Political Intelligence.

Southland Times, Issue 4721, 24 August 1883, Page 2

Political Intelligence.

[By Telegraph.j (from our own correspondent.) Wellington, Aug. 23. We had a lively time of it to-night. The evening's performance opened with a newspaper breach of privilege case. A paragraph which appeared in the evening paper, purporting to be an account of what took place to-day in the Darguville Inquiry Committee, was taken up by Mr Dargaville himself and denounced as a breach o£ privilege. After the usual amount of talk incidental to a tit-bit, a formal motion was tabled that the publishers of the defaulting print should be summoned to the bar of the House to show cause why the pains and penalties provided therefor should not be imposed. Fortunately a better judgment showed itself, and an amendment that they should tHke till to-morrow to think over the thing before committing themselves to the course proposed was carried. Thus far the thing is prosy and unpractical enough. It happens, however, to be known that the information upon which the newspaper report was based was conveyed by Mr Dargaville himself <o the newspaper reporter. That is the fact of the case ; strange as the whole thing may appear. The fact is that Mr Dargaville is a man thirsting for notoriety, and of late the Dargaville affair has been getting rather stale, and by way of poking up the public interest this litt'e rouse has been resorted to. Whether the farce will be carried further remains to ba seen " Scene two" opened with a grand display of Billingsgate between those two celebrated political mountebanks, Messrs Fish and M. W. Green. The latter had a local bill — the Otago Harbor Board's Loan Consolidation Bill — in his charge. Mr Fish and the other Otago members had no real objection to the bill, but they were rather bitter at the measure having been entrusted to* Mr Greeu, and without appearing to oppose it they have been stonewalling the business all night. It commenced with, a motion on the part of the ! Government te delay the ordinary business in order that tMs bill might be taken up. The proposal was met with a howl of indignation ; tho ostensible argument being that the Government was showing undue preference in asking that local bills might be brought on. The fun is going on fast and furious to the manifest delight of a gallery audience, who actually went the length oa one occasion of according the performance a round of applause. Despite all that has been done to improve the Chamber the draughts are still painfully apparent. To-day the erratic Mr Daniei felt some vagrant current operating on his antiquated pate so severely that he actually asked the permission of Mr Speaker to allow him to use an umbrella in his place in the House. The proposal was laughed out of court. Although ridiculous the request is significant of the personal discomfort to which one and all are more or less exposed,

The Matauik Reserves Vesting and Empowering Bill was yesterday thrown oat of the Legislative Council, it being thought the reserve was too valuable to be entrusted to the care of the local bodies. The Government have, however, promised to preserve the reserve from destruction, "and have it put to a proper use. It is satisfactory to know that quarrying on the' reserve will be stopped if stone can be obtained at reasonable cost elsewhere. , The Roads and Bridges Committee recommended the following as main roads in Southland : — Wallace County : Rivertonto i)repuki (20 rmiles) ; from Wreysvfiush to Waiau via Nightcaps, and Birch wood, including a piece from Wairio village to the Junction, with side roads (23 miles) . from section 43, Oreti Hundred, northerly, •easterly, westerly,' north-westerly, and Westerly 'to Jacobs River (eight miles). The following, are recommended not to be classeias main joads WSouthland^Oounty : I Glenbam to Anderson's Station (10 miles). j The, reason given is that, the road.is en--1 tirely within the Wyndham Riding, and is a branch cross road frbiri the ptago Hieh Schools Endowment lands io the main road Wyndham to Fortrose. Dipt m via Gorge Dipton creek through Castle Rock to Castle Rock siding 1 (17 miles). This road comes to the Ridings of Winton and Oreti. Between Dipton and the Gorge theie are a few settlers along the line' The County Council has let contracts for improving the portion. Beyond the Gorge to Castlerock siding there are no settlers, and the line generally is rough, but parallel to the main line of the Oreti Val--i?y- Glenhain to Run 177 and across the Education Reserve (15 miles)." ThlsTroaa is within one riding, and is a projected cross road to join the Waikawa country with the railway system;