POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1652, 21 July 1883, Page 12

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

(fbom our own oobkesfondent.) Wellington, July 12. The Local Government debate has assumed «, rather unexpected aspect in consequence of . the amendment moved by Mr Moss for the establishment of local legislatures to administer local affairs. The amendment is not relished by the Montgomery party, as it is well known that Ministers will score a much larger majority on the direct question of a return to the Provincial system than on Mr Montgomery's original resolutions. The Government expect a majority of from 8 to 10 at least on the latter, and considerably more on the amendment. Mr Macandrew made a telling speech to-night in defence of Provincialism and the administration of the Grey Goverment, but he confessed he was unwilling to return to the Pro- ' vincial system as it formerly existed. Mr Bryce was the Minister put up for reply to him, and he made undoubtadly the best speech •of the debate. He evidently had the House with him when he referred to the manner in which Sir George Grey repeatedly made most suafounded charges against the Colonial Trea-.-sußer and other public men, which he characterised as degrading to Sir Geo. Grey and to -.the House. Mr Bryce also received cheers dtrom both sides of the House when he referred tto Mr Rusden's charges against him, and completely disproved them. An annual return was presented to Parliament to-day of the several officers employed in the Government Life Insurance Department, showing the salaries and comsnission paid to these officers. At the head •office, Wellington, the commissioner receives SBOO (the return is for the year ending March 31, 1883) ; actuary, £600 ; the secretary, £600 ; .-superintendent ,of agents, £450, and 5s per <sent. on total sums assured in the ordiaiary foranch (less salary). He pays his own travelling expenses, and is liable for any advances to agents not.convered by 15s per cent, commission paid to them. Last year he was paid £2952 9s, being salary and commission. The chief medical officer is on leave of absence for 12 months. The acting medical (Officer received £400. The lecturer got £200 and '7s &d per cent, commission on the sum asisured of new business effected by him last

year. From these sources he received £276 in •addition to his salary. The chief clerk had :£275, and 18 ather clerks received £2840, and ■cadets £450. In the industrial branch, the tchief clerk receives £275, one clerk £125, and :six cadets receive £430. The resident agent at Auckland, £300 ; cadet, £50. Resident agent, dhristchurch, £230; and two cadets, £120. Dunedin resident agent, £200; two cadets, MlV>. At Napier and Invercargill the resident agent in each case receives £200, and cadet At Wanganui the resident agent receives £3150, and cadet £40. At Oamaru the agency clerk receives £100. Four of the canvassing agents have earned more than £500, one gentleman having exceeded £900. Weujngton, July 13. Mr M. W. Green, the member for Dunedin East, who stated in the House recently that he bad been in a transition state during the recess, left to-day for Dunedin, but before doing so he wrote to the Opposition whip to the effect that in future he intended to ally himself witi 1 the Government party. He also paired against r Montgomery's resolutions before leaving ■V v T «Hington. Some ill-natured people whisper that j"e^ ous y of the member for Dun•edin South has ha^ something to do with the •change. . Mr James M'Donald, the newmember f or Bruce, who is generally consider? 4 a supporter of the Ministry, left for Otago this mot7 nn ?J- an f d left his pair with the Opposition on Mr j..^ „ gomery's resolutions. The member for BructT is said to be a strong Provincialist, hence the reason for voting for the resolutions. A smart little passage-at-arms occurred tonight between Mr Wynn Williams, the member for Heathcote, and Mr Holmes, the member for Christchurch South. Mr Williams, referring to the meeting of Canterbury members on the railway ques- j don, said he was surprised at Mr Holmes' | attack on the Government when he himself had moved a vote of thanks to the Premier at the meeting in question. Mr Holmes here rose ■excitedly, and said, " I deny it." Mr Wynn Williams repeated his assertion, and Mr Holmes again denied. Mr Williams then said the member for Christchurch South had given him the lie direct, and was pulled up by the Speaker for using unparliamentary language. The Speaker added that he was bound to accept Mr Holmes' statement ; to which the member for Heathcote replied, amid roars of laughter, "But I cannot accept, sir." The Speaker, however, having again repeated bis reprimand, Mr Williams bowed to the deci»ion and resumed his remarks, He further Btated that Mr Holmes was doing more to impede the construction of the West Coast railway than any other member in the House. The division ou Mr Montgomery's first resolution, affirming that the existing system of central government had fn,iJcd to realise the anticipated results, was taken to-night about 11.30, and was negatived by 34 votes against 23. The numbers would have stood at 35 to 22 had not Mr Pearson remained in the House after pairing, and, according to the umwl custom in such circumstances, he voted against his party. The amendment moved by Mr Ivloas Was then put, and lost by 38 against 19. A fresh debate was opened on the resolutions as a whole, and Mr Montgomery replied in a speech ■of considerable ability and moderation. The £nal division was taken at 1.20, and resulted in a majority of 10 for Ministers. The result was received with loud cheers and counter-cheers. Wellington, July 14. The local government resolutions being now disposed of, the next little difficulty the

Government will have to face will be the Native Land Company's Bill, which comes on for its second reading on Tuesday. The bill itself, however, has altogether ceased to be regarded in such a formidable light as it was a j week or two ago. In proof of this I may state that a member who intends giving the bill a hearty support informed me to-day that he does not expect it will receive more than 20 votes in its favour. So far as I can learn, no whipping of any sort has taken place on behalf of the bill, and several Opposition members have not even been asked as to what course they intend to pursue in the matter. Captain Morris, one of the Government whips, intends supporting the bill on the ground that it will give the Natives more facilities for dealing with their lands. The Government are strongly opposed to it, and it is quite on the cards that Major Atkinson will move an amendment on the second reading to the effect that the bill proposes to go altogether beyond the powers that should be conferred by a private bill. A return presented to both Houses yesterday shows the amount of charitable aid distributed in each Provincial District during the year ending 31st March 1883 to be aa follows :—Auckland, £6593 12s lid ; Taranaki, £797 15s 2d ; Wellington, £3198 4s Id ; Hawke'a Bay, £970 Is 9d; Marlborough, £94 12s 9d ; Nelson, £3274 3s Id ; Westland, £982 3s 3d ; Canterbury, £13,409 7s ; Otago, £5039 19s 4d j— total, £34,360 19s 4d. WELIIkGTON, July 16. The Hourb has been occupied nearly the whole evening with the Gold Duty Abolition Bill— a measure which has been brought forward nearly every session since 1867. It met with a better fate to-night, as the second reading was carried by a considerable majority in a ver^y thin House. Mr Rolleston strongly opposed the measure, and persisted in calling for a division when the voices were unmistakably against him. The result of the division was received with cheers by the goldfields members. The bill, however, will probably be pretty roughly handled in Committee, and with a larger House. Wellington, July 17. The great Native Land Company Bill, which was expected to produce such extraordinary complications in parties, is now considered to have altogether collapsed, so far as its main provisions are concerned. It was a matter of considerable surprise in the House to-day when Mr De Lautour stated that he was willing to expunge the whole of the clauses except the first four, which provide simply that the registered office of the Company shall be at Auckland, and that the Company may extend its operations and business to the whole or any part of the North Island of New Zealand. He added that should the Government, after a week's consideration of the matter, object to those four clauses, he would move that tbe bill be discharged from the orderpaper. The promoters of the bill themselves now profess to be perfectly indifferent as to its j fate in the House, so that it is quite likely it ] will not proceed any further. I understand Ministers were in no way acquainted with the course intended to be adopted when the bill was called on this afternoon ; but Major Atkinson readily agreed to Mr De Lautour's request for a postponement for a week, in order that the Government should consider whether they could see their way to allow it to proceed in its abridged form. A report on the distribution of subsidies to the public libraries was presented to-day. The following are the particulars :— Auckland, with 91 libraries— income, £2359 Is ldj received, £1212 15s 9d. Taranaki, 6 libraries — income, £106 2s lid ; subsidy, £67 0s lid. Wanganui, 8 libraries— income, £829 5s Id ; subsidy, £269 7s sd. Wellington, 17 libraries- income, £1711 17s 6d; subsidy, £559 8s 2d. Hawke's Bay, 21 libraries— income,£l299 l2s 2d; subsidy,£477 lls 2d. Marlborough, 4 libraries— income, £690 Gs ; subsidy, £75 19s 6d. Nelson, 20 libraries-in-come, £645 7s 7d ; subsidy, £339 Is 3d. North Canterbury, 71 libraries— income, £2355 17s 4d ; subsidy, £1081 4s 4d. South Canterbury, 9 libraries— income, £603 19s sd; subsidy, £216 19s sd. Westland, 15 libraries— income, £715 4s lOd ; subsidy, £285 73 2d. Otago, 99 libraries— income, £2228 18s lid ; subsidy, £969 10s 3d. Southland, 27 libraries-income, £1000 5s 2d ; subsidy, £438 9s 2d.— Totals : 354 libraries— income, £14,045 18s : amount of subsidy, £5992 X4s 6d.