POLITICAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9927, 17 September 1895, Page 5

POLITICAL NEWS.

[BY TELEGRAPH.— CORRESPONDENT,] Wellington, Monday. THE CLOSE OF THE SESSION. The Premier is alleged, on what; appears good authority, to have stated his intention of bringing the session to a close in a fortnight. It is quite easy to understand that with Mr. Seddon, after his rough experience of Friday and Saturday, that the wish is father to the thought; but if the Premier is the proposer, the House will be the disposer, and I venture to think he is reckoning without his host. The fiscal light will usurp that time, unless the Government is prepared to beat an ignominious jetreab. Then there is the tea party to be reckoned with, the bank's agreement as to which a multitude of members will address their constituents through the pages of Hansard, the Public Works Statement, and Estimates, not to mention the LooalGovernment, Lands Amendment, and a hosb of other measures, including the labour Bills. Meanwhile, Sir R. Stout went"South today, and is expected to be absent for about ten days, and every effort will be made to push 011 tha business with all possible haste. That he should be compelled to absent himself at such a time is a loss to the country, though subject for congratulation by the Government. THE TARIFF.

Now that the banking legislation has been disposed of, the tariff proposal has once again become the burning question. Some are making enquiries us to what has become of the reciprocal treaties of which we heard go much a few weeks ago. Are they to be quietly dropped ? This course is quite possible after the determined hostility which greeted their i first official announcement. Dealing with 'this point, the Post states : " The Tariff Bill is before the House, but where are the tariff treaties with Canada and South Australia? There is no mention of them in the Bill. As their object is to impose differential duties and grant special exemptions, surely they should be taken into consideration at the same time as the general revision of the Customs duties. It seems quite impossible to fairly consider the one question apart from the other. The reciprocity treaties affect the Customs duties, and should be considered ab the same time. The House should insist on this and compel Ministers to bring down their tariff proposals in a complete form." The other much criticised feature of the Government tariff proposals is the duty on Island fruit, which is so universally condemned that it must be abandoned. Messrs. Donald and Edenborough, the owners of the s.s. Richmond, have telegraphed to the Government pointing oub thab the proposed duty , on oranges will kill the Island trade and render ib impossible for them to run thoir steamer to the Islands. A cable message received from Sydney,. states that the new duty will be prohibitory as regards oranges from there. If the fruit duties are to be abandoned the question naturally arises what is to take their place? The most widely accepted answer to this appears to be that the deficiency is to be made good by an increase in the excise duty on Colonial beer, but I am nob able to confirm this report by information from official quarters. Taking all things into consideration the Government may expect to see many of their proposals very roughly handled by the House. The Premier has promised members that the Tariff Bill is to be a " go as you please," and the developments of Friday night are quite sufficient to warrant the opinion that the House will take every advantage of the free hand to be given them. PHYLLOXERA. The Minister of Lands hopes, in a few days, to place before the House a comprehensive measure, containing provisions for the prevention of the introduction of phylloxera by means of imported grapes, or in any other way. He does not consider it very probable that ib will become law this session, bub he thinks ib only right that members should bo acquainted with the methods proposed for dealing with the pest. THE BANKING QUESTION. The representatives of the Bank of New Zealand and the Colonial Bank have, I understand, nob yet come to an agreement; indeed, it would appear that the adjustment of the terms of the purchase of the Colonial Bank has not proved so easy as some people had expected. It is now an open secret that if the Colonial Bank is absorbed the present general manager of that institution (Mr. Mackenzie) will become the chief of the amalgamated concern, whore he would be associated with his old colleague, the present president of the Bank of New Zealand. It is said that it is the question of what business shall be taken over that is causing delay, and the long and almost continuousdeliberations between the parties. It will not be a matter of surprise if the agreement is not presented to Parliament before next week, while it is within the bounds of possibility that it may not come down at all this session, more particularly if the Premier can bring the session to a close in a fortnight, as he is repotted to have declared his intention of doing. JOTTINGS. >. The health of tho Hon. Major Ropata Wahawaha, M.L.C.,which has become much impaired during the present session, has necessitated his applying for leave of absence during the remainder of the session. The Hon. W. C. Walker, M.L.C., will, to-morrow, ask for leave, in the Legislative Council, to introduce an Auctioneers' Act, 1891, Amendment Bill.