POLITICAL NEWS AND GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9090, 26 June 1888, Page 5

POLITICAL NEWS AND GOSSIP.

VPH. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Monday. THE PREMIER.

Tub Premier is much better to-day, bub has not yet been ablo to leave his residence and go to Government Buildings. If the weather keeps fine, he is expected to take his place to-morrow, and resume charge of the Customs Bill in committee.

THE TARIFF. Only two pages of duties now remain to be dealt with, and if the fight over the tea duty is r.ot too prolonged, the tariff should be got through to-morrow night. The Government, still stand firm on this duty, and the division on it will be very close, in all probability, owing to the conflict of interests. Many of the country members are voting for the increase, not that they like it, but in order to secure tho subsidies to local bodies, which will be paid from the half of it. As soon as the tariff is through, a start will be made on tho items held over for consideration and the recommittal. The Premier has been engaged to-day looking over the free list and the tariff in order to see how ho is to rotriovo the loss of revenue occasioned by concessions already made. £4000 is lost by the reduction of tho salt tax, and £13,000 through concessions on machinery. It is proposed to meet this deficib by taking some articles now on the free list into the dutiable division, and increasing the duty on some of the articles already there. Something like £20,000 of increased taxation will have to be imposed in that way on the re-committal of the Bill.

THE RETRENCHMENT COMMITTEE.

The committee met again to-day, the section of the Estimates discussed being tho Railway Department. They are thus about half way through. They consider that savings to the extent of £'20,000 can be effected in the section they have gone through, and about £40,000 in the whole Estimates, or a saving nearly equal to the half of the tea duty. I understand they were in favour of reducing tho salary of Mr. Maxwell, the general manager, to £700, and other high officials in this department in like proportion. The Committee are not unanimous in their views, there being considerable divergence between the extreme Economists and those holding more moderate views. A number of the members sneer at tho labours of tho Committee, and it is pretty clear that a section of the House have no real or sincere desire for farther retrenchment, and little sympathy with what haa been sneeringly termed tlie .skin-flint committee. THE AGENT-GENERALSHIP.

There will be, I learn, a somewhat important Cabinet meeting to-morrow. I understand the first subject will be the reapnointment of the Agent-General for a further term. Sir Dillon Bell, it seems, i? either willing to "ccept ofriee temporarily or for a term. I understand that the intention of the Government is to reappointSir Dillon for a term probably not less than four years, so that will effectually allay all the rumours about Sir Harry Atkinson keeping the Agent-Generalship steadily in view.

THE PUISNE JUDGESHIP.

Another subject to be dealt with is the vacant Puisne Judgeship. The delay and hesitancy of the Government in tilling up this appointment has led many to believe that it was intended to appoint a Southern lawyer over the head of Judge W.ird, but there seems to be a consensus of opinion now that in the face of tho unanimous verdict and opinions of the press, the Government will not venture to ignore his claims as acting Judge, to the vacant post. Financially his appointment would save the colony £900 a-year.

SCAB AT THE THAMES.

The Minister of Lands informed me today that he has every hope of confining the outbreak of the disease to the run on which it originated in the Miranda district, Thames, as none of the sheep had been shipped or conveyed to Auckland. All the flocks at Waikawau have been ascertained to be clean.

THE MOKAU COMMISSION.

The members of the Mokau Commission (ex-Judge Davy and Colonel Robert?) are busily engaged in looking over the documentary evidence in the case available at Wellington. Mr. F. Butler, of the Native Department, has been appointed interpreter, and Mr. H. M. Gore shorthand writer to the Commission which will leave shortly for the Mokau and the King country. The papers laid on the table in relation to the Joshua Jones ease have been printed and circulated. In his closing letter to Mr. Mitchelson, Mr. Jonos says : " 1 again desire it to be placed on record that this Coinmission is not appointed at my request, but in defiance of my protest.' . The gist of the correspondence I have already telegraphed. THE MANAWATU GORGE RAILWAY.

The Wellington members will not take " no" for an answer from the Minister of Public Workn. They are consulting with the Hawke's Bay members, and will again deputationise him this week to push on the Gorge railway works, so as to secure through communication by Christmas, in stead of prolonging the work for three years. Some of the Auckland members are suspicious that if the Wellingtonians got this link finished, they would then worry the Government to get the other link from Mangamahoo to Woodville closed up, and thus control the whole traffic of the East Coast, while the North Island Trunk line Mould be hung up. Dr. Newman, however, assures me that such would not bo the case. He says if the Government closed up the Manawatu Gorge connecting link, Wellington would " Rest and be thankful," and would not look for the Masterton extension until another loan was negotiated. The Post is still keeping an eye to the Central route in order to draw the interior traffic Wellington-wards. It says :—" If the Northern Island Railway is not to be further proceeded with at present, the money might perhaps as well be lent to the goneral fund as remain in the bank at interest; but, whether temporarily lent or not, good care must be taken to guard against fi single penny of it being diverted permanently to any other purpose than that for which it has been specifically borrowed—namely, the construction of the North Island Alain Trunk Railway from Marton to Tβ Awamutu, via Murimotu, Taumarunui, and the Ongaruhe River Valley."

THE JAM DIFFICULTY. An informal Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry have reported that Mr. Levestam's exhibit of Nelson jams were dosed by an oxhibit of Gisborno petroleum, these local industry exhibits getting mixed in the lobby. The practical joke is laid at the door of a Dune-din ultra-Protectionist in the interest of tho Dunedin pulp manufacturers ; whereas the Protectionists stoutly declare that the trick was effected by tho Freetraders. So liber?.lly have tho colonial jam manufacturer. l ! distributed their favours that jam is now a drug in tho lobby. Mr. Lβwry, not to be outdone in local exhibits, ha* got down a fine sample of fluke kidney potatoes from Mr. Robert Hall, of One-tree Hill, Auckland. They were planted in February, and have been handed over to the cook at Bellamy's for further sampling.

THE MEDICAL BILL. The Medical Council of Now Zealand have submitted to the Government for consideration a Bill to repeal the Medical Practitioners Act of 1869. The new measure contains a number of very stringent provisions, the object of which is to conserve the interests and privileges of tho profession, and to put down quackery with the strong arm of the law. The Bill has not yet been fully considered by tho Government, but I have grounds for believing that it will bo introduced by tho Colonial Secretary. BACHELORS AMD BENEDICKS.

Mr. Valentine returned from his wedding tour to-day, and resumed his parliamentary duties. I learn that Mr. Anderson intends! giving notice of motion that smokers and drinkers be subjected to a special tax, this being quite as reasonable as the special tax on bachelors proposed by Mr. Bruce. Some suspense h«ie been manifested at Mr. Bruce going in for the latter tax, being a bachelor himself, but it has been greatly lessened when it transpired that he, at an early day, will follow the example of Mr. Valentino, ami join the ranks of the " noblo army of martyrs."