WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4291, 14 August 1875, Page 1 (Supplement)

WELLINGTON.

[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] August 7. The session has been going on in a kind of humdrum way this week, no one seeming to care much about the business done, or indeed about anything exctpt the great fight to come. The first shot in this was fired last night by Major Atkinson, in a house where every inch of standing room afforded by the galleries was filled to the exclusion of scores of people, many of them ladies, who were unable to obtain admission. About four times as many tickets for the ladies' gallery were issued as that portion of the building could possibly hold, and great was the disappointment of those who, coming fully half-an-hour before the House met, found every inch of room occupied. However, no one lost much by being absent, for a worse or weaker speech than the one in which Major Atkinson moved the second reading of the bill, I never heard before on any occasion of , anything like the same importance. He laid himself open to attack on all sides, and occasionally a grim smile might have been noticed on Sir George Grey's face; while Mr. Fitzherbert, with hat over brows and apparently asleep, might at times be noticed twitching his eyelids, but in no other way shewing that he was drinking in every wor<L Major Atkinson was constantly greeted with ironical cheers ; and the Government whipj Mr. McGl&shan, seeing that his chief was making a mess of it, thought it might be owing to those interruptions, and was actually ill-advised enough to rise to a point of order and quote May, that ironical cheering was a breach of order. This interruption elicited cries of " Oh!" and great laughter on all sides, and Major Atkinson, apparently little thankful to his sub for the aid, said the cheers of his opponents rather encouraged him than otherwise. Of course after this the expressions of derisive admiration were greater than ever. There was a perfect storm of cheers and counter cheers when he announced that the object of the bill was to confer powers of real local self-govern-ment on the people, but when at a subsequent stage of bis speech, and as one of the gravest indictments to be preferred against Provincial Governments, he said that when they were entrusted with, any duties they immediately appointed some other body to do the work, as in the case of appointing Education Boards, Harbour Boards, &c, Mr. Stafford and most of the Government supporters preserved absolute silence, while Opposition cheers rang through the House. Then, again, when Major Atkinson said, " It is admitted on all hands that the Legislative powers of the provinces should cease," there was a perfect uproar in the House. The Opposition, led by Macandrew and Mr. Bunny, cried "No;" while the Government party cheered and cried "Yes !" Nine times did Major Atkin3on say, "I repeat, it is admitted on -all hands," the latter word being each time the cue for a renewal of the uproar. The Major's speech lasted exactly an hour, and then by arrangement, though of course to the great disappointment of those who expected to hear a reply, he briefly moved the adjournment of the debate' to Tuesday. Then a question arose as to whether it should be resumed in the afternoon or at night. Sir George Grey suggested half-past seven, when Mr. Reynolds, evidently out of temper at the exhibition made by his colleague, said Tuesday was a Government day, and the Government had a. right of arranging the order of business for themselves. He was immediately sat upon by Mr. Speaker, who informed him that the Government certainly could arrange the order paper as they liked, but that did I not at all prevent the House from determining when it should proceed with any business it liked. Major Atkinson at onoe covered his colleague's retreat by mildly assenting to the half-past seven arrange- , ment, and then there was a general clearing out of the galleries, although the House went on to other business. Ido not envy Major Atkinson when the dehate is resumed next week. He will be perfectly scarified, and his bill will need a great deal of vitality of its own to get over the unfavourable effect of its introduction to the House.

The Public Works statement did not attract a very large House, because, in the fin* place, everyone knew pretty well that no new works would be proposed, and, in the second place, knew that only those in Mr. Richardsou's immediate vicinity could probably hear a word he said. He and Major Campbell, the Clerk of the House, ?re always quite inaudible at more than two or three yards distance, the acoustic defects of the House andtheir own wretchedly weak voices being to blame. Major Campbell's reading of petitions ia committee reports is a perfect farce, for not half-a dozen members ever hear a word he says. Indeed, yesterdayMr. Cutubertson, and some other objected to time being wasted over whatwas, to the major part of the House, a dumb show performance.

Two divisions have taken place during the week, the first being on a motion of Mr. O'-VeilTs to admit Australian wines at a duty of Is per gallon. Mr. J. Shephard objected to the word Australian, and moved the substitution of the word '* light," proposing to make strength, and not the place, of production, the ground of exemption. Mr. O'Neill accepted this amendment, but the Commissioner of Customs strongly objected to any differential duty of the kind, and on the first division of the session Mr. O'Neill was left in a considerable minority. The next division was on the never-ending bill of Mr. Steward's tolegalise marriage with a deceased wife's sister. The debate on this occasion wae very brief, and remarkable only for a strong and very coarse speech from Mr. Vincent Pykc, who very speedily drove all the ladies from their gallery. It was rather amusing to see them running out, but the necessity for them doing so was not creditable to Mr. Pyke. His violent speech against the bill this session was the more remarkable, as last session he voted for it. Mr. McGillivray of course opposed the bill, but in a thin House Mr. steward had a majority of four. While the division was being taken some amusumept was caused by Sir George Grey aud Mr. Sheehan walking in, the doors not having been locked as they should have been. There is no doubt that this session, as in previous ones, Mr. Steward will carry his bill through the Lower House, and it will stand a better chance in the Council than it ever did before, for several of its most determined opponents there are not present this session. These included Dr. Grace and Mr. Campbell. 1 should not be surprised if the bill passed into law this year.

Opinion seems to be gaining ground that it was a mistake to place Sir George Grey ia the van, and that it would have been better had Mr. Donald Keid been chosen leader in preference to either Mr. Fitzherbert or Sir George Grey. He would have been more active, and it is thought probably more judicious also. Sir George Grey's iicrce onslaught on the Legislative Council has of coursu turned that body against him, and if the Abolition Bill passes the Mouse it will now pass the Council also. A littlu strategy niigfct have induced the Council to have performed its functions as a. check on hastyJiogislation.