WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6976, 2 October 1884, Page 3

WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

— — ♦- [by telkoraph.] [FROM OTTjB BPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. ] Wellington, Wednesday. SIB JULIUS VOGBL. Sir Jolirjß Yogel. intends taking up his residences in -the ..Preuuer'a house, Mi

Mitchelson having received notice to that effect. It is said to be Sir Julius's inten-* : tion tb visit the Hot Lakes after the ' session is- over in order to test the usefulness. of the baths for the restoration of his health* , - - j GRATUITY TO MBS BBN SMITH. ' ;Thn Minister for Public Works has promised Mr W. C. Smith that he will grant the sum of £100 to M re Ben Smith, whose husband was killed on the Waipawa railway bridge some time since; 1 DISTRICT RAILWAYS. The District Railways Leasing and Purchasing Bill, introduced by Sir Julius Yogel, and read a second time last evening, gives the Governor power to lease district railways for a term of 20 years at an annual rental equal to 4 per cent, on the total value of the railway at the time of contract, and to purchase it at the expiration of the term. Elaborate provisions are made for arriving at the value of the railway by means of arbitration, and debenture bonds for the value ascertained will be issued to the company owning the line. By the payment of these bonds at the end of 20 ■ years the railway becomes the property of the Crown. The interest is not to exceed 4 per cent., and any deficiency of the working profits to pay interest to be made up, half out of the consolidated revenue and the remainder by a rate on the property within the railway district, which rate the Minister for Public Works is given power to strike and collect. No new- district railways are to be made. Those to which the bill applies are the Duntroon and Hokataramea railway, the Rakaia and Ashburton Forks railway, the Thames Valley and Rotorua railway, the Waimate railway, and the Waimea Plains railway. • ' NAPIER HARBOR BILL. The adjourned debate on the Napier Harbor Bill in the Council was resumed this afternoon by Mr Oliver, who was the Postmaster-General in the Atkinson Ministry. Mr Oliver made a speeoh strongly in favor of the bill and of the breakwater scheme generally. He defended the Local Bills Committee from the uncalled-for reflections which had been made on it by several members of the Council, especially by Mr Robinson and Mr Chamberlin, and " chaffed " the latter considerably as to the nature of the schemes he had suggested instead of the proposed harbor works. Mr Oliver Baid the committee had taken the best evidence btainable, and Mr Blackett had given his opinion that the si',e chosen by Mr Goodall was the beB 7 , that could be adopted. He had also informed the committee that the site was infinitely better than that proposed by Mr M'G-regor some years ago. Mr Oliver further stated that the welfare of the Hawke's Bay district depended almost entirely on the proposed breakwater. The district was a very rich one, and there was no part of the colony that could better afford to pay for harbor works than Hawke's Bay. Captain Fraser expressed his intention to support the bill. He said the Hawke's Bay people knew what they wanted, and he. thought the English capitalists had ample security in a district so rich and important. He hoped the proposed works would be.successful, and he wished them all.Buccess. Mr Bichmond said he would not oppose the bill, but he expressed himself strongly against works of this nature, on; the ground of their being liable to i become colonial liabilities in the event of ; < failure. He feared the proposed works ] would cost far more than £300,000 to 1 complete them. Mr Scotland and Mr ' Bajrnicoat also spoke against the bill, the ; latter very strongly. Sir George Whit- | more replied to the arguments brought i forward against the bill, and said that 1 during the last twenty^four hours Mr i Wilson and himself had received a large i number of telegrams from Hawke's Bay landowners, informing them that there was a very strong feeling in the country J district in favor of the bill. Mr Wj[lspn 1 having replied, the question was put and ] the voiceß were unmistakably with the 1 "ayes." Mr Chamberlin called for a < division, when the second reading was i carried by the large majority of 19 i against 6. The following is the division list : — Ayes— Messrs Ackland, Buckley, Dig- < nan, Henderson, Miller, Lahmann, ! George M'Lean, Oliver, Pharazyn, Rey- i nolds, Scotland, Stevens, .Williamson, i Wilson, Wigley, . Sir G. . Whitmore, < Colonel Brett, Captain Frazer, and j Kohere. Noes — Messrs Barnicoat, Brandon, John Johnston, Robert Campbell, Cham- i berlin, and Williams. ' i Neither Mr Waterhouse nor Mr J\ .0. \ Richmond recorded their votes, and Mr i Eobert Hart was absent from the Council. ] The bill is ordered to be committed tomorrow. PETITION AGAINST NAPIER HARBOR BILL. I The Public Petitions Committee have i brought up their report on the petition i of J. G. Kinross and others praying that ; the Napier Harbor Bill may not pass into i law, but that the House will appoint a < commission to investigate the whole ques- i tion. The committee report that the sub- ■ ject matter of the petition being before the ; House the committee haß no recommendation to make. THE VACANT PORTFOLIO. Nothing has yet been decided as to the appointment of the new Minister. As far as one can l6arn Mr Oadman now appears to be out of the running, and it ia authoritatively stated that the portfolio will after all be conferred on Captain Morris, who from the first has been looked on as the most likely member to obtain it. It is no secret that Sir Julius Yogel. has a decided preference for Captain Morris, and the Canterbury members also favor his appointment, . but the Premier and Mr Ballance are understood to incline towards Mr Cadman, the member for Coromandel being one of their own party. I. hear that the appointment is to be made before the close of the session, but the Opposition appear to discredit this, and they consider it ia not at all likely to be made while the House is Bitting. HONORARIUM BILIi. There was a rather warm discussion at an early hour this morning on the 7th, clause of the Parliamentary Honorarium Bill. The clause provided that no member of the House should be disqualified from serving on a Royal ; Commission in consequence of receiving • any fees or allowances attaching to such commission. The. clause was eventually thrown out on a division by 37 against 16. Mr O' Conor, the member' for Buller, during the discussion on the bill,: said, amidst hearty laughter, that very few members of the House in their ordinary capacities were worth half the amount of the honorarium mentioned in the bill. The full. amount i of the honorarium (£210) was retained on a division by 42 against 16. EAST COAST GRIEVANCES. The committee to which the East Coast grievances have been referred have agreed on a report to the effect that the East Coast has been greatly, neglected in the matter of public expenditure, and: recommending that assistance should be given to the settlers towards the construction of the Gisborne harbor works by giving . facilities for opening up the land of the district. NORTH ISLAND TET7NK BAILWAY.. The North Island Trunk Railway Committee is still taking ' evidence. Several of the witnesses are being reexamined on technical points. It is understood that the committee will bring up their report on Friday, unless a further extension of time is asked for.