ANOTHER MINISTERIAL CAUCUS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXI, Issue 265, 8 November 1897, Page 2

ANOTHER MINISTERIAL CAUCUS.

The Ministreial caucus is not to be held I till to-morrow morning. The consideration of the Horowhenua Bill, and deciding what measures should be pushed on will form the material business for consideration. lua letter to tho •• Dunedin Star " of Saturday week Mr W. Hutchinson has another word to say regarding the Premier and the Women's Franchise Bill. Aftor commenting on Mr Seddon's occasional lapse of memory, Mr Hutchinson goes on to say : — " This is clearly a case in point. He says Sir John Hall would put a different appearance upon it. Sir John Hall would put no appearance upon it different or indifferent, becanse he has no knowledge of what took place. My statement is one of the simplest character. After the Bill had finally passed both Houses, Mr Saunders and myself (no others) met the Premier, and after a good deal of entreaty— friendly entreaty on our part — we overcame his objection to submit the Bill to the Governor for his signature. Ido not know how much or how littlo Mr Seddon, as Premier, woidd dare to do. I have only related an incident within my own knowledge." —(Signed) W. Hutchinson. In the Honse on Tuesday last Mr Graham asked if the Premier intended to take any action i n the matter of o vercro wding of Asylums, pointing out that the ' whole of the Asylums of the colony were in a similar condition. Mr Seddon said ; no one regretted more than he did that something had not been done in the direction he now proposed taking. On making inquiries, he found that there were concert halls, and recreation rooms in the I- Asylums, which, he thought, under the existing state of things should be converted into dormitories. There were also rooms set aside for the staffs, and some of these rooms, he thought, might also be utilised until such time as the Porirua building was completed. [This has already been commented on in our columns.] The ,£SOO fine inflicted on tho President of the Bank of New Zealand in the session of 1896 is stated to be in the Consolidated Fund, nnd the Premier says it will go to swell next yeir's surplus.