NOTES ON THE SESSION.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 55, 18 October 1887, Page 3

NOTES ON THE SESSION.

Faox ora ewj; soa*Bsroxt>E!<T.j WeLlinotox, Saturday. As waiexpected, the Address-in-Reply occasioned a very lively all-round debate in which the leading miinbers of both forces took active part. Mr Graham made an excellent flrrtappeartbce, though he spoke with a little nervousness at the outset. His references to the vast areas of Unoccupied Crown and Native lands on the East Coast were especially effective and * - there is no 4oubt that he was wise in ' seixing the opportunity offered for bringing the just claims of his neglected district before the House. Froth one. Remark made by; the seconder, Mr McGregor, it is evident that the question of Freetrade v. Protection ia one which may possibly breed dissentien in the Government

ranks, for the speaker manifested his ihtentioh of sturdily opposing the Governlbtnft ihould they attempt to tinker with the.tarijf.'' the ex-Colonial Treasurer’s reply has been variously criticised by his friends and toes as one of the best and one of the worst speeches they had ever heard. If flippancy, weak attempts at satire, and occasional breaches of good taste may be taken M evidence of excellent party attack the speech certainly possessed merit, but the feeling of the House was certainly with the Premier when in his reply to Sir Julius he characterised the oration as “a degrading one." His attack upon Mr Fisher was in egrigiously bad taste and betrayed a personal rancour which should be absent in a statesman of recognised ability and standing as is the ex-Colonial Treasurer, whilst his reference to the Auckland elections, though provoking the laughter of the House, was paltry in the extreme. Only one candidate in Auckland, said Sir Julius Vogel, had dared to admit himself a follower of the Premier and as a result his sanity was so much questioned that he actually had to go to a doctor for a certificate. This of course referred to the eccentric Mr Aitken Connell.

Though humorous enough at times, the speech was unworthy of serious Criticism, and the Premier wisely cut his reply very short. He made several excellent pointe, and undoubtedly gave his antagonist a “ Roland for his Oliver.” Referring to the taunts of Sir Julius as to the time he, the Major, required to prepare a statement he hit well home in saying that if a statement of the Vogelian order were required with fresh taxation, reckless disregard of the state of the colony, and indifference as to the future, why then such a statement could easily be made in a day or two, but in face of the urgent cry for retrenchment the necessity for thoroughly over-hauling the finance and generally " relieving the country from the position it had been brought into by his opponent ” that naturally required a more lengthy period. It is an open secret that relations be' een the ex-Minister for Lands and Sir Julius, are to say the least, “ strained.” They are to co-operate for the mutual benefit of the Opposition, but their future paths will lie far asunder. Mr Ballance admits that defects might be discovered in his Native Lands Act, but he still retains much of his old strong prejudice against freetrade in Native Lands. The main portent of his speech was bit distinct posing as the leader of the Protectionists in the House, The intention of the Government to defer altering the tariff until next session Was the subject of much denunciation, and the Premier will evidently need all his astuteness he is credited with to keep the more rabid of the Protectionists amongst his followers from seceding. Mr George Fisher made an admirable reply to the strictures passed bpott himself personally and the Government generally by Vogel, There was little of importance in the speech by Mr Seddon, who poses as Vogel's first lieutenant, to the vast amusement of the House, but Mr McKensie’s amendment in favor of the reduction of Ministers to five brought about a lengthy and tedious discussion. However desirable such a reduction may be eventually it was felt that the present motion was untimely, a conclusion exemplified by the division list of only 7 ayes to 57 nqes, The session is to be a short one say all, and this possibly is the reason for the tremendous number of notices of motions and of new bills with which the order paper is already overcrowded. M any are utterly ridiculous ' and unworthy of the time devoted to them; others are useful and wise measures. The Law Practitioners and Land Administration Bills have this time two companions in the shape of a Contagious Diseases Act Repeal Bill and a Bill to define the hours of labour in New Zealand. 'J his latter is much on the same lines as the measure introduced by the late Mr Bradshaw of Dunedin and will probably share the same fate. The election of Major Hamlin as Chairman of Committees was unopposed the other night, but Sir J. Vogel made some rather strong remarks as to the alleged lobbying by the Chairman. This is said to refer to 1885 when Hamlin was supposed to have influenced the Maori vote. Sydney Taiwhanga has not burst forth with any of his notorious eccentricities so far, but he is evidently well up with motions and questions of jfll kinds. One of these refers to the Auckland lawyer Forwood, who absconded to Sydney with money belonging to some northern natives. Taiwhanga is anxious to know when he will be brought back. It is jocularly said, the Maori Committee have been sent down by his constituents to look after the erratic Sydney. They are particularly strong on meetings which they seem mainly to hold under Lambton Quay verandahs and in other incongruous localities. That “the Chinese must go ” is an opinion evidently held by a great many people, especially those living on the west coast of the South Island Both Seddon and Reeves are advocating increase of the poll tax, whilst Ballance is introducing a measure giving power to Municipal bodies to impose a tax <4 tlian TlOO on every Chinaman keeping a retail shop.