POLITICAL SCRAPS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1650, 22 October 1887, Page 2

POLITICAL SCRAPS.

Mr Bryce can always give an ingenious turn lo words in favor of Mr Bryce. “ I never knew,” ho says, “ till now how well I stood in the colony among those with whom it is an honor to stand well,” In other words, it is au honor to stand well among those who are complimentary to Mr Bryce ; and we suppose not an honor to stand well with those who don’t believe in him. Mr Bryce was beaten by a respectable majority. His contempt, therefore, is reserved for the 600 and odd • electors who said they preferred Mr Hutchison. This wont do. Looking down on the Plebians only becomes a man (even ifhim I) who is not indebted to them for kitt exaltation. Referring to the ex-Colonial Secretary, the Hon. P. A. Buckley, the Post says s He has for the last three years administered his valuable department in a moat efficient manner, and has introduced many important and economical reforms la it. To the Sheep and Rabbit branch of the department he has devoted unremitting personal attention, and has succeeded in absolutely stamping out scab. If Mr Buckley had done nothing more than this, it would be a record of practical value such as few Ministers have, bad an opportunity of showing. The eradication of scib has very greatly enhanced the value of all station property, and added materially to the wealth of;tha colony. Mr Gill, one of the candidates lor Tanrango, was thrown overboard by that patictiiarly temperate body known as the New Zealand Alliance, run by Mr Glover, after promises of support kad been given. Just like them. “Things is as they was,” says “Touchstone” in the Chronicle, and “ Major Atkinson’s task is becoming a very difficult one.” The thumping . majority of a clear fifteen has not come about, and the “young dogs -' are not able to agree as to who is to! have the pickings. North v. South. Atkinson, won’t suit the Southernites, and the North Islanders s»y “we won’t have Hall."! Act If., Scone I. Sir George to, appear at Premier, According to the Post, Atkinson has promised retrenchment to the extent of £300,000, and he will raise revenue by Bolling £250,000 of Grown land. That Crown land sale will want watching, especially if the “Knight of the Gridiron S comes into power. It is thought the present Ministry may live a month, providing those two political i “ doctors ” Sir F. Whitaker and the Hon. E, Stevens should agree in their diagnosis of the health of it. Neither the Christi church Press or the Telegraph will be able to call their souls, —or their bodies for that matter, their own now—as those two > pipers are known to be at the beck and call of the Hon, E. Sleveni, and dare not 1 say nay to his yea. ‘ The Canterbury Press says ;“A feature of the election is the number of tenth-rate lawyers—failures in their pro--1 fession— AH the lawyers on the Government sjde rolled into one would not produce enough experience, ability, or learning, to make a satisfactory fifth* ’ rate Attorney-General." This comes well . from a journal representing a party ; who have bad to drag in an old man against [ his will to fill the office, beasuse it hadn’t i a lawyer of ability in its ranks. - The present Ministry, just now formed 1 includes within its ranks a peculiar , mix* 1 ture of political elements. In it there are lawyers, surveyors, contractors,pick-and- , shovel men, reporters, squatters, etc. And though some may differ, we maintain that the once George Fisher, now tho Hon. George Fisher, must be regarded as , the big, strong, swivel-link in this queer , chain of circumstances, which is necessary i to keep the component parts together. Mr i Fisher has mot with ve'y little sympathy from the Wellington press, therefore he i stands alone unhumiliated, and at the mo- : ment when despondency was looking him in the face, an “ administering ” anger—the Major, in his matured loving manhoodfolded him to hie bosom, “an I the wind whispered ‘lt is well.’ ” Wellington i Weekly Herald. A contemporary wants to know if “ Puff" having defeated the Government ; is to receive the reward be labored fertile Agent-Generalship ? What we would like to know is whether the Opposition journals that stole his brains often without; acknowledgment pay him anything f■ If the oppositionists lose Wakefield they haven’t a clever writer left in their ranks. Don’t take Dillon Bell’s appointment Puff’’—even if you get th« chance—for ■ their sake, The Premier, the Minister of Education and the Minister of Lands, have lost no time in securing secretaries. The first has appointed Mr Leckie ; tho second, Mr Smith; and the third, Capt. Barclay. These are wise appointments, and should be copied by other Ministers. We admit that some of those new Ministers must feel very awkward with private secretaries —men, many of whom never had a private servant before, but it is never 100 late to learn.—Wellington Herald, / The grounds upon which divorce cm be obtained under the Bill .which is being introduced by Mr Samuel are- Continuous desertion for three years or upwards ; habitual drunkenness, coupled with neglect or cruelty ; sentence for critnj or imprisonment, violent assault, adulteiy, and incurable invanity. Power is given to the Court to prohibit the publication of evidence, an t neither petitioner nor respondant is at liberty to marry again ftr three months after a divorce is granted. An item of wholly useless expenditure of a remarkable nature has been brought to light by an-Aucklnnd member, who is an uncompromising opponent of adroinirtrative extravagance. He has discovered that there are kept at Mount Dock two horses, which are only used once each year, on the occasion of his Excellency’s risit to Parliament Buildings to open ihe session. Two grooms are kept for Ihe purpose of looking after these suitu.ls, y* while a sergeant is employed for no better purpose than to lock after the grooms Mr Goldie (Auckland West), who has made this discovery, very truly contends 'hat-the engagement of two horses from the nearest livery stable at £1 etch for ' the day, would save the country an annual expenditure of several..hundred i pounds. It ia understood that in view ; of the probable retrenchment in the D fence Department, Sir G. Wh-tmore lias brought before the Cabinet the plan #f work".g the vo'nnteer force, which he suggested the time of the Russian scare. Hr considers that the volunteers between 18 and

21 years should serve three years in the pp first line, that for the four years following they should be in the second hue, retaining their arms and appearing four times in the year for inspectien of arms. He f; thinks that for twelve years after that they should be in the third line, having no arms, and not being required to attend for inspection, but liable to be called out at any time for active service. Under this system the militia would not be necessary, and twelve thousand drilled men would be available whenever their services were required.. Discussing the position of the present Opposition, the Wellington Press says that with all his defects Sir J. "Vogel towers head and shoulders above all other members of the party. It is his leadership, whether they like it or not, which alone makes them a party worth consider- : ' ing, and to displace him is tantamount to effacing themselves, It is the intention of the Government to reduce both the number of members and the honorarium paid. Writing on Thursday (ha correspondent ’ of (ho Lyttloton Times says“ There is nothing stirring in the political arena. The Government are engaged in going over the Estimates, to see where items can be eliminated, or where reduced ; but they find that the late Government curtailed to such an extent that little is left to be done in the way of departmental savings, except necessary services are dispensed with. One Minister has expressed surprise at finding how much had been done by the late Government in the way of economising.” Telegraphing yesterday, the correspondent of the Guardian says ; few members are now about Parliament buildings, most of them having returned . home or making a tour of the Northern railway lines. Ministers are busily .engaged going through the Estimates item by item, but find some difficulty, " it is stated, in perfecting a scheme of retrenchment that will suit the views of all localities. Considerable consternation prevails in Government Buildings, the Civil Servants being exceedingly anzions •a to how the proposals of the Government will affect them.