QUEENSLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 5131, 29 July 1878, Page 5

QUEENSLAND.

(froji our owx correspondent. } Brisbane, July 9th, THE AGENT GENERAL POX QUEENSLAND.

Just now, when your Government seem to be makisg the erdeavour to clip the wings of that prince of spendthrifts, Sir Julius Vogel, and to reduce his London establishment to something like reasonable bound 3, it will not be without; interest to New Zealand readers to know that our Agant General has also been going through the mill of retrenchment, although neithei he nor any of hispredecessors ever attained to anything like the munificence oi expenditure and, presumably, the grandeur generally, which has characterised of late years the New Zealand AgeacyGaueral in London. Indeed, lam told that our Agency, presided over by the Hon. Arthur Macalister, M.P., cannot; hold a candle iv the latter re3pect to that of which Sir Julius Vogel is the presiding genius. The salary attached to the office in our case has hitherto been only £1000 a year, a sum admittedly insufficient, and which, but for the fact that the late Mr Daiutree was possessed of private means, would not have secured, for so long as he held the office, the services of that most able, upright and valuable representative of Queensland. 1 need not recapitulate the circumstances under which the present Agent-General, when Premier, made the London office too hot for the lamented gentleman referred to, or the shameless manner in which he put himself into it as soon as he succeeded in ousting Mr Diintree. These acts, however, were the^ unluminating point of tLe political detestation in which Mr Macalister wa3 held by the Conservative narty here, and they have never abstained from expressing, on all occasions, the distrust in which they hold Mr Macalister, or, as a natural corollary, giving practical effect to that distrust whenever tliey got a chance. This feeling found its principal, outcome lait year in successfully knocking on the head a proposal to increase the salary of the office to £1500 a year ; aud this year a similar proposal has been met with strong opposition. The opiaion generally held that a thousand a year is altogether inadequate^ limited the opposition this time to Mr Macaiister's strongest personal opponents; and the result has been that after two nights' hard fighting the Government got for their friend £130(J la Id as his salary for the year ending J ime, 1579. The question waa complicated by a row over the re-appointment, as matron of an emigrant ship, of a woinau agaiust whose moral iituess the Immigration Agent in Brisbane (Mr Gray) had reported, and who ho had strongly advised should not be employed again. It ultimately appeared, however, upon production of the papers, tbai; the Agent G'cnernl was not in fault, but that the Premier, who naively admitted, in the course of the debate, that the lady in question was a "Sue looking woman," had been induced after one or two personal interviews, to minute Mr Gray's report, when sending it on to the Agent-General, that he did noc think that auj thing short of a definite charge should stand against her. During an adjournment of the debate Mr Douglas made the inquiry, which he ought to have made at the time this '' fme-lookiug" woman was throwing dust in his eyes by ncr good looks and taking manner, aud has been compelled in his place in the House to state that he had now no doubt that she was a persoa of highly immoral character. The principal aud really painful feature of this piece of meddling by a responsible minister with the judgment of a trustworthy officer, is that a woruau aa shameless and bad as she caa be, ia now on the way out; to the Colony as matron of an immigrant ship with upwards ot 200 single females, who probably with, very few exceptions, are virtuous' mod..-st girls, to whom the example whi-h this woman h likely to afford, will make tho voyage one long distressful trial. lam so-ry to have to add that Mr Gray, the Immigration Agent, is under suspension, and will probably lose his appointment about this busing ; for having given information to a nieniser of Parliament which led to his calling for the papers aud thus bringing to light the foliy of his ministerial head. This was an infraction of official discipline which the Minister is not likely to pardon ; and Mr Gray's only chance lies with ths Boa: d of Enquiry f< r which he has asked, in terms of our Civil Service Act.

INCREASE OF REPRESENTATIVE HOUSE,

The Bill to " provide lor additional and better representation of the people of Queensland in Parliament," lias now become law, except in so far as the Royal assent is concerned, and this is not likely to be withheld. The leading features of the Bili consist in the increase of members from 43 to 55 members, and in departure from the present system of single electorates. The electorates now consist of 42, of which 13 return two members each, aad the remainder one only each as under the existing system. Population has been the main basis in fixing the representation ; but I need hardly say that Chinese and Polynesians have been most religiously excluded fiom the calculations— a process not wholly sound in principle, but whiuh lam not going to discuss. The Government gave .way, much to the surprise and ciis^usc of all who were strong upon the population_ principle, in the matter of the representation of the me'ropolitau constituencies, which now, with atleastathird moro population, ere represented by fewer members •under the present Act than they have been for the last six yeara. I dou't think it vej-y much mafcters, because the metropolis does ia fact derive enormous incidental advantage from being the seat of Government, but in the allotment of members to Brisbane, the principle of the Bill was set aside, and no GovernnienC but one vrkjoh is willing to accept anything which its opponents will give could have takea the Bili &pon these terms.

PAELUMENTAEV .SALARIES. There is another dispute between the two Houses about the salaries of officers of the Upper House, Last year a proposal to increase the salaries of a shoithand writer and. of the Clerk-Assistant, was rejected by the Assembly upon the merits ; and no action was taken by the offended Lords because

the President had recommended the increase without consulting them. This year they were consulted, and the recommendation was that of the Houae as a body ; but the Representatives, not a bit impressed by thiß fact, have again reduced the amounts upon the ground that the Balariea were sufficient before. Now it so happens that a considerable number of the Upper House think so too, and are not disposed to resist the decision. But not so the President. Sir Maurice O'Connell stands up manfully for the " rights " of the Council, and, by way of vindicating these in the case of the reporter, tabled a motion for a Daily Hansard upon the footing of that in operation in the Assembly. This would have given the officer in question far more tkan the amount first asked, as well as an expensive staff to boot. The common sense of the House was, however, too strong for the President, who was obliged to withdraw his motion. Thi3 he did with a bad grace, and has now tabled another motion for an adjournment of the Council for three weeks, to enable the At seinbly to come to their senses, or, in the words of the motion, "to review their decision." I don't suppose that anything will come of it, especially as the increase to the Clerk-Assistant was put on the Estimates against the urgent request of that gentleman himself, who had a lively recollection of the way in which he was overhauled—very undeservedly, by the way—last year ; but the assertion of dignity in this way by the Council, especially during a se3sion characterised by the utter absence of legislation initiated by themselves, is creating some amusement.

NEW GUINEA AND QUEENSLAND.

The Victorian Colonisation Society notwithstanding, and their monster meetings of 20 people, the connection between New Guinea and Queensland is so close that, if a controlling power over the former is ever to be vested m one of the Colonies of Australia, it must be this one. That the Imperial Government will be compelled ere long to take action of some kind in the matter is not open to much doubt; but that they will do it willingly is quabtionabJe. The preparations now making in this and the two southern Colonies for paities of adventurers to invade Port Moresby points to the probability that it will not be long before there is a considerable white population spreading over the adjoining country from that point of arrival; and, without anticipating that these must necessarily belong to the most lawless class, there will doubtless be a large unruly element among these gold seekers. lam led to advert to the matter by a recent visit to Brisbane oE Mr W. B. Inghain. a gentleman who has recently been, representing the Queensland Goverumekfc at Fort Moresby. His appointment has hitherto given him no authority, and the most which he could do was to advise the new arrivals.; but he has had no power to act in the event of disturbance or in cases of diftress. Th<s necessity of vesting someone with powers derived from the High Commissioner has been strongly urged by Mr' Ingbam upon the Queensland Government; but they have no more authority in the j matter at present than any other Australian ! Government, and the only thiDg which they could do was to telegraph the Colonial Offica advising action. This, I understand, has been done, and as there is every reason why the advice should be taken, it seems probable that a deputy of the Sigh Commissioner will be appointed before much mischief is done. Air Ingham's accounts of the natives of Port Moresby fully bear out all that we had heard of them. They are a gentle and intelligent people, ingenious and industrious ; they cultivate the soil and build good houses, and they evince strong evidence of a disposition towards civilisation in the kind treatment of their women and children. Mr Ingham's visit has enriched the Queensland Museum with a number of native weapons and appliances belonging to these coast tribes; but it must not bo forgotten that within 48 hours' sail of them, there are fierce cannibal tribes, who would resist to the death any attempt at interference with their country ; and as thy line of demarcation between the territory occupied by the different tribes is easily overstepped, and some of the most likely auriferous country is that occupied by the most savage people, the adventurous spirit of the invading diggers will soon brm« some of them on to dangerous ground, and we shall hear of consequent disasters. "the queenslander" as an explorer.

The news of the expedition organised by this enterprising journal will, of course, have reached you. The object is a flying survey of the territory between Biackall and Port Darwin, with the view o? determining the character of tae country for a transcontinental railway. Opinions differ greatly upon the scheme and its real objects. Some regard it a3 the very acme of spirited enterprise, and class the Queenslandei- with the eminent American and Euglish papers which promoted the recent African explorations conducted by Stanley. Others, again, accuse the proprietors of run-hunting, and laugh to scorn the idea of a transcontinental railway being hastened by one day under such auspices. Quietly disposed and unprejudiced people think the project a mistake, and the time immature for its conception ; but it must be remembered that good cannot fail to arise—barring, of coui s \ the occureace of unforeseen disaster—frcm a wellorganised and officered expedition of the kind, even if it utterly fails,' as it probably will do, to promote a trans-continental railway. The expedition will cost a good deal of money, and the arrangements seem to be excellent; so it is to be hoped that the pluck and public spirit of the proprietors of the Queenslander may receive some reward, e.ven if their main object is not promoted thereby.