POLITICAL NEWS AND GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9143, 27 August 1888, Page 5

POLITICAL NEWS AND GOSSIP.

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

[l!Y TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Saturday. GOLDFIELDSCOMMITTEE'S REPORT. The Gold fields Committee report that the Government having delayed procuring the necessary information of the processes in vogue in Europe and America for dealing with refractory ores, smelting, etc., and from the fact that the committee have been unable to obtain the evidence of Professors Black and Ulrich on the subject, the committee are unable to make any specific recommendation her than those contained in the previous interim reports. The committee recommend that provision should be made for temporarily carrying on the existing Schools of Mines 011 the basis laid down by Professor Black in his report to the Government on the subject. They recommend that the fullest information bo obtained during the recess. I understand that the Minister of Mines will hold over the bonus scheme, awaiting developments in the treatment of refractory ores at the Thames goldfields and elsewhere. MR. JOHN LUNDON'S CLAIM. I understand that the Public Petitions Committee will report favourably respecting Mr. Lundon's claim for services rendered in promoting the village settlements scheme, It. seems the agreements stated the accounts should be certified by the Waste Lands Commissioner. They have been so cer- ! tified, consequently the committee will recommend the payment of the claims, subject to deduction of money already paid. THE GOLD RAILWAY PASSES. There was a lively discussion on the item in the Supplementary Estimates, gold passes for both members of the Legislature, £'220. Mr. R. Thompson said he was quite able and willing to pay for his pass, and ho thought other members could do likewise. Mr. Levestam said ho was rather ashamed of wearing his, owing to its inartistic appearance. Mr. o'Conor submitted to the Chairman, Mr. W. J. Steward, that every member was pecuniarily interested in the question, and therefore 110 one could vote. The Chairman: My ruling is that if every member is interested in the question the ayes and noes will be equally interested, and the only person who can be disinterested is the chairman. Under these circumstances every member can vote. On the question being put there was a chorus of noes, but Mr. Thompson challenged a division. He was beaten by nearly two to one. THE SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES. The House did not rise till seven o'clock this morning, having been engaged throughout the whole night in discussing the Public M orks Estimates and the Supplementary Estimates. W hen the House was consider- [ ing the general Estimates, as much as a quarter of a million went through a night in a jaded and sleepy House of little more | than a quorum, but on this occasion there I was a good attendance of members, and the items received careful consideration. When the Otago Central vote came on, Mr. (•oldie moved that it be reduced by £ la,ooo, but 011 a division it was defeated. Mr. Allen challenged an item of £9 10s (on the ground that it came out of the loan instead of out of the. consolidated fund) provisions furnished to a road party at the Motukaraka and Punakitcre settlements, which the Premier satisfactorily explained. Some amusement was caused by an enquiry by Mr. oldie, as to whether the item, H. N. Brewer, addition to pension for special services, had reference to the officer who conducted the Stark purchase, but the Minister for Public \\ orks reassured him on that head, and stated that it was another ex-official altogether. The item £25-1 t, payment tocont factors for San Francisco mail services, raised a liutter among some of the Southern members, who thought it was getting in the service again by a side wind, but when the Premier explained it was a back payment arising out of adjustments between New South Wales and the United States and the colony, they felt better. About 5 o'clock in the morning a free fight took place over the vote for £0000 for road works in Village Settlements. The Auckland members got to loggerheads over the business, which considerably complicated matters. Mr. R. Thompson opposed the vote, as the money would be largely wasted. There were many of the special settlers respectable men, but there were a number who were the scum of Auckland city. Mr. Monk opposed the vote, as he wished to see men 011 the land who needed no aid, but could hold their own. Messrs. T. Thompson, Goldie, and Hobbs warmly defended the special settlers, and said they were making good average settlers, and certainly did not merit the epithet used about them by the member for Marsden. Mr. Monk passionately repudiated the imputation made against the Auckland members of being only economical where the votes . were outside their provincial districts. He said he was consistent in his retrenchment views, and it was because he was so that he could vote against the item. The Minister of Lands defended the Auckland members from being selfishly actuated in this business. The £(5000 was put upon the Estimates without their influence or knowledge. The Premier urged the passage of the vote. It was necessary to give the experiment of the Village Settlement scheme a fair trial. Some of the settlements were not self-supporting, and in other cases the settlers were not put in suitable places,but theGovernmenthad no option but, to carry out the engagements of their predecessors, and give the village settlers a chance of success. He implored members not to fight the question over and over at this stage of the session, and to bandy accusations, but as reasonable men after legitimate discussion to come to a vote and abide by the decision of the majority. An attempt was made first to reduce the vote by £1000, and secondly to wipe it out, but it passed just as the rays of the morning light streamed in through the windows of the Chamber. At six o'clock another wordy war ensued on the vote of £10,000 for labour settlements, and it was seven o'clock before mutual recriminations had ceased, the Premier promising in a fuller House to give a fair opportunity of having the question fully discussed, and the decision reversed, if need be. The Estimates for the Government Insurance and the Public Trust Department went through in a few minutes, with but one question, namely, why the Chief Commissioner (Mr. Luckie) had been reduced by £150, while the Public Trustee's salary was left untouched. The reply was that the latter officer was a statutory officer, and his salary could not be touched. About £200,000 was voted away during the night, but after the nearly twelve hours discussion, the Estimates were passed substantially as submitted. UNAUTHORISED EXPENDITURE. The unauthorised expenditure account for 1888-9 appended to the Supplementary Estimates amounts to no less than £107,645. THE COLONIAL DEFENCE BILL. The total expenditure under the heading of defence up to the present time has been £400,000, of which £'207,000 has gone for the munitions of war ordered from the 'old country, and the rest in the acquisition of land, wages, &c. There are now liabilities to the extent of £31,000 to provide for the guns and other materials on the way out from home.

SMUGGLING THROUGH THE CUSTOMS.

The Premier stated in the House this morning that it will be necessary to employ an expert to have control of the invoices passing through the Customs Department. There had always been considerable leakage, but now that the tariff was higher the step would be all the more necessary.

An interesting paper was laid upon the table yesterday from the Agent-General to the Premier, on the dairy industry. It treats of imports into the United Kingdom, notes . on the industry, methods and requisites, and recent imports from New Zealand. He states that he is greatly indebted to Professor Long, under whose guidance some of the New Zealand factories are now being worked, and the Professor says : —"I am quite sure that if only the colonists knew how, they could compete in any markets against the world, and I say this with an intimate knowledge of the countries which now hold these markets." The Agent-General says : — " It would be of immense advantage to our dairy farmers if before a permanent teacher was sent out,

the Professor could be induced to visit the colony to see for himself what are its capabilities in dairy farming, to give lectures in the chief dairying districts, and to advise you on the spot as to what it would be best to do to promote and extend the industry."

MR. LARNACH. The goldfield members of the House were invited by the Hon. Mr. Larnach to meet him at a dinner in Bellamy's this evening, in acknowledgment of the compliment paid to him by those gentlemen last week.