PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 5298, 19 September 1885, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

[from our correspondent.] Wellington, September 17. ■ We are near the end of the session at last. Government expect to wind upon Saturday night, and members are anxious to do so, but there are a f <jw questions yet pending, such as the 'Frisco mail service, which may keep the cauldron seething for a few days longer! Last night the goldfields' membera were up in arms against the Legislative Council. Mr Pyke, who took the lead, charged tho Government with lukewarmness, and compared the results to their promises. He said that the members of the Lower Housa j who met the managers of the Legislative Council in reference to the Mining Companies Act (1877) Amendment Bill had given way as far as possible ; that they had conceded every point where capital was concerned, and it^was only when the rights of labor were concerned that they refused to give way. He showed the un-. just way in which the miners Were: taxed, as compared with the rest of the community for the la9t ten years. The Lower House had .been trying to remove those grievances but had always been thwarted by the other Chamber. That^ said Mr Pyke, must continue till there is miners special representation in the other Chamber like all other interests. ("So they have", shouted an hon. member. ("Who," a^ked Mr Pyke? "Mr Bonar and somebody else," replied an hon. member). "Mr Bonar has gone home," said Mr Pyke, and practically miners had not a representative in the other Chamber, when the Mines Bill was before it. Mr Seddon followed with a few effective quotations from Ministerial promises in the Governor's speeches, and pointed out that miners in Victoria had not obtained [ redress till they had to appeal to physical force. The Premier, who seconded Mr Pyke's motion, that new managers should be appointed to confer with the Council, said he wag. opposed to some of the demands" made, but had sunk his own opinions, although when on the West Coast he told the miners frankly he disagretd with i some things which they advocated. I think there must have been some exchange of compliments between the hon. member for Dunstan and the Premier. Sever il timeslnotic»d-Vincent looking in the most terrific manner through his spectacles, as though he would like to chaw him up, and vigorously clutchiug his sick, as if he would like to lay it across the capacious back of the hon. Robert. The goldfields members appear to be almost csmpletely alienated from the Ministry. They came up full of hope, but will return sadder and perhaps wiser men. They will meet plenty of honest ma'ily hearts on their return, such as they will never meet with amongst the politicians or cads who infest this city. The hon. John Bryce took leave of the members of the House last night. He will go Home by the s s. Kaikoura, which letves on Sunday week to prosecute that arch-liar Rusden. Major Atkinson bus given notice of a vote in recognition of Sir William Fox's services in settl-ng the Maori disputes on the West C ast of th;s island. When he finished his five years' labor he was asked to accept L2OOO, but declined, saying that the work was a labor of love. It is now stated that Sir William, like many of our early and best politicians, is a compara tively poor man. His property in Rangitikei was sold at a great sacrifice, as the purchaser resold at a big advance a few weeks afterwards. Sir William wrote out stating that he would accept the property tax valuation.