POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8054, 1 November 1897, Page 2

POLITICAL GOSSIP.

THE STATE OP PARTIES. MR SEDDON'S FUTURE. THE PREMIER'S TRAVELLING EXPENSES. [Parliamentary Reporter.] \\ KLLiNtiTox, to-day. Thursday night's division shows that Lho_ mana of the Government has largely departed, and that a process of disintegni. tion has sot in. In tho last Parliament the Opposition could not count more than some oightecn votes in a division, while on Thurs day thirty-two members voted with them on a question which involved the fate of the Ministry. Great bitterness is felt by the Government party in tho direction of tho Left Wing, who aro now stigmatised as "rats." That Ministers will outlive the present Parliament scums pretty well assured. The Liberal party will then have had nine years' continuous office, and the country will probably bo ripe for a thorough change. The idea seems to be pretty generally entertained in Opposition circlis that Mr Seddon will succeed Mr Reeves as AgentGeneral at the end of next year, and that failing health will be the pretext assigned for his domiciling in England. It is significant that on more than one occasion of late the Premier has said it would be in the true interest of his family had he not came back to New Zealand, and he has mado no secret of the fact that ho could have obtained a much larger salary than lie at present enjoys by joining the German syndicate. The House is threatened with another breach of privilege discussion on Tuesday. It seems that orders were given to withdraw the last number of Hansard in order that a portion of Mr Lewis's speech on the nuanuial

debate might be excised, which has accordingly been done. This had reference to an imaginary offer from Mr Seddon t-j a. certain shipping company for the position of adviser, and referring the company to the AngloC'.''.t!i!"ntal syndicate for reference as to his (Mr H^Llou's) fitness for the office. The Premier asked the senior member for Christchurch for permission to have the letter withdrawn from Hansard, and as the whole thing was a pure joke Mr Lewis raised no objection to its erasure. The point is whether the Premier is justified in interfering with Hansard without the authority of !!ie Reporting Debates and Printing Committee, and Mi- Pirani threatens to raise a question of privilege over it.

There will be an angry debate over Mr Seddon's expenses in London and Hobart, but the probability is that the vote of £1750 for the Jubilee trip will be passed. Captain Russell, Messrs Wason, Rolleston, and othrr members of the Opposition, while holding that the amount asked for is out (if all proportion to the expenses of other Premiers, will not vote against the item, because, as Mr Scddon was sent Home to represent the colony, they consider it would be unseemly to refuse his personal expenses. The vote of £518 for the Premier's trip to Hobart' will, however, be more strongly resisted, members considering the amount outrageously high for a month's work. In connection with this, however, it must not be forgotten that besides two private secretaries the Premier was accompanied by the Collector of Customs.

It is said that Air Montgomery so resent his treatment at the hands of the Premier and Minister of Lands that he is likely to go into permanent Opposition. Both jeered at him on Friday night as the Tory member for Ellesmere, and in response to a goodhumored interjection from Mr Montgomery the Premier angrily retorted, " Oh, you will have to wait; you are in Opposition." Mr Montgomery has always consistently supported the Government, except as regards the banking legislation and seizure of local bodies' sinking funds, on both of -which questions he has maintained that Ministers were decidedly wrong. Members generally hold that lie should not have been treated with the same severity as Messrs Taylor, Pii'iini, and others of the Left Wing.

Mr J. W. Kelly intended to move an amendment to the Budget expressing disapproval of the Government in reducing the rate of interest on deposits in the Post-office Savings Bank, but it was found that according to the rules of the House supply could not be interrupted by a second amendment after one had already been moved and rejected. The matter is, however, likely to bo brought up again later on. Leading Oppositionists say that they will resist a large number of items when the estimates are being considered. They are likely to occupy several days.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that not much beneficial legislation will be passed this session. The Premier goes to Christclmrcli on Thursday week to attend People's Day ;it the Show and will speak there. It ie understood that next week will be taken up mainly with answering questions, which now loom large on the order paper, and with consideration of minor measures This will enable a number of members to pay a flying visit to Christchurch. Considerable indignation is expressed in the lobbies over the proposal to sit on the Prince of Wales' Birthday.

The privilege matter to which I made reference early to-day appears to be somewhat more serious than first anticipated. It is said that the Premier went to Mr Lewis and told him that the Speaker stated it was most improper that bogus letters should bo published in Hansard, and had expressed a wish for its withdrawal. The member for Christchurch consented, but on speaking to Sir Maurice O'Rorke later on was assured that all the Speaker had said was that he had no objection to Mr Lewis being consulted as whether he was agreeable to the bogus letter being excised. Meanwhile all the Hansards had been called in, and the last page containing the letter in question was torn out by Mr Seddon's orders. Mr Pirani intends to bring the Premier's high-handed action up as a breach of privilege.