WELLINGTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 1343, 25 August 1877, Page 6

WELLINGTON.

August Bth. The position of affairs here in the political world is perplexing in the extreme. Members seem absolutely afraid of each other, and instead of the usual caucusses and large meetings, one might almost imagine it was penal for more than three members to meet together or talk on any subject. Under these circumstances, anything like unity of action is out of the question, and it is extremely difficult xio find out what is going on, or to correctly estimate the probabilities of anything. Although members appear distrustful of each other, and have as yet made no formal attempt to meet on common ground in party organisation, there is no diubt that a great deal of quiet " sounding" is going on, and that there are are a few shrewd heads engaged in gathering up the threads of individual opinion, in the hope of being able to weave out of them some tie which would bind a majority. I believe that several of the leading men in the House pretty well understand each other, and are less distrus'ied than they appear to be — that they are, in fact, only waiting for a favourable opportunity to rally their respective followers and unite them in a common party. Heads of a policy have, I know, been drawn up, but how far they have been assented to, or by whom, it is utterly impossible to discover with certainty. Names are freely mentioned, but many of those who are named affect perfect ignorance, which may be either real or assumed. The

Government is by no means comfortable, having a suspicion that there is plotting going on, but not being able quite to make out what it is, or who the plotters are, The evidences of dissatisfaction are apparent on every side, and are daily growing stronger, , owing, in some measure, to the very singular i conduct of Ministers themselves. They appear almost to be courting defeat, and this has become so marked as to give rise to a | report that they are anxious to have a chance of resigning on some side issue, believing that the other side, if side there be, could not hold office even if they took it, and that they themselveß would soon be triumphantly recalled to the Treasury benches, and be safe there for another year. This, however, is very improbable, and Mr Whitaker is altogether too old a stager to venture on such a dangerous scheme. If once they were out, they would find very great difficulty indeed in getting in again, while the chance of office is just the thing wanted to consolidate the Opposition, force them to an agreement, and bring forth what they most want, a leader. At the present moment the Government have two very awkward little questions pending. The ] first is Mr Woolcock's motion, affirming the desirability of a revision of the incidence of taxation. This of course traverses the Premier's statement in the Budget, that it is not desirable at present to raise this question. Mr Woolcock is not a member who, under ordinary circumstances, would obtain very much support in raising a question of this kind ; but circumstances, alter cases, and they have done so here. There is a large party in the House very strongly in favour of a property tax, and those who are moat opposed to .the Govern ment on other points have seized on the pre sent occasion as one affording an opportunity for uniting a party on one point at least. It is well understood therefore, that Mr Woolcock's motion' is to be. seriously discussed and strongl/ supported, and there seems j every probability of this snpport being so strong that the Government will not be able to resist it successfully. How they will act, no one knows yet ; but an impression prevails that they will express approval of the principle, but plead for delay ia carrying it out;. If they do this, however, they will offend that section of their supporters to whom the idea of a tax on property is highly objectionable, and will thus render their position still more insecure. When the motion came on first on Friday night, it got curiously mixed up with the question of whether, Mr Rees's motion about the Waka Maori was or was not a vote of want of confidence. Some injudicious conduct on the part of Mr Rees and Sir George Grey gave the Government a chance of affecting indignation, and ihey did it, showing themselves very " touchy " indeed, but that they were not in earnest wa» pretty well shown by their going on as ÜBuai yesterday with other business, without reference either to 'Mr Rses or his motion, which, by the way, is not at all likely to be carried. The result of the affair on Friday night, however, was very funny, the two subjects got so mixed up. The object of the Opposition evidently was to prevent either question being brought to* an issue that night, and in this they succeeded, Mr Thomson in the course of the evening giving an admirable specimen of his ability to say nothing in a very great many words, whenever it is desirable to perform the game known as " talking against time." The other awkward question which threatens the Government is the Native Lands Bill. The opposition to this is very strong, and it is currently reported that except from Messrs Whitaker, Ormond, and Pollen, the Bill does not' meet with any warm, approval even in the Cabinet. Certainly what has already been said in the House lends an air of probability to this, Ministers showing a very decided disinclination to speak in support of the measure, and Mr Reid, when forced to do so, speaking in such a way as to convey the very strongest condemnation of the measure he was nominally supporting, and even going so far as to suggest amendments which would certainly destroy almost the only principle the Bill contains, and the one which is especially dear to its author, the AttorneyGeneral. The common remark made when Mr Ruid sat down was that if that was all one of the Ministry had to say in defence of the measure, and in reply to the telling speeches made against it, the Bill must certainly be a very Lad one. Mr Reid, however, was very emphatic in his declaration that the purchase of Native lands by the Government must cease, as no Ministry could control expenditure in this direction. Mr Reid's Maori colieague, Tawiti, expressed only a very modified approval of the Bill, and no other voice was raised in its defence, while it was attacked fiercely by Messrs Wallis, Bunny, T&kamoana, Honi Neki, Taiaroa, Ballance, Travers, Hislop, Reas, and Stout. Mr Ballance made an . admirable speech in moving the amendment, and no one has attempted to answer him, or to reply to the slashing and very telling speech made by Mr Travers. The Government and their supporters sat silent and uncomfortable, and member after member had to get up on the other side to prevent the question being put. Mr Stout's speech was more on land legislation in general than on this Bill in particular, he contending that the principle which all the speakers advocated in fegard to Native lands, that they should be used for settlement, and not allowed to pass into the hands of capitalists and speculators, should also be applied to the Crown Lands of the Middle Island. The Maori speeches were very much to the point. Taiaroa said the measure should be called a Bill to take away the lands from the Natives, and Hone Nahe said he would rather see the Turks or Russians come and take their land than that the Government should take it in the way proposed. All the Maori members criticised the details in an intelligent manner, and showed a marked distrust of the Native Lands Court. Taiaroa urged that it should be abolished, and Maori titles be left to the decision of the Supreme Court in tho common manner. Taiaroa also very strongly objected to the clause allowing five per cent, of the land to be taken without charge tor railways. Reserves for roads were all right, as all could use them, but when the owner of the land wanted to travel on the railway he had to pay, and he should

therefore be paid for the land taken to allow other people to tiavel. If such a proposal was made with regard to the Pakeha land, he Tfas sure the white people would turn them all out by force if necessary. There it, I think, little doubt that there is a majority , in the House in favour of Mrßallance's motion^ and it is difficult to see what the Govern* " ment can do. In any case, they must' suffer, whether they stand on the Bill and ' j are defeated, or whether they accept Mr Balance's amendment, or some modification of it. Mr Fox is expected to come to their . rescue in defence of the Bill on Friday, aud as he is by no means friendly to Mr Ballance, his successor in the representation of Rangitikei, he will probably make it warm for that gentleman. In Mr Ballance, however, he has got a foeman worthy of his steel, and one quite able to give tit for tat. , The ratepayers of the nity have just, by .a large majority, authorised a loan of £100,000 to carry out the reclamation of the Te Aro foreshore.. This when completed will give another 70 acres to the area of the oity. It will soon bo wanted badly : enough j, , the place is going ahead so fast.. Of course the land wifi t be used for business, { purposes. By reclamation, land for 'these , purposes may be obtained, but building sites cannot, and there is great need of more room in this direction ; so great indeed, that ' one of the members of the City Council wants to get a Bill passed to allow of onethird of the Town Belt being leased for building sites. This, however, is not, likely, to be agreed to. The College trustees are applying to Parliament for permission' to lease some of their reserves for 42 years on building lease. Wellington is not, like Dun- . edin, surrounded by suburban townshipi. We have, in fact, few- suitable places for - them, and ■ one, where the ground, is very - high and broken, named Vogeltown, has ; recently been in such great demand that our R.M., Mr Crawford, has laid out a very" pretty little township, just outside the Town Belt, at the head of Evans Bay, and named it Kilburnie. This, is advertised for sale on the 23rd inst., and is sure to attract. great competition, as it must become very valuable.' '> In the np-conntry town of Master ton,' land was sold the other day at £15 15a a foot, and in the city £100 afoot is freely asked.' ■ ; The Municipal Conference is over, and is '. generally considered to have been a decided success. At the dinner given to the dele* ■ gates last night by the Mayor and City Council, Mr Swanson, M.H.R., in responding to one of the toasts, said he- quite enjoyed the proceedings' of the Confer- '<' ence, because all the -members seemed to thoroughly understand what they were talking about, and in this way they contrasted favourably with the people up at the,,.' other shop (the House), where half the ■ people never did understand what they were/ talking about. The members of the Confer-: ; ence nave had. their portraits taken 'and, . grouped, so as to have a memento of tho meeting. ; '