WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6632, 21 August 1883, Page 3

WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

[from our special correspondent.]

[BY TELEGRAPH;!

Wellington, Monday. The Settled Land Bill, which is principally in the direction of abolishing en rail and providing for trustees in certain cases dealing with lands vested in then., met with the most determined opposition ihis afternoon from both sides of the Hou.e. The bill is a copy of the measure introduced into the House of Lords by Lord Cairns last year. Mr Connlly, the Minister o. Justice, who has introduced the bill here, was severely blamed for 1 bringing it in at this period of the session, and he agreed to postpone its further consideration till Thursday. The general opinion was that the bill should be withdrawn for this session. The only portions of the Estimates that have now to be (voted are the Legislative votes and those for the Government Insurance Department, and it is expected that another night will complete them. Some of tbe votes promised in the Supplementary Estimates will be hotly opposed, especially the vote for fnrther additions to the Parliamentary Buildings. It is proposed that every day for the remainder of the session shall be appropriated for Government business. Major Atkinson gave notice of motion to that effect this afternoon. There are still no less than 68 bills on the Order Paper and 26 notices of motion, so that a pretty considerable slaughter of the innocents may be expected in a day or two. The Government have as yet made no final intimation of the bills they intend going on with. ' Mr Vincent Pyke, the member for Dunstan, is at present suffering from a J distressing affection of the eyes, by which , the sight of one eye ia seriously endangered. It appears to have been caused by the rupture of a blood vessel at the back of the eye. Mr Pyke is under the medical care of Dr Gillon. A petition was presented to-day from Mr W. F. Knight and 89 other settlers, praying that the railway be extended to Tahoraite, and that the railway station should be erected near where the line would cross the main road at the Tahoraite settlement. Mr fc.mith is to ask. the Minister for Public Works on Thursday if he will have footways erected on the railway bridges between Kopua and Makatoku for the convenience of passengers when the rivers are flooded; also, whether he has received any interim report on the survey of the proposed North Island main trunk line that passes through the Hawke's Bay district. It appears from a return laid on the table of the House to-day that the recent additions to the Parliamentary Buildings amounted to £9444 7s lOd ; repairs and alterations, £2322 3s 3d ; furniture, £2682 16s 7d ; miscellaneous, £1340 3s 4d ; tot«l expenditure, £15,789 lis. The total cost of the electric light up to the end of the session (about the first week in September) is estimated by a return, laid on the table to the order of Mr Joyce, to amount to £2554 10s Ud.