Political Gossip.

Southland Times, Issue 19089, 3 July 1903, Page 2

Political Gossip.

♦__ j .(From our own correspondent.) (By Telegraph.) , WELLINGTON, July 2. ' THE OPPOSITION . A meeting of members of this party, < leld this morning, was attended by 20 1 representatives. The question of elect- i ing a leader was discussed, aud it was not considered advisable to take that >tcp in the meantime. It seems more than probable that the party will not 1 be organised under a leader this session, and there are somo strong reasons iv hy matters should be left as they are. ] In the first place there are some who (could not care to be absolutely bound under a leader and, secondly, it is belioved that tho selection of a chief .ould not bo made without causing fiicLioa and leaving a feeling of soreness imotig disappointed aspirants. On these grounds it is felt that an organised jiarty would bo no more effective, but irobnbly less so, than the present fairly .veil defined Opposition. No actual phm uf campaign was determined upon, but tho party is vigorous and its members ivill act in concert upon a platform ■iretty clearly understood. Mr C Lewis vill act as Whip, THE TENURE OF LAND. From many speeches delivered it is not hard to foresee that ono of the most burning questions to be settled this Mission will be " Leasehold v. Freehold.'-' Farmers are now so well represented in Parliament, particularly among the opposition, that on this question they can command a majority in favour of giving Crown tenants the right to acquire the freehold. The Premier was far-s^ing enough to prepare for such a juncture, and has trimmed his sails accordingly, but city members are up in arms and will fight, to the last gasp against the freehold. One sentence from the lips of Mr T. E Taylor may be taken as prophetic on this question : " You are (1 speak particularly to the Opposition) in for the hottest time you have had for many a lony day." A CLEVER MOVE The appointment of Mr Millar to the position of Chairman of Committee.* must be regarded as one of the cievere.^t tactical compliments brought off by the astute Premier during recent years TR; appointment materially strengthe-is -Mr j Seddon's position, not because he has added a strong email to his party, lut j because he has- checked at the outset a sou re >! of criticism which lhrea'.t'i<ei! to be productive and forcible. M r Mllai lias shown on more than one 0.-.\t>'o:i i tendency to break away from t k-J required bonds in which the Premie. I olds his purty. and on some qjr.stiors he stood up as a strong censor of his leader and his methods. It wa-< aii->o an open secret that Mr Millar had his eye on the Ministry, and wis a strong candidate for any vacancy that l :f-.n'- occur in the course of reconstruct, in i. Tie Premier has now secured Mr -Mill.' .- acceptance of a minor and less ivi};U relative post, and it, is nonsense i.-> ;>f:_uc that he can occupy , that, office and still maintain an altitude of Independence and vigorous opposition to Mr Si-ddrn on certain matters. His fr-'-.'d ?m of speech has been curtailed, aid t'\> Premier has cleared his path of whatniaht have been a very objectionable obstacle. In all probability Mr Millar will be 'granted another i;l<'o and thus his ambitions will be .satisfied for some years to come PERSONAL. I Mr .1 C Thomson arrived on Wednesday, and was sworn in the same eftcrnoon. The member for Wallace appears jto be in the best of health, am! received a cordial welcome from m.-Miibers j.-is one ol ihe new men from whom something above the ordinary is .-s;i.'ct,;'l. He attended the meeting of the Oppobit ion this morning. WALLACE WANTS, Air .J. C. Thomson is asking for an extension of the telephone from Te Tun to Prummond's Ferry. A petition was sent direct to the Minister some time ago. but no answer so far had been | received, so Mr Thomson was asked to [interview Sir .Joseph Ward, who promises to look into the matter. The member is nlso urging the PostmnsterUmeral to reconsider the establishment of a money order ollice at Orawia. 1 10 has pointed out how useful such a branch of the department would be to farmers and others, but Sir Joseph jsays that if t K> office was opened the 'handling of large sums ot money might. I necessitate the appointment of a special official : iiowewr, he will take tifj matter into consideration. THE ADDRESS IX REPLY. The continuation of this debate tonight opened very tamely. Mr E. M. Smith's contribution of course provided amusement, particularly when he referred to Taranaki's crowning beauty. Mount Kgmont, which he said Lord Kan-fui-ly would transport to Ireland had he the right and the power. When some one interjected " What about Mount Cook '.'". the .irrepressible! member answered with a look cf withering scorn, which was enough to blast the bench before him. Then he wound up with his customary verse of original poetry, not at all bad, either. Mr Lluthie came next, and his speech was a bitter disappointment to those who expected something powerful from ono who poses as a leader of the Opposition. Bad delivery, poor matter, not very well expounded, and faulty styie were the chief characteristics, and this address did not materially s-treogthen tho case being built up by the Opposition. Mr McNub. Of course, was substantial, nnd when he hail twitted Mr Puthie and played him out very neatly on one or two points, he settled down to serious business, and was attentively listened to. Owing to interruption oi lines I cannot now say anything of the other speakers. ODDS AND ENDS Mr McNab has given notice of his intention lo introduce a Juries Act Amendment, Electoral Act Aimeudmeut. and Absolute Majority Hills. Mr Seddon to-day presented a petition in favour of retaining the totalizator, but added : " 1 am against my constituents in this matter." The percentage of letters posted pet head of population in New 'Zealand i* believed to be higher than anywhere else in the world. Mr Hogg on the question of freehold " It is the wish of some men that they should ride on tb> shoulders of poor cripples who have to do all the work while some women would like to live in sloth and idleness while others an? doing ail the hard work and all the scrubbing It is no secret that Sir W. Steward it bitterly disappointed at being passei 1 over in connection with the Chairman ship of Committees. Mr Seddon was explaining to-day why the claims of Sir William for the Chairmanship had beei overlooked, when Mr Taylor interrupted " You are not afraid of a no-con fideuet motion from Sir William." — Mr Seddon ' " A motion of no-confidence has no terrors for the Premier.' The Hon. J. Itigg Is the only candidate 1 know of for tfcj Chairinanshr.p o Committees in the Legislative Council. The Hon A. Haldey was sworn it this afternoon. The Inspection of Machinery Act Am eudment Hill provides that service err titicatos may be issued without examination '■ tion to drivers who. before Ist Januar.' lust, had applied for them and had pro iluced testimonials from former employ lis of having been iv. charge of an en gine or boiler for 12 months The Hon. T. K Macdonald would no only eive land boards discretion not ti press- bush settlers for rent in the lirs' few years, but would also leave it U them to enforce or not the absjrd re-,'u lation compelling a lessee to clear al timber within a certain time Mr E. (.' Allen will ask the Ministe of Defence if it ia intended to increas the en pit a tion to cadet corps, seeini that ">s per head is an inadcqiia I amount lo meet the requirements o such corps There should be a remission of tin absentee hind lax on landowners whos, , state of health sends them out of thi colony. — Hon. 11. Scotland, i Mr Hunan wants the Imprisonmen t for Debt Limitation Act. IPOO. ameudei in fie direction of modifying the cpnqj

ions under which a judgment debtor nay be committed to prison, 'bo-'., that lishoneflt debtors may not evade payng their Just . debts. Provision ia iniado in the Tenants' [tights Bill for payment of compensation for improvements when a lease Is letermined otherwise than by effluxion jf time. Mr Hunan intends to ask the Minister if Justice whether he- will introduce a )ill to amend the Juries Act, 1880^ in he direction of (1> providing that COinnon jurors in civil cases shall be paid [Os a day for each day during which - :hey may he empanelled for tne continuous hearing of a case, and (-2) prodding that country residents who havo jcen summoned to act as jurors, but nay not he sworn in, may receive their rave King expenses*, and be allowed a : air amount for time lost. Mr J. Allen wants to know why a re- . urn dealing with the cost and proreeds of the £1,500,000 loan ordered by he House on 10th Ju!y, 1902, has not Deen laid lief ore the House.