WELLINGTON ITEMS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXIV, Issue 9150, 9 July 1890, Page 5

WELLINGTON ITEMS.

[Bt Telegraph.] [from oue own correspondent.] WELLINGTON, Jult 8. DR IRVINO’s CLAIM. James Irving, M.D., of Christchurch, who petitioned Parliament for compensation. for injuries received from a fall from a horse, sustained while at a Volunteer review, has been unsuccessful. The Public Petitions Committee reported to-day that the petitioner had no claim upon the Colony. THE UNEXPECTED. Another afternoon of unexpected events. First of all came Mr Mitchelson’a statement that he should move for a Committee of Enquiry to-morrow into Mr Hutchison’s celebrated allegations against the Government, and Mr Sed don’s very proper protest against enquiring into assertions made in the debate while that debate was still proceeding, on the ground that enquiry intimidated subsequent speakers. Then, when that was over, Mr Guinness jumped up and wanted to know all about the treaty supposed to have been entered into this morning between the Government and the socalled Skinflints. Government refused to say anything, and a lively impromptu discussion followed, in which many hard things were said of both parties to the said treaty. It was pointed out that Government had gone right-about-face on an important part of their policy. They had recently declared retrenchment bad and impossible: now they were going to accept it at the dictation of a small knot of men, meeting them in a secret interview up a hack stairs. They had made certain promises to these men. Why should the House and country be kept in the dark for one moment over such a vital change of front? Why should members be kept debating a policy which had been altogether altered ? Government sat still, said nothing, and looked uncomfortable. For two hours the storm raged. Mr Mitchelson trotted in and out of the House. Some said he was speaking to the Premier through the telephone, and asking for instructions. Mr Seddon chaffingly asked him what these instructions were. At half-past four the violence of the storm abated, Mr Guinness’ motion was dropped, and the House went to the Orders of the Day. THE BBSUMED DEBATE. Mr Saunders arose in his might to deliver a solid speech on finance, and hon members died out for the most part into the lobbies. As for the position, I believe it to be this: If Mr Monk’s motion, notice of which he gave this afternoon, be carried Government will not take it as a vote of no-confldence, hut will intimate their willingness to let fifty thousand pounds be knocked off the Appropriation Bill, they to effect retrenchment to that amount during the recess, I have reason to believe that the more earnest of the Skinflints are not at all pleased with this arrangement, as once Parliament is dissolved, neither they nor anyone else will have any control over Government or any guarantee that retrenchment would be really effected, or effected in a reasonable and humane way. Government, however, frightened the majority of the deputation by threatening that if immediate retrenchment were rammed down their throats they would go out. This was too much for the nerves of most Auckland members, so they accepted the Premier’s promise, such as it was. Mr Saunders’ speech was chiefly remarkable for his denunciation of the primage duty and spirited rebuke of the Premier for making education a peg on which to hang fresh taxation. Something, this, from a Government supporter!

[feom oub special correspondent.]

Mr Saunders, bringing bis remarks to a close after dinner, gave way to Mr Moss, who spoke in his usual style but not at his usual length. Captain Russell followed him with a gentlemanly speech, fluent, and still with backbone, pleasant wifcbal, carefully gob up and exhaustive. When he got to the Property tax he worked up the House to a state of active at tention, breaking out in numerous interruptions, which the goodhumoured captain answered in the snapshot manner in which they were delivered, and presumably when his friends behind him struck in with friendly suggestions he rapidly threw these reinforcements into his speech. For a while he had a remarkably lively time of it, keeping to the thread of his speech and maintaining a running fight between town and country on the question of the incidence of the tax. This episode over, he devoted himself to answering certain queries made by the member for St Albans amongst the rest. He made very good capital out of the exodus. “ The member for St Albans has declared that the Government had done nothing to stop the exodus except appointing the Hon Captain Russell. I really. Sir, had no idea I was such a valuable man before,” Since that statement was made be had looked up the figures, and he found that he had really stopped the exodus. {'ln the first month after my appointment. Sir, sixteen hundred people rushed to New Zealand attracted by the news, and only eight hundred went away, leaving to New Zealand’s credit, Sir, eight hundred people. In the next month, when the news had spread a little more, & greater number of people flocked to this happy country, and we had a clear gain of six hundred settlers. Coming to the next period, the influx continued, the number amounting to two thousand two hundred 5 a gain of two thousand two hundred people in that time. Sir, duo directly-—as the member for Si; Albans, who I am sorry is not here-—said, to my appointment.” All this was delivered with pleasant humour, and was accompanied by much laughter from the House, which enjoyed the happy treatment of the subject. Finding the Captain passing to another subject, Mr Taylor interjected ** Why don’t you go on?” The Captain faced him at once, saying “ I have not the figures. Sir.” Whereupon Mr Fisher, holding up some papers, called out “ Here they are. Sir.”, The House, not wishing to spoil fun with serious argument, there was a general good-humoured cry of “ Order.” Thereupon Captain Russell declared that, supposing these figures did show a reverse of the order of things he had jocularly referred to, he made no doubt that the people heard • that this vote of no-confidence was going to throw him off the Government benches, and had rushed away in consequence. .A warm defence of General Edwards was another feature of the speech. Capain Russell's tone vibrated with honest indignation as he denounced the “ ingenuous, unfounded and improper” reference of the member for Wanganui to the General as a “ political tout.” “ Yes, Sir, he has been a tout wherever bullets were flying and hardships were numerous. There lay the scenes of his touting. His broad breast is absolutely covered with the honours his Sovereign has conferred upon him. There is not room there for a single one more. Is that a proper person to be described as a ‘political tout’ by an unthinking man in a great assembly like this P” Then the House gave the speaker a warm round of applause. Mr Fisher said in his distinct, determined voice, that worse things had been said of the General in the Australian Parliament. “ I don’t care twopence where they were said; they were false, promptly replied the Captain; and after that we bad no more interruptions about the General. After some more pointed remarks on this subject, and very exhaustive they were, Captain Russell touched lightly on Federation, and gave a sketch of the difficulties of retrenchment, during which he pulverised Mr Fish, who was rash enough to interject something about the police. The Captain, turning towarda,

him, pinned him at once, forcing Jiitu to repeat his statement. "There are tOo many, are there ?” " Yob,” said the doomed member for Dunedin South. Whereupon the remorseless Captain, having elaborately laid down the proper principle of calculation, proceeded to read Mr Fish a comparative statement which gave the cost of the police force of Australasia, at an average per bead of from eight shillings in Queensland, the highest, to two and ten pence in New Zealand, the lowest; the next to New Zealand being four and tenpinoe. The ■ upshot of this part, of the speech was an impression upon the House that retrenchment is not such an easy matter, and no one ventured after the Fish episode into any of the numerous traps laid by Captain Bussell, who handled his subject like a master. After remarks about the state .of parties and the condition of the country, which he described as the finest on the earth. Captain Bussell ended the best speeh from the Ministerial benches. Mr Taylor, following the loud applause, spoke to a bare quorum, more or less. THE DIEBOTOKS LIABILITY BILL aims a blow at Company-mongering, by making promoters personally liaole to those who invest on the faith of a prospectus, with an additional liability to a penalty not exceeding JBSOO, with the alternative of six months' imprisonment. Ministers are, it is generally thought, likely to meet the skinflint difficulty by referring the whole matter to a Select Committee to report to the House. The probability at present is that • the Government may be forced to concede a good deal more. MINING. The Mining Companies Amendment Bill requires the publication annually of a statement of every Company’s affairs, whether incorporated here or in the Old Country. It forbids Managers to hold shares in their Companies or to give information to unauthorised persons about their affairs. It orders the registration of all transfers within a month of date of execution, and provides for the application of proceeds of forfeited shaies sold, to calls made and calls due. , MUNICIPAL. Mr Ballance has a Municipal Corporations BIU providing for the application of borough funds to the erection and maintenance of athenaeums, mechanics' institutes, and libraries having reading-rooms with admission free. POLICE OFFENCES BILL. The Police Offences Amendment Bill provides for the remand, for curative treatment, to prisons, not to hospitals, &c. CIVIL OFFICERS. The Bill for the civil officers’ guarantee provides for the establishment of a system of mutual guarantee by all the officers of the Civil Service, and the abolition of the practice of giving security by bond. , The Bill does not apply to Ministers of the Grown, Judges, or the Supreme Court officials, or either House of Assembly; and of the Insurance Commissioner's Department and those of the Public Trustee; the Official Assignees and Deputy Assignees, and officers whose salary is lower than £?S per annum. ESTIMATES. A Parliamentary paper la?*? on to-day, compares the • v. L” - Stout-Yogel Government - i ’ r’-r - >; th< . . . ..’•me -> c.... mi'V-.’ 18L.- >. J ;nc- - i ; and uhfl'in;.. the D wig Coiou'.-; t-,ver, Ji uU, •- •■•••*- ser >' ii- - • n f•’ act . - -i-.’ d ■ 'd ‘ t and I.’ <■ r ! ill ' 'J'3 nJV UU< • 'EJ sp j ■»•£.-. .'t- i-.' the diihrtnoe bat ween the twc» sei i “■ •>. This fcS£c ter the Min-atcr-ai »» trench miss t. . • TK ; >* : .r Kerr ask* to-morrow wv.s ; •■■le- ■ ■.■.!■ T - i •.10/'b :• • ' / Ti-. .. eCd ~ me ’- ■ . ( over -U t r ' read li.-> ; -h<? MiaioD's.’ for Education*. iL so, *«!•••• I--; -rid s.ocwne to hk rtztelohzi ' that i atio-%s are untrue. 7 :V . *E/.- . : : 2..T, - '. ,i\ ;. c i • . .. ’>r;. * i. by Th.i-.r •. 1->1 St -age. 0 ‘ raisga, tkui-' [tob<ct Bure, oi the same pi.go, bio- yjit, cGr-cluae'..: :-t the Scprertc Oouit Tla cu’cutskfentv's rv:? that in April l- ' * WuliaiL Savage, brother of Tim if, (.loped v;’U iJvdk daughter a,tv; a eistoer., and u.ty lived vd;-. te: a fortrj Durt Bcepttekci Die fkcs.jiesjwboon? oais-^.itvS, and w! ev* Toil refund ro l.vp’io fii ‘L • u h; . tl. fkto.i CGI;:,-!. Dart .wJ;«d ter an adx..;.cat >,i; was refmi, anl vhct Savage was dismissed that : , a _ c Savage being withdrawn. Thom-..- - - then served Burt with a writ, claiming £2OO damages. The case was heard before Mr Justice Conolly, who gave judgment lor the defendant with costs.