PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7654, 12 June 1896, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

MR WARD'S POSITION.

DISSATISFIED MINISTERIALISTS.

A CAUCUS OF THE PARTY TO BE SUMMONED.

WILL THE STOCK WHIP BE APPLIED ?

[Herald Special Reporter.] Wellington, last night. The adoption of the Premier's motion that the House do adjourn till Tuesday will afford the Government an opportunity of tneetiug their supporters in caucus with a view to conaideriDg the Treasurer's position. In the lobbies the talk is almost exclusively confined to the affairs of the Hon. Mr Ward, and their relation to his Ministerial position, and the general opinion appears to be that Mr Ward must retire from the Cabinet. Prominent among the discontented Government supporters may be mentioned Messrs G. W. Russell, Pirani, Crowther, and W. Hutchison, all ot whom openly declare that if Mr Ward is continued in office their support can no longer be looked for. It is rumored that a caucus of the party is to be summoned for Monday to consider the matter. In that case some plain speaking will be anticipated. THE " GERMAN BAND." Another sore point with Borne members is Mr Seddon's acceptance of office under the Anglo German mining syndicate. This is a matter which is exercising Mr Riccarton Russell's mind very greatly, and he promises to give the Premier a warm quarter of an hour over it. A SHEAI? OF BILLS. Quite a sheaf of Bills were given notice of in the House this afternoon, the most prominent of whioh are the Referendum Bill (Hon. Hall-Jones), Alcoholic Liquor Amendment Bill (the Premier), Electoral Executive (Major Steward), Matrimonial Divorce Amendment Bill (Mr McNab), Totalisator Abolition Bill (Mr Cornell), ,i .-. ' Criminal Code Amendment Bill (Mr Mills), The object of the last named measure is to provide for the retrial of Louis Chemis, convicted of the Kaiwarra murder. ALTERATION IN ELECTORATE* Captain Russell unsuccessfully endeavored to draw the Premier as to whether the electorates would be altered before tbe ' general election takes place. Mr Seddon bland y replied that the matter would receive the attention of Cabinet, who would later on take the House into their confidence. HANBABD. The Speaker haß put down his foot firmly against the proposal to locate Hansard staff on the floor of the House, and the matter will probably be a contested question. It is expected to be remitted in the first instance to the Reporting and Printing Debates Committee, as will also be the displacing of Mr Barron by Mr Grattan Gray. Later. — In order to facilitate accuracy in the reporting of members' speeches, the Premier intends to move that the Hansard reporters be in future permitted to sit on the floor of the Houße. Mr Pirani, who is a journalist and an active member of the Reporting and Printing Debates Committee, will move as an amendment that the question be remitted to that Committee. If the amendment be carried the proposal will be stoutly opposed ia the Committee by the Speaker, Major Stewart, Mr Pirani, and others, and will be defeated. EXTRA-VAGAIIT BETDBNS. The Premier recognises the waste of public money which occurs every session by useless returns being printed, and intends to move that the printing of all returns and papers be left in the hands of the Printing and Debateß Committee. JOTTINGS. Application has been made by the Minister of Mines to the Victorian Government for papers containing the grounds on which they, successfully defeated Cassell's Company's application for an amendment of the cyanide patent. A similar application ia being made here on behalf of the New Zealand Government, and should ib be successful CasselJ will take the matter to the Privy Council. ' The Brunoer Commission has been granted an extension of time till the 22nd instant. Meanwhile the Commission are aotively compiling their report. Ministers have under consideration the necessity of erecting a wharf in London for the landing of New Zealand timber. The Agent-General has been instructed to furnish an estimate of the probable cosb. Sir Robert Stout replies to the Premier's Wellington deliverance in the Opera House to-morrow night. Ministers in setting up the Public Accounts Committee, are endeavoring to shunt Mr George Hutchison, and replace him by Mr Lewis. The Opposition will resist the exclusion of the member for Waitotara, who has been a thorn in the Government side on this Committee for years.