PoliticalGossop.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5990, 10 February 1891, Page 3

Political Gossop.

The Waiftirupa Daily says !— Are the Ministry going to abolish the property Tax ? Mr Ballance will not), promise to do so ! Are the Ministry- going to nationalise the land? Well, the "land question is a subject that must be approached with the utmost caution !"" Are the Ministry going to do ! aftytjhmg ? Yes ! they are going to consider what they shall do. They talk aboufe kicking a goal, but the goal is a long way off yet. They say brave things, but they will not imperil their existence by any hasty action. . Their followers are to go home happy with a. hundred and fifty pounds each for a fortnight's vrork, and with the privilege of declaring what great things they are about to do. Mr Ballance in the meanwhile, with his colleagues, the most moderate men in the -*. pai't^' are engaged in the arduous task of postponing the evil day when they will be coitipelled.to do something. The To Atoha seat presents to the Speaker of the House of Representatives a stiff conundrum. . The seat is vacated by jMr Allen for lack of leave of absence. Theseat is, claimed by Colonel Eraser by reason of alleged- errors of Mr Allen's friends. ; The Speaker has no official cognisafle'e,. that ,a; petition suit is pending. If he issues' a fwrit he may be intercepted by,»- superseding writ of the Court. If the Court gives the seat to Colonel Frase&jthe Speaker will „ have to decide the /point: as to whether, the Colonel's > absence without leave makes the seat vacant. The best way out of the difficulty 1 would, of course, be for the Speaker to wait and "see what the Court will do. The next best thing would be to j issue fche writ and let the Court stop it. These things, however, bristle with technicalities which make it doubtful whether the Speaker can.(l) wait for fche Court, or V{2) allow the Court to override his writ. '" He is taking legal opinion, we understand. Twb tbii)^S suggest themselves : The Speaker ought like the Speakers in other colopies to have, a standing- counsel ; the 'Hi 4roha case should lead to a clearing up » bf 'legislation of the unexpected points which have arisen. For the present the Speaker is, as we have said, face to face with a remarkably stiff conundrum.— N.Z, Times. The Dunedin Star says : -Mr Ballance is evidently taking a leaf out of the book of Sir Julius Yogel, who excelled in a little devices for giving pleasure to members, and had sops always ready to throw to barking dogs. The ratepayers have to pay the cost on this occasion to the amount .of close on L-20,000 ; but what is that in proportion to tho tune of the privileges we enjoy of being represented as we are ! And the amount will no , doubfc be a mere trifle oompared with what is to be saved by the strict retrenchment in the Civil Service which is promised! If the present dominant party continue in power, a seat in the 1 House will be substantially worth having, as itisin the United States Legislature, where a clever and unscrupulous man whoaits through two Congresses is • able,' it is^urrently believed, to realise a competence for life ! Under the circumstances it was, we couceive, the duty of the Government; to . carry on and. meet the new House ; and if they .committed ah error of judgment at all it srwas in convening Parliament so early. Nor should it be forgotten that from the .northern end of the colony there was a strong move in favor of the immediate assembling of Parliament. The divisions which have taken place by no means settle the balance of parties in the House, as some people are disposed to think. The Ministerial votes, even on so close a question as the honorarium " grab," amounted to less than half the House ; whilst the Opposition is not as yet consolidated, and is without a leader. The debate which resulted his shown up Ministers and their supporters, and especially the blatant economists and skinflints among them, in their true colors. They, are manifestly analogous to the American patriot in the Civil War, who declared himself ready to " shed every drop of his brother's blood !" There is but one opinion throughout the - COUUtryaa- to- the' umieceeenry ■waste of money involved and the purposes to which it' is to be devoted. The applause of a ' few claqueurs will hardly compensate Mr Ballanoe for the public contempt in which he has involved himself, his colleagues, and hisparty. Another wicked whisper ! It plays round about that half million at the disposal of the Government. It declares that fust before retiring from office the late Government wired to the Agent-General that on the whole it would bo better considering all things, if that little conversion operation were to be considered " off" for a while. It goes on to assert that the first act of the new Government on getting into office was to cable to the Agent-General that the Government, having given this matter their maturest consideration, were of the opinion that this conversion ought to be finished without any unnecessary delay. Both sides,. of course, according to the story, displayed a touching regard for the public interest. They suspect each other ; that is Party Government ; and the public trusts them both ; that is the way Party Government works. We shall probably have some amusement out of this matter when the House meets again, — N. Z. Times. Tho Tiraaru Herald declares that if " members take their honorarium for this ♦ session ' they will have practically obtained money by false pretences, though under the shadow of the law. They will have been paid Ll5O for, say, ten days' b work, or, more correctly speaking, for having taken part in some preliminary parliamentary proceedings for the purpose of testing whether the general election gave Mr Ballance a majority. We trust that the constituencies will carefully watch the little game that is now being played, and will take note of those members whose consciences are so tender that they find it impossible to decline- double payment for the year's parliamentary work when the law, as interpreted and manipulated by a Liberal Premier, places the amount within their grasp." The following appears in the Dunedin Star : - Dunedin's *' unemployed " members return to-morrow. It would be a misnomer to call them Dunedin's "unpaid" members. It is doubtful if either of them, or indeed, all three together, have been so well paid for so short a period of time. ♦* It's an ill wind that blows nobody good." No doubt the payment of these gentlemen to such an extent will benefit others. L 75 per week is not to be " sneezed at " in these times. Fancy I hear the "three * jolly mullers " wishing it would continue. ' JJut alas 1 all good things come to an end. ■ ii "i-" ' * ',' On Friday week a man was seen to '"' throw himself from the rocka at, Shelly Beach, near Manly (N.S.W.), and as he 1 fell into the water a heavy sea washed , ; roimd him and he disappeared On the r-. rooks were found a hat and coat, and in -one of the pookets was a lotter written as -* a warning to men against the influence of !'t women. The writer said that he had won :3 the affections of a girl who had jilted him for another, just as she had previousjj *^ jilted the second man to keep company I" ' wjth the writer. In consequence of hei [ ', Action he expressed his intention of com witting suicide. T-he confession by Hansen of tho mur :der of the man Duncker, at V art Hil i; (Victoria), has been made public. Hanser states that he was unable to refrain fron speaking any longer, as he was hauntec by the memory of his victim. He say s *• that he and. Duncker had a quarrel at th< scene of the murder over the upsetting oi -Vbilly-can which Hanseu put on the fin v " ; |pr tda. Duncker's rage became ungov r?! ernable, and he fired three shot out of t : revolver, tmt without effect. ; The spiri ■?' of self-preservation seized Hansen, wh( ;-."- j^iUed him with a tom&feavvk,