POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10443, 20 August 1895, Page 3

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

(Fkom Oue Own Cobrespondb'nt.) ■ I Wellington, August 19. j THE BANKING QUESTION. The reason for suspending the debate on the Financial Statement in order to ensure the appointment of the Banking Committee on Friday night was that by lengthy sittings both on Saturday . and Monday, .the. two off "days, considerable progress might be mado. Circumstances have, however, arisen which have prevented this expectation from being realised, and up to the present little has been done except the transaction of such preliminary business as the appointment of the Hon. 0 C ,Bowen as chairman ,of the joint committee and-Mr Buchanan as chairman of the committee of the House of Representatives. This was done ou Saturday, aud nothing at all was done -today.-.The cause ot the delay is owing to the conflict of. opinion as to whether the proceedings are to be private or not. It wilMe remembered that during the debate Sir Robert Stout, the Treasurer, and others declared very emphatically that it would he a fatal mistake to allow the" private affairs ot the bank's clients to be laid bare before any member of the House that might desire to be present at the meetings of the committee, but the Premier towards the close of the discussion stated that he was opposed to .secrecy ou the subject, and thought that the proceedings should beopen. No defioiteunderstanding wasarrived at, and on : Saturday one,member outoicle of those appointed by the House was presant at the committee meeting from beginning to end, aud it is rumoured that another outsider has stated his intentions of being present at future meetings even if Le has to sit on the doorstep. Under these circumstances the committee iiod it is impossible to proceed with the more important business until they have definite instructions trom Parliament to m_ke thoir proceediugs secret. This matter will doubtless be considered to-morrow. I understand the Premier will propose the addition of two members to the committee, but Mr G. J. Smith will press his amendment to increase the number to 10—that is to say, the addition of four member... Possibly a compromise will bo , arrived at by which nine will be fixed as the number. Ifc was from ■ the outset generally considered impossible that the committee could by any possible means conclude their labours within the week mentioned in ' tho Premier's motion, and the delay which has occurred by which two days have already been praotically lost,makes it almost certain that an extension of time will be applied for. No matter what tbe nature of the report may be, it will certainly be very keenly scrutinised, and the various political opinions represented upon the committee may result iv a minority report being printed, whicb, by approaching tho question from a different point of view, .may give, members additional material for coining to a decision upon this difficult and delicate question. THE ESTIMATES.' Great discontent is baing.expressed in various quarters at the proposals "contained in tho Estimates to increase the 'salaries of civil servants in various departments. Suoh a couroe has been condemned by .various speakers during the course of tbe fiuancial debate, and is being strongly denounced in the lobbies. Many of the increases are certain to bs energetically opposed when the Estimates come up for dincu=sion, and m*ny members' feel inclined to advooale a motion to refer the whole of the _ Estimates back to tbe Government with instructions fco roake a vory considerable reduction in ths total for ' the several departments. It is contended that in view of a falling revenue and the proposed increase iv taxation the present is not the time to inci'ease the salaries of civil servants.'' It is also urged that employment is scarcer, wages ara generally lower, and the price, of produce unsatisfactory, and, therefore, even as things are, Government employees are bettec_ off than those in private occupations. . This is said to be borne out by the numerous ! applications daily received by members Irom peipsons desirous of entering the civil Bervice. 00-i politician informs me that he has received sufficient-applications frocu persons desirous of , entering the service to man any of the State departments from top to 'bottom. . Judging from.fche general trend of fueling in this connection, the discussion of the-Eitimateain likely to dt .close a very considerable " skinflint" element in the House. > GROWTH OP BUSINESS. Owing to the whole time of the House having been occupied duriug the past fortnight with the financial debate and the banking question the business on tho Order Paper has mounted up enormously. As matters now stand there : are no les? th .n 83 bills, 40 notices of motion, aud over. 100 questions to.be disposed of. .The j opinion that tho session will extend into November,is gaining ground. OUR EXPORTS. The following are the values of the.seven principal items of export for 1893 and 1891 respectively :— ' '"' ; ' '1833. 1891. Wool £3.774,733 £4,827,016 Gold 915,9.1 3*7,865 <Ira,n. 574,442 213,405 Ka pri gum 510,775 . 40i5*.7 - Butter and cheese 354,271 3titf 483 Frozen meat ... 1,055,107 1,19.!5f5 . lallow — 204 499 Flax occupied the seventh 'position in 1893, the value being £219,375, but last year the value fell to £66,253 and'tallow takes its place