POLITICAL INTELIGENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1340, 4 August 1877, Page 9

POLITICAL INTELIGENCE.

[By Telegraph. ] (from our own correspondent.) Wellington, July 27th. The Friendly Societies Act has been withdrawn in the Legislative Council, in order that the Government may make certain alterations, £>nd have th* Bill repiinted. The Financial Statement is positively to be made on Tuesday. In the Council, several bills given notice of are at a stand still, not being printed. An Auckland caucus was held to-day, but of a non-political character, being simply to agree to a Bill to validate the declaration of Road or Highway Districts in Auckland, invalidated by Judge Gillies on the ground of the words, "By advice and consent of the Executive Council " being omitted in the proclamation by the Superintendent and Constitution then. The Government agreed to support the | BilL Mr Rees introduced tha Bill to-day as a matter of urgency, and it is to be passed through on Tuesday. „ . July 30th. _ Serious discrepancies are said to have been j discovered in the tables and figures on which | the Financial Statement is founded. These are in the Middle Island Railway and Home Agency accounts, and amount, it is said, to L6OOO. They are, however, mere matters of account, and although every effort is being made to get them put right, they are not in any case likely to prevent the delivery of the Statement to-morrow night. Messrs Sheehan and Brown, neither of whom are yet here, will, it is understood, be the Opposition whips, although it is very doubtful who they will have to whip for. The Canterbury runholders are understood to have had a generally satisfactory interview with Ministers to-day. The Government is likely to get their support. A kind of caucus summoned by them is to be held on Wednesday. Mr Gisborne is said to be very anxious to become the leader of a middle party, and to have

made advances in this direction to the Canter bury members, which, however, were not well received. Sir G. Grey intends to bring forward proposals for making the Upper House elective in connection with renewal of his motion about xsanhood suffrage. He also intends to raise a discussion on Native matters, in regard to our relations with the King Natives. In relation to a motion he has given notice of about a railway from the Waikato to Taranaki, he will say he could arrange for this with the Natives while the Government could not. It is currently reported that a section of the Canterbury members wish Mr Stafford appointed as Agent-General, vice Sir J. Vogel, and that he nor the Government are altogether unwilling, if a majority of the House would be likely to approve.