The Marlborugh Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. TUESDAY, JULY 2, 1895. THE SESSION.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXI, Issue 161, 2 July 1895, Page 2

The Marlborugh Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. TUESDAY, JULY 2, 1895. THE SESSION.

♦ There are signs, many and unmis-. takeable, that the session which has reoently opened will be replete with interesting if not sensational incident. Up to the present, it is true, the proceedings have been characterised by a singular tameness, but with the return of the Colonial Treasurer from his trip to the Old Country, we shall very soon witness a different state of affairs, and our Parliamentary report will be, of a much more lively nature. So far as the position of parties is cono&n^^ja^^onot think there will be ffl^^^DfcflM m the complexion jBH^HBHH sion, or at any :^H^^HH^9| olose is approaohl^^BJ^HHHH have heard of more «Hß^R^H^B declaration of a detenrnmnQQl^^flj part of members of the Governmffll party to throw off the attitude of the! much derided " dumb dog," and to put on the attire of independence, j but, on the other hand, we have already witnessed the spectaole of an honorable member, who had nothing too bad to say of the Ministers and their policy when he was before his constituents, now turning round and lauding the same men and their actions m a positively fulsome manner m the course of his speech on the Address-in-Reply. The volte face executed by the Member for Riccarton is contemptible and ludicrous m the extreme, but it will not be the only one of its kind this session, for the new portfolio is not likely to be allotted for some time to come, and m the meantime there are several Ministerial supporters who, notwithstanding their professions of future independence, made during the recess, will be led away by thought of the possible favor to com&^» into an attitude of the warmeskg^*°val of Ministerial s&ym£uui^U&^% 3 ' -^ c Temneran^Hflfl^^^Vuhe Governb^nd to pnHteed HHB^^HB^^^BHp^ Bill prove HB^JHHH^fl^HHKure, but they H&9j^H9BgißH§t a Ministry HHH^^^^^H^H^hey support policy. I^^H^BB^^HH^HJ^Bghici^ook Bellamy's, afforded a pretty good proof of the relative state of parties on temperance questions, and although Sir Robert Stout, Mr G. J. Smith, of Christchurch, and others of the more fanatically inclined may fume and rage, there is pdecious little probability of the new Licensing Bill being of any more stringently repressive character than the Act at present m existence. The two questions upon which, m our opinion, there is likely to be any serious difference of opinion between Ministers and their more pronounced supporters, are loan and legislation. The Wellington air ia full of rumor just now as to the intentions of the Government with regard to a big loan for public works. It is confidently predicted by those who claim to be what racing men term "m the know," that the action of the Government m seizing and proposing to carry on the Midland Railway must inevitably lejad to the floating of a big loan, the proceeds of which would be expended^ m completing various lines throughout the country. If this proves to be the case, we may i possibly see New Zealand history repeating itself, and witness a] gigantic all-round scramble for the spoil, and as the members of the; existing ministerial party are certainly not the least noisily voracious; for the expenditure of publio money! m their respective districts, it is more than possible that some of the disappointed ones will throw all party allegiance to the winds, and give their quondam chiefs a lot of trouble. At the same time we are inclined to think that Mr Seddon, who is nothing if not astute and very wary, and Svho has had himself no small experience of fighting for public money for'his own particular district, will be careful to count heads before he brings down a big publio works scheme, an;d he is by no means the man to imperil his existence m office by any sues partition of the " plunder," as mteht give dissatisfaction to enough members of his party to afford the opposition proper a chance to wrest from him the coveted reins of power. Tlie opposition proper would also m /all probability be themselves split jiff by personal interests, so that all (things considered we do not for one moment imagine that the Ministry would be defeated on their rumoured loas proposals. On the question ot new labour legislation, however, f there will probably be serious differences between Ministers and some oi their most influential supporters, an I here we are of opinion that the supj orters alluded to may give the Goveri iment some very unpleasant and ai xious moments. The feelings of irritation, bordering narrowly on actual Revolt, which have been expresse/li the public m some parts ot th^olony on the subject of tjmifc ipej|p< and tnisohievous piocp- of legis|^| s the Shop and Stoop's Assi?|*lf| Bill ilone, hnVQ it is well-kj^M^^j a gen? decided effect on^HHßfs of many members of tbfl^H^ftieut party, and although j^^^Bbiisohievous points m SBBBKned. measure will doubtlAßH^Kted and the Act made Q^«|B^Hknd more generally i£g ot ancoyftccei[|BHM|Bßßfc|

not only amongst that particular section of the public affected inimically by the Act, but also amongst those members who were compelled by party considerations to agree to a measure which, m their hearts of hearts they fully recognised to be tyrannically conceived, badly drafted and likely to prove a complete failure m operation. Commencing the session m this state of mind we can easily conceive how obnoxious to these members must be the very idea of a new shoal of so-called" Labour Bills," none of which are wanted by the trading public and the necessity, if any, which only exists m the minds of the Minister for Labour and his sycophantio supporters m what are called the Trades Unions m the larger centres of population. These Unions m many oases are characterised by a numerical poverty of membership, which scarcely merits the attention of any politician whose professed aim is or ought to be the welfare of the community as a whole, and not the selfish interests of a few contemptibly petty cliques, whose pretensions to leadership are the laughing stock of the vast majority of genuine working men m the Colony. We hear from an excellent source of information m Wellington, that the new batch of Labour Bills will probably receive but the mildest possible support from members of the Government Party, and indeed, they will be most strenuously opposed by all the independently inclined on the Ministerial side of the HgjUfr' Whether of course, the astute JBetffiiier will not come forwardr,'anc^ putting his foot down, prevent an open and serious rexolfc against the measures introduced by his colleague, remains to between. It is, we think, far from Indeed rumour goes so Hft as to say that, should there be ■X re - arrangement of portfolios, of " Labour" will be taken out hands of its present holder al■Hether. We have now roughly ■X forth the principal points upon t^rch' there may be probably disagreement between Ministers and their party, but we fail entirely to see . any probability of such disagreement resulting m any serious and per- , manent disrupture m the party's ranks. On the contrary, we are of : opinion that the present Government will remain m office until the end of ! the present. Parliament. We do not consider tjiem a good Government, but we frankly confess we do not see , any chancy of their being replaced , by a better until the next election, when it is; sincerely to be hoped we ', shall have a better class of men re- ', turned, and an entirely new shuffling t of the political cards. In future articles we slaall deal with the more important eff the new measures, as ' they are introduced, critising the i P°K°y QmJSff Government m no ' .jjjint out toouWeaaers suoiWyawl^ j m the new legislation as are w i3s|y| I of praise, and att J**,^fg "wiifd faffral a BBSS, -hat witii ideefeioiTand distinctness, any measures which may apj pear to us to be opposed to the best I interests of the country. Q-. • ' A OOBBKBPOHDENT, Who is 8 » unemployed contributor to the Dnnedio \ women. unemployed relief fund, r> writeß to the Daily Times to [j say that there are a very Jargenumber ol J^ffloaTDßTwhoßornode Of Bubsistenaa is by I 1 doing plain needlework. At this season of I the year this description of work is very , soaroe, and the oorreepondaat suggests , that m order to find employment for the I workless of this olaes a portion of the ■ oitizene' unemployed fund might be utilised, i and that the oommittee might purchase a quantity of the neoeßßary soft goods and, under the supervision of a oommittee of ladies, that the same should be given out for making t6 approved and deserving oases ; the artioles thus made to be Bold by auotion, and the prooeedn used for augmenting the fund for the relief of the unemployed of all olasßes.