OUR Wellington Letter.

Southern Cross, Volume 12, Issue 15, 9 July 1904, Page 12

OUR Wellington Letter.

(By “ Kakai'O.”) POLITICAL. It was a miserably wet, and dirty day, that on which Parliament wa» opened, and with the exception of a few cheers from the crowd at the gates of Parliament Buildings there was no sign of enthusiasm' or excitement/

The speech was of the usual order, and not of an interesting nature, the most noticeable feature being an allusion to the proposal to go np higher diplomatically, i.e., that the title of Agent - General should be superseded by High Commissioner. There is a good deal of speculation as to who shall be the first to bear the honours, and it is the opinion of many that onr present Premier will possibly be nominated. The address-in-reply, which, last session, absorbed three weeks, barely lasted as many hours, fizzling out on Thursday afternoon immediately after Mr Duthie (the sixth speaker on the question) had had his say. The Premier’s health is causing much anxiety. He is, one might say, shadowed by Dr ‘Valentine, and so far, has not evinced his usual vigour as the House. He is certainly wise in taking as much rest as possible after his severe shaking, and it is hoped that when the inevitable fighting and squabbling ensues, he will be found fib and well, and able to lead bis forces with his accustomed skill and determination. The proposal to appoint four Parliamentary Undersecretaries is causing a flutter, and as usual, many of the rank and file are spoken of as suitable to fill the positions. Mr Millar, Mr Hogg, and Mr McNab are amongst those who are considered certain to receive one of the appointments, but at the present stage it is very difficult to give any definite information.

On Friday last the House arose from its lethargy, and quite an animated debate ensued on Mr Seddon’s Midwives Bill. The House was unanimous in commending the measure as humane and wise. At the evening sitting there was a good attendance of members, and the galleries were crowded. Mr Mander (Marsden) was very amusing, especiallywhen speculating as to why the birthrate was declining. He considers that it is principally due to tightlacing, and gave some amusing instances, which had come under his personal notice, of ladies tying themselves to the bed-post, etc. He claimed to represent one of the most sensible constituencies in New Zealand, arguing, as an evidence, that the women of his electorate had the biggest waists in the colony. Poor fellow ! Metbinks bis days are numbered.