, and received an answer in the affirmative. Mr Smith is likely to bring the matter before the House, either this afternoon or on the first opportunity.

The caucus decided to drop the following Bills :—Newspaper Libel Limitation ; Debts Recovery Limitation ; to Imprisonment for Debt Abolition; Hawkers and Pedlars; Lunatics Act Amendment; Chattels Transfer ; Noxious Weeds ; Eight Hours; IJnclaimed Lands; Poisons Importation and Carriage ; Municipal Corporations; Electoral ; Commissioners' Powers; Distress for Rent Abolition; Pawnbrokers; Sale of Beer, Wine, and Spirits at Bellamy's Prohibition; Juries Act Amendment. The only private members' Bills to escape the slaughtering process are: The Law Practitioners Amendment (Mr George Hutchison) and the Employers' Private Benefit Society (Mr Millar). A second list was agreed to of Bills which should be the next to go. Though they are for the present to be left on the Order Paper, it is very problematical whether they will get through. This list includes the Rating of Crown Lands, Betterments, Immigration, Supreme Court Act Amendment, and the Shearer.*' Accommodation. These Bills may also be regarded as killed.

Chief of those which it was decided to. endeavor to pass are the following:—Advances to Settlers, Consols, Lands Improvement, Insurance Deposits, Native Land Court, Licensing, Mining Companies, Criminal Code Act Amendment, Midland Railway, Trustees, Stamps Act Amendment, Post Office, Native Land Claims, Vehicles Licensing, Offensive Publications, Tramways, Tongariro National Park, Public Reserves Sale, Animals Protection, Indictable Offences, Legitimation, besides the two private Bills above mentioned, which the Premier announced are to be taken up by the Government.

The private members' Bills slaughtered were : The Second-hand Dealers, Licensing (Mr Tanner's), Municipal Franchise Enlargement, Pharmacy, Town Districts, Coroners' Inquests, Threshing Machine Owners' Lien, Guaranteed Banks Amalgamation Prohibition, Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards Special Empowering, Cemeteries Act Amendment, Fire Brigades, Teachers' Court of Appeal, Contagious Diseases Repeal, Shipping and Seamen's and Marine Engineers, Property Law Consolidation, and New Zealand Institute of Journalists.

The Premier told the caucus that if the party worked well they ought to be able to get away in the middle of October. There will no doubt be many more Bills dropped from the authorised list before the session is over.

From a reliable source I learn that all the Ministers, except Mr Cadman, attended the Ministerial caucus to-day. The Speaker and Chairman of Committees did not attend. The Public Works, Abattoir?, and Trustees Act Amendment Bills (now before select committees), and several of the Finance Bills, including the Land Assessment Amendment and the Local Bodies' Loans Conversion (not yet circulated), are to be passed if possible. After Ministerial explanations it was decided to support the Advances to Settlers Bill, with the limit up to £5,000, with a preference to loans under £SOO.

With a sort of "it revolts me but I'll do it" expression, the Premier announced the slaughter of the innocents, and moved that the Bills mentioned in my previous message be struck off the Order Paper. Referring to the Municipal Corporations Bill he said, as the House would have to deal with the whole question of local government next session, it would be better that this Bill should stand over. Preferring to the Sale of Liquors at Bellamy's Bill, he said that members would have an opportunity of dealing with this question in the Licensing Bill.—(Laughter.) In answer to Captain Russell, the Premier said he hoped to get through with the fiscal policy and Native Land Bills this week, and with the smaller Bills next week, and to bring down the Public Works Statement at the end of next week. Mr Guinness asked about the coal export bonus, and the Premier replied that if members wished to Btay there till Christmas they might deal with that question. Mr (Riccarton) Russell asked about the sugar beet bonus, and the Premier replied that the House would be asked to give an expression of opinion on this question.

there was aßill on the stocks, but its progress had been delayed owing to the unfortunate Illness of the Minister of Mines. The Government did intend to introduce a Bill dealing With the question within a few days. It was not, however, so hluch a question of a Bili as a Question oi cash, for if the Government claimed the stream they would have to iriake provision for compensation.

By 18 to 9 the Council this afternoon refused to reverse Mr Reynolds's amendment on the Shop Hours Bill. Sir P. A. Buckley admitted that by refusing to exempt from closing all premises where no persons worked for hire the Council had killed the Bill.

By 18 to 4 the Council refused to insert hotel bars in the places to be closed on the weekly half-holiday. The minority comprised Messrs Stcvend, Bolt, MacGregor, and Mantell.