POLITICAL NOTES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1182, 26 October 1894, Page 17

POLITICAL NOTES.

/ • . (R.A.L.) THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18. . Peace reigns at half-past eleven, and so does that particular quality of business which, being small politically, is not strained. Little Barrier Island defiles before us in a mist; we see conferences of managers appointed with the unemployed in the Upper House, and we see. them , darkly as in a glass; the Stock Committee’s report is almost like a ship which passes in the zught; its principal cargo is a mysterious disease supplied by some unhappy sheep in the Tauranga district; on its deck the Minister of Lands divisible in the act of giving his to keep that disease steadily in view. These things are like the baseless fabric of a vision, leaving not a Wrack behind. -An important measure follows them—Horowhfenua Native Land Bill —with applications for leave to be introduced, which is granted. • The “ honour of the Colony ” is over it, like a > flag flying for all men to know it by. ; A 'battalion of 59, marching under various officers with determined air, solidly over several pages of the usual print, close under the sign of “Thursday, 18th of October, 1894,” catches the attention, upholding “ sacred right of question.” The Premier meets them with empressement. “Busy now,” says*he,' “ glad to meet you at half-past two ” Sacred right recedes for a time with its battalion and its officers.

The yacant space is filled with a mournful band, remindful of “ Avo Caesar Morituri.” Ib consists of the measures to be dropped. What are they, says the Leader of the Oppositi'dxi in - the character of Inspector General glancing critically. The leader of the Government says they are many. He moves to strike out from the Order Paper 22 to 32 inclusive. One of these is the adjourned debate on the Southern railway bridges. A noisy demonstration is made by the,friends, of this gladiator. “He shall not die.” Word i 3. buzzed abroad that the committee sitting daikly afar off ha 3 resolved to print no documents, no evidence, no papers, nothing at all. “ Mum’s tho word.” He shall not dio. they shout in chorus. But the question is put to the people. “ Poilico verso ” carries the day by 41 to 28. Sixty-nino, out of 74—five short of the possible .“(Taka. out Sir G. Grey abient, and Sir , M. .. O’Borke exalted above the floor, and you have three not accounted for. There is a magic in these Southern railway spikes and fish-plates. _ ■ After' that the victims are mowed down. Outcry fails to save Workmen’s Wages ; though Invercargill calls out most lustily, it is useless. Marsden has a concentrated essence of an extra thrust at the Undesirable Immigrants Bill .propping up the dying creature under pretence of saving its life, with one hand, that he may have the pleasure of thrusting that, enormous Cromwellian sabre of his right up to the hilt in it 3 trembling bosom.

Newspaper Libel Limitation falls among the many -unnoted, carrying tbe unsigned articles-of the future into the Great Beyond. Pour local Bills are cut down with the general slaughter.; Six little measures escape the massacre, four of them to pass by courtesy for a few' days more an unnoticed existence on the Order Paper—Patea’s Law Practitioners, Mr Pere’s Native Lands Administration—an extinct Tongariro once of an eruptive force equal to many days’ debates —Sir Robert’s New- Zealand Institute of Journalists and “ Homes Security ” by the same author, Clutha, true to the last (to waggery), wants to know what the Premier means to do with the Licensing Bill, number 19 on the Paper, hut gets a mystifying parry for all reply. With the above six orders tho Paper now contains 27 orders. End of session has risen up in.the dim distance, and come a step or two nearer.

After-the massacre, it is nearly lunch time. There are hungry cries of “Time.” But there are things more important than even the satisfaction of vigorous appetites recruited by the unusual political pastime of an October massacre. “ Vehicles Licensing Bill.” Tho Premier brings it gently in, strokes it down, intimates that the House will find it a better behaved animal, says gently that it is much

improved by the castigation of the other day, adds persuasively that, being now like Puss in the play, both ‘ harmless and necessary,” it really ought to be allowed to amble over the rest of the course^ On this hint it ambles as far as recommittal. Cries of “ Time ” get loud and confused. Mr Guinness mounts nevertheless, and rides the creature briskly on. Discussion is raised by the Wairarapa contingent, Avho lays hold of the beast by the bridle and corrugates. He holds him also with his glittering eye, and that walking beast he cannot choose but hear. The winning post is not far off! when the contingent is satisfied, but the time limit is astern.

• Cries of “ Time” assert the fact. Counter cries of “go on” urge that the matter should be disposed of. The cries and counter cries begin by replying to each other like volleys, and then they mingle in incessant din wildly maintained. Frogs in a marsh, unable to explain. Bre-he-he-hex hoax, hoax, as the Greek poet said in imitation inimitable. The House escapes to lunch, but not before tho Vehicles Bill gets read a third time and sent on to tho Council. AFTERNOON. At half-past 2 the sacred battalion comes back according- to appointment, and is more-or less hospitably entertained by Ministers ; and the entertainment is a little dull, like so many things respectable ; not half so picturesque as the open rebellion of the last few days. We get some news. For instance, the Government can’t say whether there will be any Council appointments during the recess; it will depend entirely upon circumstances, the Premier tells Riccarton somewhat loftily. The Premier tells the Christchurch enthusiasts (through Mr Joyce), who are anxious to engage in the simple operation of opening the Sumner estuary and the dried marshes of Heathcote to the navigation of the world, that the engineers report that it would cost <£Boo,ooo or .£900,000 to duplicate the Christ-church-Lyttelton tunnel, but that until the proper surveys havo been made at considerable expense no engineer can possibly estimate the cost of the Sumner harbour works. Such\ trifles as making shallow estuaries accessible,' in spite of shallow bars, and digging ship canals in quicksandy country, appear a little more difficult to the instructed than they do • to the uninstructed. Mr Ward tells Mr Bussell that no change is contemplated in the banking arrangements of the Colony, and Mr Duthio that they do not intend to dictate any policy of reducing or not reducing business to the President. All hands have the satisfaction of hearing the appointment of that officer read out, Carte-

blanche during good behaviour, and strict confinement to the protection of the colonial interest under-the guarantee. - Tho Minister of Lands tells Mr Bussell that his views about buying any of the globo assets under the provisions of the Land for Settlement Act are very simple. If any of those lands are suitable, if they are.recommended by the proper authority, and if they are cheap, no doubt tbey may be acquired just like any other lands. Everyone is glad to hear from Mr Ward that Mrs Walks, ike widow of the poor fellow murdered at Tophouse, has been offered a position U 3 a country postmistress at <£7o a year.

No one is tho wiser for tho answer given by the Premier to Sir Bobert about th© Patea railway refreshment-room. Sir Bobert does not like refreshment-rooms to be allowed to sell liquor. But if the law permits it, he has nothing to say except that the privilege should be confined to railway travellers. It is not ho understands in this caso. The Premier, whoso tone is not any more cordial than Sir Robert’s, gives the reply of tho Railway Commissioners. Open license, he says, under the Railways Act of 1887. That’s what they appear to have done. But tho Act having been repealed, the license lapses. It only shows the wisdom of getting the railways back into the hands of the Government. Whereupon the Premier, smiling meaningly, sits down, and Sir Robert says “ Hear, hear.”

Mr Mitchelson prods up tho Premier about one Dalzell, of Rangitira-Manganoko, who is said to have received compensation for injury done to his property by tho North Island Trunk Railway being taken through, and learns in reply that Mr Dalzell has received treatment which is just both to that gentleman and to the Colony.

All commercial men and others who use the cables much will be glad to learn from the Treasurer’s reply to Mr D.uthio, that the department is protesting and will go on protesting against the decision of tho conference “ expected to be agreed to in 1896, to enforce the use of tho official vocabulary for extra-European telegrams.” At 4 o’clock the sacred battalion has finished its evolutions, and goes off the paradeground. The Constitution is once again safe. The questions have been answered. The next stage is lively from the business point of view. Mr Pinkerton wants to know about some tests which have demonstrated the superiority of colonial cement; where is thorepoxt? The Premier will publish all the information when it is ready.

The. Minister of Lands puts on the table a

statement of the settlement of the public lands for six years —an authoritative compilation, sir, to set at rest all controversies on questions of fact. Mr Millar is desperately anxious about the Ministerial promise to bring down a Bill for enabling local bodies to convert their loans. No such Bill on the Order Paper. He is quieted by the Treasurer’s assurance that a Bill is just out of the draughtsman’s hands, and 'will in all probability see the daylight shortly, and if possible passed. The Premier lays the Colonial Year-Book foi’ 1894 on the table ; before doing so. he holds up the volume and wraps all sorts of embroidered compliments round it. Full of new and interesting matter, sir; all the recent legislation ; everything up to date. It is a new departure. Hitherto the Government publications, having been severely left to depend on their own merits, have become a garden of roses that blush unseen in the wilderness of official guardianship. The long-lost travelling expenses come in of themselves, quite calmly, and their long baffled punters don’t seem to be struck in any way. They come in a return showing Ministerial travelling expenses and allowances since 1887. . •Managers are appointed to confer with the managers of the Council about the Council’s alterations in the Native Land Court. Some of these are accepted, and reasons assigned for rejecting’the balance. Privilege stalks in. We are familiar with privilege. Four months privilege have convinced us that all discussions lead to privileges. This one concerns those Southern bridges. Mr G. J. Smith is shocked at the retention by the committee of the documents it refuses to publish. Is that not a distinct breach of privilege ? Mr Speaker can’t interfere with any committee’s decisions, but all documents they must hand to the Clerk of the House. Handed they are to be accordingly. The Bank Bill gets leave to be introduced, a sigh of relief escapes from some suspicious breasts, and Mr George Hutchison gives his' notice of motion.

That seems enough banking for one day. Then we have tlio adjournment of the House, sacred sequel of the sacred right of question. Mr McNab is sore about a bridge at Gore ; Government, after promising =6IOOO, does nothing ; it won’t even answer a question on the subject. Such tergiversation makes the McNab positively gloomy. He moves the adjournment in great distress. The Minister of Lands .explains that the Government is quite ready to pay the d£looo, but the local bodies concerned are not ready with their share, and the Government is

giving them time. Lands thinks it very con* siderate of the'Government, not to say wise. Invercargill comes to the aid of the McNab with a snort of fury, the twin brother of the snort with which he denounced a gagging Government last night. He denounces it again. There’s a sum of ~£2OO for. village settlers near the metropolis of the extreme South promised, sir ; a sacred promise and a just. But wo can’t get it. No, sir. It is punishment for . his independence of mind and vote, shouts Invercargill, boiling over 1 with Celtic rage. He and the McNab are both punished in this way. He digs up adjectives and hurls them, until words fail him. Will he be in order if he calls such a Government “contemptible.” Mr Speaker declines to answer such questions. ‘ Mr Collins takes the opportunity to chase the Chinamen over the floor of the House, flogging them- with forcible language. Kiccarton unfolds the tariff, and does- a little war dance upon it; a little thing pre- . paratory to what he may do next year. .So the play g 6OS till dinner. EVENING. After dinner five Bills are read a second time —the Public Trust Office Consolidation Bill, Government Life Assurance, Post Office, Westport-Ngakawail Eailway, and .Railways Authorisation. Just a word or two is said about the second named, and all five go into committee, where the Land and Income Assessment Bill already is. That measure gets away first, of course', and consumes the time till supper. ,; After supper the Bill gets through after close debating, of the most businesslike order, passes the heckling test in fact, and then the House grafts away at the others in committee till 1.30 a.m., when work stops. Everybody is satisfied with the day’s run. But there is a surprise before separation. The Premier, before the adjournment, gives notice that .he will move that the Midland Railway Bill be ‘ read a second time to-day. As he gets the words out there is a shout which rends the welkin and keeps on rending it. He faces the noise, tells the noisy ones that he has reasons, good reasons, which he will explain in due course. The House adjourns in a-stato of wonder.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19. Little Barrier Island. Like the Cape to Vander Deckon so is the Little Barrier to the ship of State. Yander Decken’s case would be reported differently nowadays. “ Ship Phantom ; spokon off the Little Barrier; longitude xx, latitude xx, broken shaft ; drifting about helplessly; reports an excellent run yesterday of many hundred Bill clauses. A deputation is waiting on the Government

t> send assistance. Captain Vander Decken, wbo bears a striking resemblance to the Hbn John McKenzie, is said to be swearing horribly.” . Later. There is no truth in the rumoured profanity .of Captain Vander Decken of the Phantom. The report is understood to be due to the natural but en-'* tirely erroneous inference drawn by imaginative persons who caught sight of the genial Skipper sitting in a deck chair beside the binnacle, meditating on the broken shaft. His countenance is said by eye-witnesses to have been somewhat gloomy. Latest.—The Hon Captain Yander Decken was heard to make some remarks, which were at first considered to be profane. It was then suggested by competent authorities that they were merely in the Gaolic language. It has transpired 'that the captain was only giving a history of the purchase of the Little Barrier Island, close under the lee—improving the occasion, in fact, for the benefit of his crew. ... , . . -' ~ It certainly required . some explanation. The strongest and most typical little bit of Land Purchase business which one could wish to hear, thoroughly enabling one to realise the difficulties of the business of buying Native lands. y . . The Minister explains the Bill; it is the cutting of a desperate Gordian knot, into, which the purchase has after years got itself wound up ; provisions being made amply to safeguard all rights and prevent injustice. Mr Heke protests. There is a Native named Tenetahi who may be,defrauded out of his rights by the mea'sure. He draws a picture of possible hardships; this man do* prived of his land, his house, his property, refused the money he is entitled to, left to sink into pauperism. Mr Heke' does not saj that all this is certain. But he thinks Mr Tenetahi ought to be heard at the bar by his counsel—that would be just, Mr Carroll gravely explains that the man. has sold his share and wants to be paid the whole of the purchase money, both his own and that of the other owners. The other owners object to his getting the whole, and refuse to allow him to receive anything on their account. Of course the Government can’t pay him the ,£3OOO under the circumstances. It is a question,of principle. Shall we take this land as wo take lands for public purposes under various A-cts, with every necessary provision against injustice, or shall we not?

Sir Robert puts an entirely new complexion on the matter. This man Tenetahi has advanced .£BOO for the costs of the proceeding's ■which gave the title of this land to himself ' and the other owners. Brit for that expenditure none of them would, have had a shilling’s worth of interest. Naturally Tenetahi wants the purchase money to go through his hands, that he may recoup himself the costs of creating the common property. The whole point is that Tenetahi was induced tojsign the agrees ment to sell, by a promise- that tho money should go through his hands, Mr Carroll denies this, and reads a telegram from the purchase officers in contradiction, but Sir Robert says it is not a contradiction at all of the. point. . . . The Minister declares that: his information is that Tenetahi has paid himself his costs long ago. Out of what ? Out of the timber which he has sold off the Robert strongly- denies, and there is a rally between him and the Minister. Sir Robert, who has said in the beginning that this block is the most litigated in Maori *• history, having been through eight actions of title, repeats the same thing, before he sits down. U© points oufcy.. s»lso> tJiis Uill ou"ht to be a private Bill, a thing which would give Tenetahi ah opportunity to defend his rights. To proceed against him by public" Bill' deciding all 'disputed points is monstrous." ' Mr Bell, at a later stage, says tho same thin". The Premier develops the diametrically opposite view that 'Native measures are different along the wh'ole line. If Mr Beilis right every'Native Act ought to. be repealed. All the facts in this case are recited. But they may not be facts, they are disputed, Mr Bell points out. The fog is deepened by Captain Russell s statement that three of the owners who had no right to sell for all were the original sellers to the Government,-that many signed after them under a misapprehension, and that some have never consented to sell. ■ This ia denied point blank, and the fog begins to get heavy. ■ . Mr Button talks of the ntycesflty for hear-, i n o- Tenetahi ; Marsden describes him as wanting to swindle tho other owners out-of their shares ; “ that’s what’s behind all this contention,” says Marsden. Mr Hogg doesn’t mince matters ; there is a “ ring of legal Philistines ”nn Auckland, and Tenetahi is their cat’s-paw. This is denied point blank: Father William gently shakes his head, saying that we must, be generous as well as , just. Wait a year, there will be harm done, concludes Father'William.' •' Someone says the timber Will be burnt off by that time. ;. 1 -. • - . Well, says the Father blandly, people may burn .their own bush if they like. But it is .not his own ; he has sold his * r'» 1 So the thing is turned over and over till lunch time, and long into tho Afternoon sitting, story succeeding story, and story upsetting story, arguments that are perfectly unanswerable being answered completely, fact abun- ■ dantly swept away by fact, . jjntil it is absolutely impossible for any ordinary mrncl to come to any reasonable conclusion. It is a peep into the Augean stable which enables us to understand the difficulties, of those who - dabble in Native lands; When the curtain drops the House cuts the Gordian knot, and the Bill for buying the Little Barrier gets through committee. A second clearance of the Order Paper, and a discussion on the report of the House Com- ' mittee on the Ballance memorial, during which every speaker Has a bad word to throw at the memorial prepared, are the other features of the aftefnoon. :v- . In-the evening the .House utilises an hour or so of waiting for the end of the conference of managers by playing tlnM’ool in a decorous manner. A Mock Parliament we have, after '• the manner of -he Mock Parliament which sits annually while prorogation is getting After this interlude, the four Native Bills go through, and then tho Bank Bill is brought up for second reading.. The Treasurer moves the nc cess ary motion with a careful, explanatory speech. Mi* Bell makes the deadly statement that the clause dealing with the note issue is for the bepefit of institutions which, having lost their capital and reserve profits, are insolvent. “ The Bill is to prop institutions, sir, which ought to go into liquidation. I trust there

are none such ; and if there are not, why have we this Bill? ” Something too much of guarantees, Mr Bell thinks. So does Captain Russell, who as a layman is startled. Nestor, to whom Mr G. Hutchison, who has the floor, gracefully gives way, says we are called upon to do a most unwise thing in guaranteeing not the bank to which we are committed, but all the other banks in the Colony. He announces that he Will make an amendment in tho note issue clause.

Patea who follows “ To acquit the Government of being dictated to in this, is to charge them with ignorance and carelessness,” he says at the outset. He is very urgent that we ought to help the Bank of New Zealand by keeping the account there undivided. The Wairarapa contingent regrets the clause greatly, and reviews the whole banking legislation. Mr Duthie throws commercial experience against the Bill, and rips up the Bank of New Zealand. Mr Hogg rakes him over with stentorian speech, (sir Robert is on the whole favourable, suggesting a compromise. Marsden deals very fiercely with the note issue clause. The Premier reproves Mr Duthie for want of patriotism. He. makes* a statement about the amalgamation proposals of the other day. Neither the Colonial Bank nor the Government made the proposal. There is a hum of attention. He reviews the carping criticism of the last few weeks, points to the crowd of banking questions on the Order Paper ; veiled attacks originating in the parlours of foreign institutions he sees in all this.

Mr Dfithie protests, and the. Premier denies having said anything about him. The debate goes on briskly, Dr Newman taking a dive into banking, and Mr G. J. Smith denouncing clause two. The Treasurer begins to reply at one o’clock. He skims the points of the enemy, he enlarges on the practice of the British Government in coping with financial crises, he contrasts the invariable reception of their proposals -yvifcn the conduct of hon members opposite. He olaims that the Government should be trusted in these matters, he denounces Mr Duthie for the very injudicious and false criticism of the Bank oir‘ New Zealand. Does he want to bring about a crisis? Does he forget, that the Colony | having guaranteed the institution eyery citizen ought to do his utmost to help it. He divides i his attention between Mr Duthie and Mr G. Hutchison, and they skirmish with him by interjection. • At half-past one the Bill is read a second time,-on division —45—16.

THey take the Bill into committee. Protest arises; The Bill is beset on account of the lateness of the hour. Buller does one of his fandangoes, Clutha rampages a little, tho Wairarapa contingent has a few words, and the House gets tangled up. -. Clutha, getting angry,, kicks over the traces. He is ordered to withdraw, he chafes, he won’t, sit down, he gets warmer and warmer, protesting as he goes, lashing himself tip into a state. “We are treated in this way at the dictation of the Government; we are not getting that justice to which we are entitled.” Clutha is much moved.

The Chairman takes up his phrase, resents his phrase, intimates that the phrase must be withdrawn.

Clutha repeals it sullenly. The Chairman says he must call upon the leader of the House to make amotion.'

The Treasurer, makes a genial appeal to Clutha, who .responds not. V . Dr Newman comes to the rescue of Clutha, and falls into the clutches of the Chairman, and has to withdraw his -words.

Captain Russell vindicates the Opposition its behaviour, sir, has always been admirable throughout the session. He sympathises with Clutha, but advises him to maintain the character of the Opposition by withdrawing. This Clutha does, with a voice vibrating as he confesses to labouring under extreme heat. . Thereupon tho House gets straggly. The Premier throws oil on the troubled waters ; “ let us do nothing which will reflect on us.”. Buller floes .several more fandangoes, Mr Heke gets out of order ■ with the utmost politeness, the Wairarapa contingent protests against this ceaseless work, sleepless, beyond human power, there are constant cries of “take a division on reporting progress,” the Chairman perspires freely in his attempts to keep order. There are. calls ,to go on,' “ only two clausos,”. • . ; , At a quarter to three the Treasurer re-, marks that the Bill 1 got into committee soon after half-past one. Who is responsible for the waste of time P V ‘ “ Not I,” pays Wairarapa. The Treasurer says he is—protests it is not fair to the majority which has stayed here to do business. The delay is due to the hon member and the other side. We go to press. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23. The Ship of State, 124 days out, arrives off the heads of Prorogation Harbour. We observe signs of the usual bustle on beard, preparations of all sorts. The two anchors of Appropriation are being got ready for lowering, the canvas on the masts of Order Paper is being clewed up and furled, all hands are looking out for the tug “ Commission ”to tow the good ship off the sea of Legislation.

In the meantime there is a good deal to bo done. A sudden blast of wind comes out of the bay of Horowhenua, all hands are called on deck, and it looks for awhile as if the ship wa3 going to be blown to sea hopelessly. She gets a good way off tho heads, and while she labours heavily, there is considerable uproar among her people, in which the Horowhenua Natives and their block are discussed. It is one of those pretty little Maori discussions in which everybody differs about facts, and everybody appears to be not in the right only because everybody is wrong. The Little Barrier discussion was another, and all the features of that are reproduced mutatis mutandis. By the afternoon the ship is alarmingly [far off the land. But presently the Horowhenua blast blows itself out, a smart topsail breeze brings her back to the heads, and by the time she gets there everything is ready for anchoring. At a later stage the Horowhenua Bill thus passed is “amended” in the Council and dropped by the Premier. The operation of anchoring begins with the Appropriation Bills. . Both are brought in, and get into committee —both anchors in fact ready to let go. At this moment Nestor gets into the forecastle and takes charge of the operation. The best bower anchor will, he points out, be much, better for a little alteration—a clause enacting ’ that sessions shall begin invariably in May will just make perfect bobb the anchor and the course of legislation for all time. The crew take two sides, and there is a good deal of discussion. Nestor waves on his side: “ Don’t take any promises, lads. Trust nobody ; trust nothing but an Act of Parliament.” The talk is of the cause of the long session just ending. Old Oamaru is

very fierce with the Premier for refusing to accept the amendment. The only. Meredith tells him with round-mouthed plainness that if he goes on like this he will substitute carpetbaggers for the settlers in this House. The O’Regan thinks the length of the session is due to obstruction, Mr Carncross attributes it to the inordinate number of times the new

members have spoken, Mr Pirani resents the insinuation, and for his part attributes the length of the session to the necessity for amending the Government Bills —greatest Work ever done, he declares, that amendment, to which a large body of members beaded by Sir Robert give emphatic ‘‘Hear, hear.” The Wairarapa contingent imputes the waste of time to the “ pouring in speculative measures.” Mr Tanner would sweep, away the repetition of speeches, and then division comes, giving chagrin to Nestor by 31 to 23. Then we hear the clanking of the anchor chains; the Bills going through committee with a whirr embodied in the voice of the chairman.

There is a thud a 3 the chain stops ; something wrong ; there is something wanting from ‘‘ another place.” Tho crew kills time by sacred right of question. For the last time the constitution is saved by sacred right of question. -- v After questions there comes a letter in from the Auditor-General.

What’s it about ? everybody says to the Premier who is moving to have the document referred to the Government. The Premier says it refers to the fact that the AuditorGeneral will 'be entitled to a pension from February next. Suburbs wants to know what is going to he done in the matter of the Public Trustee. His accounts are of course going- to be audited by the Audit Department, says the Treasurer. ■

A little after five o’clock the Appropriation Bill comes in for third reading. It is the last stage of the business of anchoring. The; .usual demonstration comes off, of course. Both sides range themselves opposite to each other, and they have the usual sham fight. The Treasurer gives the signal by saying two words moving the third reading. ■. • ' Captain Russell is pleasant and jaunty as ho. leads off. He wears the costume of the melancholy Jaques. “Last scene of all, that ends .this.strange, eventful history, ” he says, quoting loftily. He gets away with fine flowing emphasis through the “ sans ” family we all know so well and find so difficult to treat with proper pronunciation. When he comes to thp last member, “ sans everything,” lie finds the lines are a perfect description of the state of the House. Nothing done properly, tremendous lot of time wasted, simply because we have a fearfully autocratic Government. ; There is an Opposition, it is true ; small but courteous, totally unaided fr6m the other side of the House. A perfect Opposition it is, the Captain indicates, never obstructs, never gets its back up except when protesting against long hours, never does anything it ought not to do. And what is the Government P he asks. “ A Government of bounce, bluster, borrowing, bribery, abusing.” That’s what it is. He goes into illustrative detail. We have seen a blustering Premier shaking the foundations of this House, we thought wo had all the bulls of Baishan let loose among us. Borrowing has falsified every platform pledge. As for bribery — Mr Speaker can’t allow any reflections of that:sort. A : ■ : I don’t impute anything to the Government, sir. ! ■■ . Nor t.o any member of the House? asks Sir Maurice in his driest tone. “ Certainly not,” says the Captain ; explaining with- a polite bow that he is only referring to the tendency of.the Ministerial policy, and he-explains, a good deal, sailing uncommonly close to the wind, backed up by the beaming countenances* of his friends around smiling at his pleasant adroitness. For the' abuse he cares very little. As a matter of fact it has not been so bad in one way. “We have certainly been dressed down by the Premier, rather severely when we wanted to go to bed,’’ but it is the constant .charge of obstruction he objects to. The Opposition;can’t do its plainest duty without being accused of obstruction, but the country itfill stand by them wjien it gets to know the facts; when it realises how the House has been driven by a ruthless taskmaster to work when it-was physically, mentally and morally unfit to do any work at all. “We are a small few, sir, with a great responsibility.” He rakes up many things. The Sergeant-•at-Arms business —“ a breach of the law” — the Pomohaka purchase—“ land bought at nearly double its previously ascertained value, and there is- the fact that a nephew of the seller’ was the instigator of the whole .business.” The announced Government leading ' measures —‘ ‘ where are. they ? The Licens 'ng Bill to wit. No intention to pass it. I object to putting Bills on the Order Paper and keeping us on tenterhooks aboutthem.” The financial policy he denounces as a thing which gives Ministers a million to scatter broadcast just as they please, without any of the safeguards which marked the last borrowing, arranged by a past-master in the art constitutional. The Benmore correspondence finds him in a judicial mood. Most injudicious person th 9 Benmore manager, nothing could be more' .foolish than his demand for protection throe months in advance ; had there been a more sensible man in that position probably there would have been no trouble at all. All this he admits readily. But, and his voice deepens as he.says it, it was wrong, he might almost say diabolically wrong, of the Premier to intimate that ho would never give help at all in the case. He turns to the Premier, saying that of course the letter, though signed by the Inspector, contained the sentiments of the Premier. The Opposition gives vehement, emphatic cries of assent to its leader. When they stop the Premier gravely and solemnly declares that he accepts the whole responsibility. The Captain bows, winds up the subject with a word or two more, and then hejrushes into the state of.the country. Awful! Such distress, such danger, such uncertainty ; the prospect is appalling. He closes his eyes as if to shut it out. That is the end of the Liberal policy. Worse, and worse it has got, until now the people are actually leaving the country, to get away from the destitution and misery aggravated by the policy of the Government.

He invokes Mr Glyn, the chairman of the Bank of New Zealand, points to his complaint that the Ministerial policy has upset the globo’estates, and declares that the Government has by its banking policy practically admitted the imputation. And so he goes on through the whole policy of the Government, a one-man Government ho calls it in great scorn, ripping and tearing, and making* great opposition capital, and once or twice he has to ask hon members not to talk quite so loud as it puts him out. He

ends by declaring that history will repeat itself. When Government is dismissed by an

angry people it will be the distressing duty of his side of the House to set things right, again as they did befoi'e ; and when they have set the financies in order, and broken their hearts in doing - it, they will be expelled again from office by a party returned to power by the outpourings of demagogues, because they have refused to find nostrums to make everybody rich, because they have steadfastly preached _ economy, selfreliance, and hard-working industry as the only factors of the ad\ ancement of the Colony. “ Pessimist! No sir. lam not a pessimist ; I am too easy going a great deal for that. But when I am told that two and two no longer make four, and that a process has been discovered by which they make eight, it is too , much even for me.” He gets loud applause | when he sits down, many of the Government side joining heartily in the compliment paid to his brisk, g - ood-tempered, manly speech. The Minister for Labour takes up the other side in a light vein. He chaffs this wonderfully able, courteous and attentive Opposition. With less than the usual number of followers and double the usual number of leaders, he describes how they come in in relays, repeat each other and repeat themselves. He plays with the indictment about the long list of .Bills. No crime to map out a big programme of work. The mention of the programme warms him up. A very good programme, not all carried out, but what was accomplished has made the session a record session. It has been the aim of the Government from the first to ameliorate the lot of the workers, to make life worth living for them, to get for them a fair share of all that men prize. If industries cannot be carried on without sweating, overcrowding-, poverty, drunkenness, all the evils of the slums which disgrace the great cities of the Old Land, he candidly admits he cares not lif those industries are not established. He would rather have a million of contented people than two millions of miserable beings trying to earn a living and unable. The Government have this policy at heart, and they will pursue their object. “ Agent - Generalship,” interjects Clutha, railing. In the chilling silence that follows, the Minister is sorry that his friend has forgotten himself so far as to make such a remark. He is surprised that another friend, Sir Robert Stm.it, thought enough of the interjection to laugh. ■ Sir Robert disclaims any intention of laughing at the hon gentleman. The Minister takes the opportunity to put himself right about the Agent-Generalship. He has never sought it, never been offered.it, never in any way thought of it. Everything said on that subject has been utterly devoid pf truth, as well as generosity. He speaks in the grave tone of an injured man. He gets back to the policy, justifies the policy, and predicts grandresults forthe policy. The other side have all along predicted that nothing would be done; denounced all the Ministerial promises as electioneering claptrap, and now they pretend, in presence of an immense record of useful well-meant work, to think that nothing has been done. He chaffs them about this a good deal ; does not . forget to tell the Captain that the only one-man Government in our history is the Government led by Sir Harry Atkinson of which the hon gentleman was a member ; defends his colleagues strongly ; informs his friends of the party that in future it will be more conducive to business if they bring their amendments and confer privately, not spring them on them in the House as if hostile. He gets back to the policy, makes a fervent peroration and appeals confidently to the future. He too is much applauded as he sits down.

Sir Robert Stout makes a very earnest speech, warm, thoughtful, limiting himself at the outset to a quarter of an hottr. All the resources of that fine voice, that practised fluency, that vigorous declamation are devoted to a denunciation of excessive borrowing, to the Ministerial management of business —•“ the Governor’s Speech was an insult to the House” — to the new Standing Orders. “ The time limit is a perfect curse, sir,” and there are loud cries of assent.

To the financial policy, not for the necessities of settlement whichpays, but of benefactions which bribe and lead to disaster. To the Licensing Bill, which the Premier has spirited away from the House. What have they done in this or any other' way for the social condition of the people ? ho asks with outstretched arm, and very rousingly he devotes himself to the’question, answering it in many ways with indignation. The artisans have been attended to —he compliments the Minister of Labour on the excellent measures he has brought in, with most of the provisions of which he agrees; but for the mass of labour what have they done? Nothing, sir. He reserves nearly all the rest of his force for clause 21, and the railway black list. Every request for enquiry absolutely refused, sir. He hammers away at this, and winds up with “Judgment by default.” Tho balance of his virtuous indignation he devotes to the Sergeant-at-Arms appointment, which he tosses into the fire he has kindled, and as it burns he rakes it about. He looks at his watch and says “ I shall not exceed my quarter of an hour.” He gets to a fervent aspiration for better local government, without which “ our finance is doomed;” he exhorts Ministers to give up presenting these experimental Bills, to pay more attention to the improvement of our political machinery and the amelioration of the social life of our people, to remembor above all things that we cannot live on loans. Hq ends with a brief scathing denunciation of the House for its complete forgetfulness of its pledges and the headlong rush it is making towards a large borrowing policy. And all this he does in his quarter of an hour. Loud applause greets him too. The Premier, who is resplendent with an enormous and brilliant “buttonhole,” rises bubbling over with good humour and suppressed energy. The good humour remains with him throughout, and the energy too, but not in a suppressed condition. He begins by complimenting Sir Robert on his moderation. Had he been always so, what a pleasant time we should all have had. From that stage he passes to the opposite extreme, putting all his vigour and power — which is not saying little —into a defence of the Sergeant’s appointment. No evasion of the law, ho vehemently contends, neither of the letter nor the spirit. The way in which the Liberal Party stood by the Government was a credit to them, he declares, in a tone which ought to make the glasses ring in the windows.

The same, vehemence carries him into the labour question. Nothing done for the unskilled labour P He points to the co-operative contracts, the arrangements made for settlement, employment, bushfalling, roads, surveys. What is that but the most practical attention to the amelioration of the social conditionp

How can it be carried on, he shouts, without means P And what is the justification'of the whole Ministerial policy, except that it provides the means. You can’t leave the people

1 unemployed by works, you can’t put them on the land without communication and the means of maintaining themselves on. their sections. The Ministerial record is in this respect, he maintains, a grand record. What has Sir Robert done in this respect himself P What is his record for the social amelioration ? He has done absolutely nothing. 7- . : ./vT - Sir Robert demurs. Ah, yes ! The Premier had forgotten. The Bill for abolishing “ tote ” shops and preventing boys going in for shilling gambles on racecourses. He professes a lordly, contempt for such a petty service, while Sir Robert laughs Ho, ho. But he is responsible himself for the loss of the Licensing Bill, There is a storm of dissent from the Blue Ribbon men. The Premier persists—l will prove it presently, he.declares* meeting outcry with shouting protest. You got together a caucus. “ No,” comes straight from a score of throat?. After thrust and parry over the point for some time it is settled that Sir Robert was present. The outcome was a determination tohave the Bill referred to a one-sided committee, without a single admixture of any element outside the Blue. This it was which so terrified his friend the senior whip, who so violently opposed the Bilk Then there were the amendments, countless amendments jostling each other. That completed the terrorisation of the senior whip; Now, for his part the Premier wanted to refer the Bill to the Statutes Revision Committee. Had he succeeded, all those amendments would have been considered and straightened out and the Bill would have come back in presentible, understandable shape, and would have gone pleasantly through in a few hours. But he gave way to the hon member. . • , r .. Sir Robert’s Ho ho is loud ahdqprolpngpd. Why did he do that? The fact was that he had been opposed to him so much that he welcomed the opportunity of ceding to his superior judgment, which unfortunately killed the Bill. ■'.•'".V'-V

The bolts out of the Blue arc many and scornful. • - ~ •, Clause 21 and the black list .find the Premier in the same vein. He illustrates by a recent case liow easily'the origin of clauses gets forged. Mr Bell’s clause: in the Native Bill it is, the moral of the story being that several men had forgotten in a few hours how, when and where they had got they had brought to him. If this can happen so soon, how unwise to have enquiries months after the event. As for the railway matter,bhe Government accepted Mr McKerrow’s denial of the “ black list ” story, and refused to allow sp good and widely respected an officer to bo besmirched by an enquiry. If that had to be faced again the Government would do it again.

The Midland Railway is the cause of profound regret in the Premier. But he throws all responsibility from him in that matter with emphatic decision. Killed the Bill was by the enemy’s criticism of the Government policy partly, but chiefly by the determination of a large number of members to have certain big railways constructed—to wit, the Northern Trunk and the Otago Central—and to buy the Manawatu line. By their action the majority had not done themselves justice. 8 A*.::. After a fervent description of the benefits of the Ministerial, policy, the Premior compliments everybody on the good humour of this debate, declares that he has not a spark of acrimony in his composition on the present occasion, and hopes harmony will always reign uninterrupted amongst them. , > The Wairarapa contingent take .a gloomy view of everything, falling revenue, disappearing confidence, the country approaching parlous times. The contingent, I regret to say, finds a difficulty in keeping a House, Clutha does a little railing and scolding, and) produces an explosion.- It is of laughter. Having scolded himself into the proper state for his climax, he impressively declares “ that as a man who is trying to oppose humbug and cant” —there the explosion cuts him off. Yells of laughter drive it into him that he Is a man who tries to oppose humbug and can’t. The House is thus not in a serious mood for the Treasurer’s reply, which, nevertheless, starts off at a hundred miles an hour, going with his usual energy; spirit, and voluble expenditure of words. Sergeant-at-Arms !—he. taunts the other side. Why not be generous ? They were nice to this officer when he was one of them, and deservedly so. They ought to be the same now. The land tax collected unprecedently early ! Was it? He quotes former years 1882-83, property tax collected 10 months in advance ; ’B3-’B4, ditto ; ’BS-’B6, ditto ; ’B7-’3B, 9 months : ’B9-’90,10.‘ This was in the days of his friends opposite. He . goes on— I ’9o-’9l, 10 months in advance ; ’9l-’92, ditto. ,He pounds the facts into the enemy, and asks them if they will be surprised to learn that this year s similar practice has only produced two protests from farmers.

“Better levy, another tax on them,” says Wairarapa. . . But the Treasurer is . not astonished. . All these years the Opposition have been trying very hard to raise a treasurer, but they can t manage to find one who has even the talent of a junior at figures. From that he keeps up the altered tone, chaffs the enemy pleasantly for ton minutes or so, agrees to differ from them, tells them they will meet before the country, and hopes that when they meet again here they will all be in the same excellent friendly humour they are in now. _ - , _ ~ The last big round of applause or the session and the debate is over. Down goes the anchor. The Bill is read a third time and the ship’s voyage is over. There is nothing to do but wait at anchor till the tug comes to take her through Prorogation Heads. Which shall it be, the ‘ Pioclamation ” or the “Commission? ' The crew amuse themselves on deck at.the usual game of Mock-Parliament for half an.hour or so, till word is brought that there will be no tug to-night. , • , The crew goes below at once, alter agreeing to be on deck at noon. Adjournment at ii.4o. ; :;■■■*