POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1810, 30 July 1886, Page 13

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, July 22. An interesting return has been compiled, showing the comparative amounts of customs revenue collected m New Zealand during the years ended 30th June, 1886, and the three previous years. The respective totals are as follows :— IBB6, £1,350,529 ; 1885, £1,470,300 ; 1884, £1,373,671 ; 1883, £1,496,340. The total for the twelve months ended 30th June last exhibits a falling off as compared with the preceding year of nearly £120,000. In 1885 the amount paid m advance on speculative clearances for sugar and tea represented not less than £43,000. If this amount be deducted from the amount of the previous year and added to that of the latest twelve months, the decrease would be reduced to about £34,000, of which the decline m spirits, wine, and beer would account for nearly £33,000. A proportion of the diminished purchasing power cannot be accurately ascertained. It is somewhat ominous that a large proportion of the decline appears m the latest returns. Wibh 'reference to the petition of George Jennings and other deferred-payment settlers of Otara district, who ask for a reduction of rent or longer time to pay it, or permission to surrender with the right to re-purchase, the Waste Lands Committee report that they are unable to make any recommendation m this case outside the existing law without the risk of disturbing every existing contract of the class. The Wasta Lands Committee have referred to the Government the petition of Jas. Robertson and other perpetual leaseholders of Otago education reserves for a reduction of rents. The Golcifidds Committee have added to the Gold Duty Reduction Bill the following words m section 2 (after Ist March, 1888):— "And thereafter the duty shall be one shilling per ounce weight of gold. 1 ' The other amendments are only verbal. The Education Franchise Bill was badly received by the House. The Premier and Major Steward had arranged that if the latter would consent to allow all adults to vote the Premier would assist m reducing the cumulative vote to three. The House decided against the Premier, whereupon he intimated that he would oppose any change m the present cumulative vote. Mr Downie Stewart charged the Premier with not keeping good faith. Ultimately the bill was lost. With reference to the petition of the Baptist Union that more stringent measures may be passed for the protection of girls and young women, and especially that the ago of consent may be raised to 18, the Public Petitions Committee recommended that the matter should be considered by the Government. Some time back Mr G. F. Richardson moved for a return of blind persons now kept at tho Victorian Asylum and School for the Blind m Melbourne either wholly or partly at the cost of this colony. The return was presented tonight, and showed that seven persons are now so kept ; there being two from Wellington, one from the Thames, one from Taranaki, one from Marlborough, one from Nelson, and one from Southland. Mr Dargaville is trying to enlist the co-opera-tion of the various mayors m seeking to have the Kaitangata [relief fund surplus devoted to relieving the distress resulting from the Tarawera eruptions. The proposal to hold a conversazione m the Parliament Buildings has not so far been very favourably received, but it is expected to be carried. The imports for the past quarter show a falling off of nearly £100,000, and the exports of nearly £200,000. Among the latter tho chief deficiencies are m kauri gum, oats, preserved and frozen meat, tallow, and wool. On the other hand, timber, dairy produce, wheat, bran, flour, and grass seed show an increase. Wellington, July 23. The Legislative Council to-day amended Mr Reeves' motion against the importation of stoats and weasels, &c, by the simple process of excising the first syllable of the word " inexpedient," and so leaving it to declare highly " expedient " instead of inexpedient that the natural enemies of the rabbits should be imported as recommended by the committee. A Wairoa storekeeper named Charles Rogers has petitioned for compensation on account of his whole property being destroyed by volcanic eruption. The loss is estimated at £430. The Public Petitious Committee report that petitioner has no claim against the colony, but they suggest that the Government should consider whether the petitioner is entitled to participate m any sum voted by the House for the relief of sufferers. The Petitions Committee have reported on the petition of John Falconer, an Oamaru ratepayer, who complained of a needlessly large proportion of a recreation reserve at Oamaru being taken for railway purposes, that so much of the land as is not absolutely needed for railway purposes should be returned to the borough, and that the Government should alway. 1 - . ' r as possible, consult the views of local iv .e< m these matters. A return was laid beforo Parliament tonight showing the expenditure on the Otago Central railway. The amounts are as follow: — 1879, £1939; 1880, £49,750;' 18S1, £52.682; 1882, £20,939; 1883, £24,892, total;— £lso,2o6 (shillings and ponce arc omitted). Of this total £58,265 was expended under contracts, and £71,759 on work done by "unemployed." Wellington, July 23. It is rumoured that the Waste Lands Committee will report on the case of crown tenants on Tuesday, and that the report will be unfavourable to the prayer of the tenants. The sudden rise m wool is believed to have operated materially against their prayer for relief by reducing one of the grounds urged m its support. The revenue is coming m very poorly. The estimates of receipts threaten to prove as fallacious as last year, but there is no sign yet of a Supplementary Statement. The Hmemoa arrived early yesterday morning having on board Sir George Whitmore, Te Whiti, Titokowaru, and the other eight prisoners who were committed for trial m connection with the Manaia disturbance, and 15 members of the armed constabulary force m whose custody they were. The prisoners were landed quietly, and eight of them were marched to tho Terrace gaol under a guard, but Titokowaru being old and feeble was taken m a conveyance to the gaol, as also a Maori who was hurt m last Sunday's fight. The prisoners took things very coolly and evidently feel satisfied they would be all right m the end. Wellington, July 26. Among the papers laid on the table to-night is a- schedule of the despatches which have passed

between the Governors of New Zealand and the Secretary of State, from the appointment of Captain Hobson as Lieutenant»governor m 18-10 to the end of Sir A. Gordon's administration m 1883. The manuscript of the despatches is m tho printer'shands and will be printed during the recess, as it has been unavoidably stopped for the present owing to the press of parliamentary work m the Government Printing Office. Auother paper is a return of Maori papers to which services have been rendered. A return was also presented showing the cost of census enumeration m 1881 and 1886 respectively. The totals are as follow :— ln 1881, £8089 ; m 1886, £9590. The cost of census enumeration for Ofcago districts m 1881 and 18S0 respectively has been presented, as follows : — Waihemo, Waitaki, and part of Waikouaiti: 1882, £574; 1886, £635. Bruce, Tuapeka, and Clutha : 1881, £150 ; 1886, £318. Southland, Wallace, Stewart, and adjacent islands: 1881, £673; 1886, £759. Maniototo, Vincent, and Lake : 1881, £324 j 1886, £301. Everything is now completely dwarfed m interest by the sudden springing of the noconfidence mine. The prevalent opinion seems to be, however, that it will not be carried against Ministers ; nevertheless the Government are likely to lose several otherwise safe votes on such an issue. Both Otago and Auckland members are dissatisfied with the allocations of the new loan, and the amendment appeals strongly to them as being indeed the only way m which any increases can be moved for. Sir X; Stout made a splendid speech — perhaps the finest he has yet made, and one of the best ever heard m that House. Ifc was a most skilful and damaging dissection of the Opposition speeches, pitching on all the weak points and cleverly steering round the strong ones. But above all ib was striking for its bold and vigorous declaration that borrowing must cease m a few years, and that a beginning must at once be made m the direction of " tapering off." His speech told strongly against Sir J. Vogel's policy m this respect;, and equally against Mr Richardson (Minister of Public Works) on the question of railway management boards, and those gentlemen did not look best pleased. But the House received the speech with tumultuous cheering, long continued after the Premier sab down. It was a veritable triumph of debating oratory such as falls to the lot of any man but seldom, and ifc must exercise no little influence on votes. Major Atkinson is now replying, and has scored several good points, especially m exposing the. remarkable discrepancies between tho speeches of the different Ministers. Wellington, July 27. The Waste Lands Committee has reported on the petition of certain Crown leaseholders m the county of Tauranga, who state that the grass on their land has been entirely destroyed and their crops greatly injured by the recent volcanic eruption, and that m consequence they have had to sell their cattle at a great sacrifice. They pray that m compensation i'or their losses either the freehold or their leasehold estate may be granted to them without further payment, or that all rents may be remitted for six years. The committee have referred the petition to the Government for consideration. Tho word " favourable " was at first inserted before "consideration," but it was subsequently expunged. Reports from the inspectors of police at Auckland and Ohri:itehureh relative to the working of the Contagious Diseases Act have been laid before Parliament. The Auckland inspector states that the working of the act has undoubtedly had a detrimental effect against vice, and that the more prominent and offensive forms of immorality are not now brought before public notice iv Auckland ; while it has been the means of aiding the reformation of many unfortunate creatures. The inspector adds his opinion that the introduction of the act m Auckland has been a great boon to suffering humanity. The Christchurch inspector states the operation of the act ceased m that district early last year, but he expressed his opinion that the act conduced to the better moral as well as physical health of the community ; that it had the effect of checking vice, and that since its suspension there had been a noticeable change for the worse, both as to physical and moral health. At the present time there are no fewer than 48 bills on the Order Paper of the House m various stages. Of these 20 are set down for second reading, among which are the New Zealand Loan Bill (now under discussion), the North Island Railway Loan Bill , and Magistrate's Courts Bill. There are 16 down for committal, and the rest are m various other stages. Up to this date, 426 petitions have been presented and 187 papers laid on the table. The Government committed an extraordinary error m tactics m refusing to grant an adjournment this morning. There was absolutely nothing to be gained by this obstinacy. Originally no doubt Ministers hoped to snatch a. division m the small hours ; but the. Opposition wove perfectly wide awake to the move and were resolutely determined to defeat it, and this they ultimately accomplished, the Government being obliged to yield after all ■with the disadvantage of having behaved injudiciously and needlessly irritated the House. When the -telegraph office closed at 2 this morning, I left the debate m full swing. fcSir J. Yogel followed Major Atkinson, and made a speech which even his warmest admirers confnss to have been singularly weak and injudicious. Messrs Montgomery and Rolleston, who came next, hit the Treasurer very hard; Mr Rolk'ston especially, his speech being a remarkable specimen of vigorous invective, which was not at a 1 relished by its subject. Tho discovery that the " Hansard" reporters had ceased work m the middle of Mr Eolleston's speech has given riso to some curious and unpleasant stories as to the reason. I understand, however, that Mr Rolleston intends to take steps to secure the appearance of his; remarks m "Hansard." The outspoken way m which iho Premier practically threw over tho views of both Mr Richardson and Sir Julius Yogel has excited some comment. It is rumoured that his strong declaration that borrowing must soon cuase was' inspired by an earnest cable message reiceived from the Agent-general jiutbeforeimpressing upon the Government the imperative noee?siby of extreme caution with regard to future operalionsontheLoudonmoney market. 1 cannot of course, vouch for the accuracy of this report, but merely give it as it reached me. It is said that an inquiry will be held into the conduct of the " Hansard" reporters m ceasing work, it being remavked that they should nob have broken down on the first day of tbo wetk after two whole days' rest. The affair is a very VKiculiar one.