PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7649, 28 May 1886, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

[by telegraph.—own CORRESPONDENT.] i Wellington, Thursday. ! LOBBY GOSSIP. j Nothing is spoken of to-day but the i Financial Statement. Will the country J accept it ? The general opinion is that it is an agreeable surprise all round. It iB so , different from anything expected. The , motto of the Government is: " As you were." i The property-owner gets the least possible benefit, but then it is enough to keep him from showing diacontont. MR. LAISHLEY AND EDUCATION. Sir R. Stout, in bringing under the notice of the House Mr. Laishley'* report upon the educational system of Europe, and moving that it be printed, paid tbo author a very high compliment. His remarks were received with applause. He said :— This report has been prepared with very great care. Mr. l.aishley has visited Europe and America, and gone to great trouble and expense to make himself acquainted with the different systems of State education in those countries, as well as in England, Scotland, and Ireland. I think this report a very valuablo one, for whioh Mr. Laishley deserves the thanks of the community. A copy of it in a rather incomplete form was laid on the table last session, but being so, and M r. Laishley then unable to revise it in time for it to be placed with the appendices to the journals of the House, it has not been printed. I propose now that the full report be laid on the table, and that it be printed, it being understood, however, that the printing should be delayed until the recess, so that Mr. Laishley may be able to see the proofs, and so be in a position to carefully revise the report." The motion was agreed to, and the suggestions made were adopted by the House. FISH AUCTION BILL. Colonel Eraser introduced this Bill at the sitting this afternoon, and it was read a first time. By the Auctioneers' Act auctions can only be held within specified hours of the day—ten a.m. to four p.m. Fish being a perishable article in the extreme sense of the word, the difference of an hour or two in the sale makes the difference between considerable profit or considerable loss to the owner. The object of this Bill is to make it lawful that a fish auction can be held at any time of the day outside the hours specified for ordinary sales by auction. NO CONFIDENCE. The rumour of a " No confidence motion " was renewed this morning, but no person appears disposed to put vory much confidence in the rumour. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that such a move at present would be welcome, if it were only to clear away the obscurity that hangs overParliamenarty tactics. But no one would accept the risk, except, perhaps, Sir U. Grey, while Sir G. Grey himself cannot be supposed willing to become an instrument in the hands of others for such a purpose. Last night the rumour was to the effect that the motion would be made by Major Atkinson. The name of Mr. Fulton, member for Taieri, is mentioned in connection withit. Tbeseare Parliamentarynamesinhigh estimation, and one can hardly suppose that they would bo committed to a proceeding which would compromise those who followed them as leader of a party, or a section of the House. It is said that even the Government supporters would not be unwilling to see such a motion brought down by some member. This fact alone argues the highest confidence in the Government ranks that any such attempt would be signally defeated. If this mode of looking at matters be correct, the whole thing wears an aspect of a somewhat clumsy feat. It is precisely this sort of thing that makes the Government just now appear stronger than perhaps it is. It has not passed beyond rumour, and has been two whole days in existcuce, therefore it cannot lie worth very much. SIR G. GREY'S LAND ACT. Sir G. Grey and Sir R. Stout appear destined to be opposed to each other. When i notices of motion were concluded, the Premier intimated his intention to move that tho House, at its rising, do adjourn to Friday. Sir G. Grey's Land Bill stood first among the orders of the day, and this arrangement would throw tho subject over for another day. He strongly protested against the adjournment, but there were other reasons than those assigned by Sir R. Stout why Sir G. Grey's protest should fall on deaf ears. There is a ball at Government House this evening. Tho officers of the Russian man-o'-war now in harbour have been invited. All member? of the House had also received invitations. The adjournment was agreed to. BAY OF ISLANDS GUM FIELDS. Mr. Hobbs presented a petition to-day from a gumdigger named Tato and others, praying that the gumfields in this district should be opened during the winter season. It was referred to the Petitions Committee. REPRESENTATION. Mr. Pyke has given notice of the following question to be put to the Premier on Tuesday next :—" Whether, in any future Bill providing for the better representation of the people of New Zealand, tho Government will revert to the principle embodied in the 41st section of the Constitution Act, namely, ' In determining the number and extent of such electoral districts, and the number of members to be elected for each district, regard shall be had to the number of electors within the same, so that the number of members to bo assigned to any one district may bear to the whole number of members of the House of Representatives as nearly as may be the same proportion as the number of electors within such district shalls bear to the whole number of electors in New Zealand ?" TRUNK RAILWAY EXTENSION. I have seen a circular addressed to the Auckland members, inviting them to attend | a meeting on tho Ist prox., for the purpose of considering tho inequalities in the Financial Statement of the sums proposed to be disbursed for the completion of the incomplete works, and the insufficiency of the amount, £70,000, which is to be given for the extension northward of the Trunk Line of Railway. 1 understand that at this meeting it will be considered within matter for discussion whether, as a means of opening up the immense district north of Helensville, any alternative proposition would be acceptable to the inhabitants of tho district and Government, such, for instance, as asking a grant of land that would be an inducement to a syndicate to undertake it. I am told that the money could be advanced within '24 hours for the construction of the Otago Central Railway, if the necessary land were given ; and by the same authority 1 loam that there would be no difficulty in getting funds for pushing the Trunk Line northward if a responsible syndicate had the work to do. But there is one consideration whioh operates as a chock. What will Sir G. Grey say to it ? If he were to proclaim such a method wrong, would the Government care to set it right 1 At all events the whole matter will come before Parliament shortly. SINKING FUND. The Controller General writes to the Treasurer: "Nothing has occurred during the year to call for remark, except to report that, pursuant to an award made by the Commissioners on 16th October, ISSS, the sum of £25,000, being part of the accumulated sinking fund of the New Zealand loan of 1860, has been released and paid over to the credit of the consolidated fund." AUCKLAND AND PONSONBY. Mr. Peacock is to ask the PostmasterGeneral on Tuesday whether he will take steps to secure more frequent delivery of letters in the above populous suburb of Auckland. THE RIVERHEAD ACCIDENT. The report of the Petitions Committee on the petition of John Gibbons, whose foot was torn off at Riverhead Wharf, was laid on the table of the House to-day. The committee have no recommendation to make. CENSUS. I was assured to-day by the Premier that there is no possibility of getting at the number of inhabitants of the largo centres, even approximately, before the second week next month, He added, "I cannot even get them myself." NEW ZEALAND FORCES. The report of SirG. Whitmore, commander of the New Zealand forces, states:—The colony possesses on issue about 9000 rifles. The regular allowance of ball cartridge for these, for practice, is 100 rounds per arm. i In June last the stock was under 600,000 rounds. 300.000 rounds have since arrived

| which, with wh»i; is on hand, barely suffice | for practice, and the magazines throughout I the colony are now quite bare. Including ammunition paid for by the Rifle Association and rifle clubs the annual supply of ball cartridge required is about 1,200,000 rounds, and there should always be at least a million rounds in store. But for the circumstance that through your exertions a local factory has been established, I should say that even a million rounds is a very small reserve to keep. Finding that, in spite of many letters and cables, ammunition did not arrive, you authorised an order for 500,000 rounds to be given to Captain Whitney, an Auckland manufacturer, who was to use Otago powder. This Jatter, however, for some reason failed, and Captain Whitney, in September last, when he should have begun to deliver, was unable to do so till a supply of powder was procured from home. He has since obtained it, and although the the first cartridges turned out were defective in some respects, he has now remedied the defecta, and experiment here shows the Auckland cartridges are quite equal to the homes ones, while the cases can be re-tilled _ while war office cartridges cannot. Captain Whitney s price is one-third higher than the home price, but the economy of refilling the cases may, in some measure, compensate for the difference of the first cost. Captain Whitney can also make, if required, cartridges for Nordenfeldt and Hotchkiss guns, which m time of war would be of great consequence. On March 31, 1885, the volunteer force stood as follows 4977 of all ranks, excluaive of cadets, in 93 corps. On March 31, 1866, the force amounted to 8253 of all ranks, exclusive of cadets, in 141 corpi. These troops, with what was called the Armed Constabulary reserve, amounted in all to 8606 men and officers of all ranks. The 141 corps of all descriptions were not at first formed into permanent battalions. He refers to his inspection of the Auckland Volunteers in August, last year, as an excellent turn out on the whole. He mentions the Naval Artillery Volunteers as being especially zealous. Speaking of the force as a whole, he says Great progress has been made during the year. HOSPITALS AND CHARITABLE AID. Among the new items in the estimates is a sum of £52 000 to meet deficiencies in carrying out the Act of last session. This would appear to be an alternative for the proposal to increase the subsidy. AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY. The following constitute the new depart" ments for the conservation of forests :— Conservator, £600 ; ranger, £150 ; inspector, £100; printing book on native timber and illustrating it, £500. Agricultural Department : Officer in charge, £300, MAIL SERVICES. The vote to the Colonial Exhibition i« increased by £4000, and bonuses to the direct mail service to the same amount. The subsidies for interprovinoial mail service« are reduced by £1375 ; remissions to mail steamers of light dues. £2689. For the 'Frisco mail services, £23,334 is set down as against £32,150 last year ; and £292.750 for education capitation, as against £275,000. Towards cost of census an increased sum of £17,972 is set down, as against £8095 last year. Against agricultural statistics is Bet a sum of £13,000 instead of £SC r .J. NATIVE POLICY. I was able to send you this afternoon the two Bills which form the basis of the native policy this year. I understand very strong opposition wil be brought against the Native Lands Arrangement Bill. The statutory offences and the severe penalties which follow upon conviction for the commission of any of them appear to take some members by surprise. The opposition will be very formidable, the Hon. Mr. Bryce and Mr. Ormond being the leaders representing the two sections of opinion on this subject.