POLITICAL NOTES.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVII, Issue 2548, 28 June 1895, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

[B.A.L.] - The leading incident is the re-appearanco of Sir Maurice O’Eorke, looking none the worse for his rongh trip down the West Coast. The second incident is the rolling of the round familiar voice round the Chamber marking the course of the business. Last appearance of the Address-in-Reply : taken by Mr Speaker and a little forlorn committee, looking a little oppressed with the honour, to Government _ House, brought back, reported upon, and buried in the records with tho Speech. Tho formal notices make the usual murmur, out of which the Premier’s voice rises to make an important announcement. There is a motion for a return of advances to settlers. The Premier takes this opportunity for telling the House how the Government has drawn the line. Every information shall be given of a general character—amount of money applied for, granted. &c. But information likely to injure individuals or the administration will certainly not be given. , ' After that unopposed motions with a little play of protest here and there, which threatens a storm. Before tho storm bursts, there is time for a pretty scene. •_ Tho Premier pays a nice compliment to Sir Maurice on his recovery and return, and announces that ho has another pleasing duty to perform. Captain Bussell has just been elected leader of the Opposition. “ Well won bis spurs,” says tho Premier, bowing. “Both sides will agree with mo.” He says nice things of his friend’s urbanity, courtesy, and fools sure he will have his support in facilitating tho business. “Is this a Ministerial statementp” It is tho senior member for Wellington interjecting with jocosity.- “ It is a graceful act, sir, to which the hen gentleman who has just been elected by his party has a right, with leave of the House.” “ Hear, here ” comes from all round in a hearty volley, and the Premier finishing there is burst of applause, which is renewed when the Captain gets up to return thanks. “ Permit mo, sir, to join with the Premier in congratulating yon. sir,” and then he returns thanks, gracefully reciprocates kind feelings, and promises that there will be nothing but fair discussion from his side of the House. Peace fades away, and the storm comes nearer. Imprest Supply, motion to go into committee: Supply interrupted by general airing of grievances. Mr Hall-Tones invokes the unemployed ; Captain Bussell deplores the absence of the Public Accounts, and deals with the lateness of sessions in our time. Those are the muttarings of the storm m Mr Earnshaw has a fling at refused motion re .the Otago Central, and there is a flare about the motions for travelling expenses ; the tone of the expostulations is what musicians call crescendo. The senior member for Wellington rises and invokes tho statute law. The storm bursts, tho thunder roars, the lightning flashes, the atmosphere is in commotion. In fact it becomes clear that if the Government will not have motions, they will get commotions.

The storm rages first ever the financial region. The law provides fof information ; We have, no information. How can we understand the accounts 't The storm rattles out tee details of the statutory provisions. Presently it is in the region of returns-. There is one about newspapers-. A heavy gust comes down, on that motion; a .charge against Ministers is hurled along By tho bidet. Thp.v b&ve opposed.. .... . J , Nb, from the Ministerial Bridge, where the skippers watchlrs tkO slom, wrapped up in his pclillcpi overalls. A 1-Ally follows. Mr Hall stops it by taking the blame. The wind dies down, not without some recurring gusts, chiefly of doubt, and then getting back to tho financial region, comes to a stop. Mr Crowther brings a Wind out of the. Northern cp.yp, wMth rushes ia cQmplfeihirg of another injustice to tbo North, which has p et i*o roads, . , ~ Mr Hall rhpets tlje storri rt-nd it with a heavy boo oil from Waipawa, which ihakes’it clear that he has opposed tho return.. Hb refers to the correspondence betv. eeh himaolf and the senior member. ‘.‘Bead my note,” shouts the .Rto»*m. “Well I” says the squall,, visibly dwindling, c ‘i must confess that i shall ba\’c considerable difficulty;” at once thfc House, knowing that tho hon po'btftn’.an’d hand-writing is nob classed ha absolute copper-plate by experts, Becomes very merry, and tho storm laughs louder than the rest.

The letter is eventually road (with difficulty as tho perspiring squall bad prophesied), and the matter gets straightened Out Mr Hall is concerned. “ I askes the gcrGcman to add something td. his v.'-ctiC’A. Tho gentleman said hc.tjuite approved, and if I would pat .ihy , hrggCatiou into a separate motion he w oxild support it. Now what I want fit know, 5 ' tho squall rose hero almost to hurricane force, “is whj tho gentleman,if ho approved of the thing, couldn’t support my proposal to put itjinto his motion f” The storm was for the time silent. Tho Premier nods tc his ally. fl’Ohl th£ bridge, and then faces the iii eafflesh Goes to every place wieto a sea has bonid aboard, and says words id tho crew as he directs fepair if tu4 dAniagos ; tho directions in fact tAU,O the shape of a state l meut that thStfd (He no damages at all. Ho hae Hfi for everything. Unemployed 'tffievanoe—7oo men nofi working the alternative principle ahd tiany other ficts Time of mooting—settled By the Houso last year : t Financial Statement—always earlier pVdpOrtioii to the time of sessioii thnn any GovernrhontThe storm rages against this. Tho skipper of tho ship won't swerve. “Steady,” and “Steady it is,” are hU watchwords as the ship keeps thrashing ahead. Otago Central—the shipper chaffs the advocates of the Otagb Central, .and skirmishes with Mr Earncha*-, who comes out of the shadow Of the storm to blast him with lightning. . j .. Returns—not opposed. The Government only wants these motions, discussed. . Enemy —Storm and Co. —want to make nabftAl. Government properly determined that debate shall send Both r^d£s to the country. Unopposed be undebatod, and can’t have tfnd'cbated sources of political capital. Statute law. “ Gazetted forthwith is the expression,” which leads to a skirmish with the storm; tho storm being restless. The skirmish becomes hammer and tongSj controversial, conversational, brief, oWt'lg nUich to latitude allowed by Ohail'niah. It gets on to the newspaper return. “ Cabch return, sir)” ard thoro is another skirmish with the Hdrm. The railways are added now, and there is more work of Government, more people, and more functions. Advertising nevertheless made cheaper. Nestor has a word of protest about tho resolution of last year fixing tho mooting. To him the skipper is considerate, with tho air of a chief who wants spectators to, keep offt of tho way of tho manceuvres Of thO battle; Tho Imprest Supply conies iii at lUst, but the storni rages Once nioro, with categorical reply about the newspapers. Railways! The storm blows the railways away rattling. Nothing but corruption. Colour the guide to advertising. “ I know ono paper kept alive by the Ministerial advertisements.” Cries of “Name.” “But for the Government subsidy tho paper wouldn’t live a single day.” Reiterated cries of “ Name.” The storm blows everything but tho namo. Give me the return and you will soo tho name. More cries of “ Name, ,J

The storm blows out that When this paper wanted to find a new proprietor ono of the main inducements holdout was this Government advertising. Cries of “Name” continuing, the storm declines definitely ; sits down; wants tho return : it will then be scon.

The commotion in the atmosphere continues ; Mr Earushaw praucos about all over tho Otago Central. The skipper smites him hip and thigh, and offers fair return of advertising. Hammer and tongs with tho storm ; which endures till place full of fragments of torn journals : no definite result. Patoa cuts in—warily; takes a band—a wary hand ; plays a trump—areturn of course. Of course the return is the most innocent thing in tho world : tho softest of all things soft. Why have wo not got it, sir ? What a world of insinuation there is in that “ why, sir.” It is carried uncompromisingly over Cheviot, Blind River, Pomahaka and much country besides. The commotion thereupon increased by a new thunder. It is tho voice of Lands advancing into action, the accompanying thunder being supplied by a certain big claymore, which flashes for the first time this session. The big claymore we notice is very bright and handy, in excellent order and condition in fact.

At tho outset the note is fierce resistance. No, tho hon gentleman will not get his return. Ho wants to use it on a hundred platforms against me, most unfairly, when I’m not there. But I have a volume of such things of his. Swish goes tho claymoreintimating future massacre as well—•“ shall have a word to say to tho hon gentleman before the session is over.”

The House encourages the earnest claymore with a breeze of applause. W 0 lose sight of the return for a moment. Tho claymore has caught sight of Patea manoeuvring at Napier, and somoothersof the hundred platforms. The claymore slashes into these performances. A trumpet with no uncertain sound gives us justification of Cheviot—Boo people instead of 80, a largo revenue, bad prices and only £22G in arrear — gives us Blind Biver, flares around Pomahaka, sounds an uncompromising “no surrender,” indicates vast success of ail those properties, profound belief in them, presently to bo justified by all sorts of statistics, ultimately to be crowned by history. Then wo have tho return once more. Eoturn asked for impossible. Claymore swishes that out of the air in solid chunks of impossibility. Claymore won’t expose people’s private business : claymore’s honour and good faith of country at stake; claymore can’t palter with such questions ; claymore can only play like the lightning on all trespassers on the sacred ground. The enemy plies him with crafty questions; gives up private correspondence; asks if it is mortgages, gets reply that it is ; wants to know it those are registered, learns probably are ; enquires blandly what objection to publication in case of accomplished purchases, is out down by Claymore with refusal of information of anyone’s private affairs. Claymore indicates in detail all objections ; promises it return is amended accordingly, return will not bo opposed. The enemy agrees to modify in certain directions ; but is not satisfied as to effected purchases ; thinks he has a right, there. Claymore settles the point with a blazing No ” and an offer—lf the hou gentleman applies for a committee, will get every ’information about purchases but nothing of a character injurious to anyone will go on that table. Claymore indicates table with a flashing sweep, and tho incident is over. Peace reigns, Imprest Supply gets through all stages, and the next business is dinner. EVENING. After dinner, the Elective Governor stops tho way for a couple of hours with a remarkably extensive debate. Mr Joyce, as tho champion of the elective principle, covers much ground, invoking the American colonies, analysing our own progress, quoting copiously from Hansard , evoking the spirit of Sir George Grey from the volume, handling the hon gentleman with care, and concluding with the opinion that wo sadly lick selfreliance. We shall never got it till we elect our own Governors. The House does not take him quite seriously, giving him manyintorruptions, in which there .is a slightly derisive flavour. Mr Montgomery thinks tho real Governor is tho House ; Clutha foams with ridicule round the rocks in the Joyce country; Now Plymouth stands for the Bill with eloquent Democratic fervour more, sue ; Captain Bussell sounds the Imperial note, and flies the flag which has faced the battle and the breeze ; Mr Earnshaw earnestly hopes that nothing will be done to weaken the link that binds us to the Motherland, and can’t understand how his name got into an ancient division list on the wrong side, but is quite sure it got there without his consent, and points out that he has put himself right since; Mr Hall-Jones is not very sure, but thinks he may as well prove his democracy, which has the right instinct, by voting for the Bill; Mr Meredith tolls the knell of appointee Governors in solemn tones, deprecates jocularity of Clutha and others, predicts that the Bill will strengthen the Imperial bond, and covers a vast ground of history, invoking Wilberforce, Bright, Cobden, Lord Shaftesbury ‘‘the great Socialistic reformer, sir ” —and many other heroes and worthies; Mr McLachlan has no patience with such “humbugging” measures as this, and wants to get to business ; Mr Duthio has two words of chaff for the Bill ; Mr G. W, Bussell spreads patriotism of the Imperial hue thick over the scone, holds up the Bill, says “Never,” and out of the rise of Japan “as a first-class fighting power,” forges extra strength for the only Imperial link remaining ; Mr Massey can see no reason in tho speeches made for tho Bill, why this change ? Mr Flatman is flatly against tho Bill; Mr Mills as a colonist hugs tho Bill to his manly breast; and Mr Joyce in reply says “ Ten years ago tho shop half-holiday had two supporters only in this House : I was one of them, sir. You may laugh—children laugh. In 1891 the majority was overwhelming. Time will give this Bill tho power of the people.” Division kills the Bill by 32 to 22. After that we have many second readings, which last till midnight, and then an end. A heavy day, sirs.