PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 4069, 16 June 1882, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

POLITICAL GOSSIP. [telegraphed nY special corhespokdeft.] GRANT TO PUBLIC LIBRARIES. Thursday, June 15. — The House went into Committee last night on the question of granting" £6,000 for division among the public libraries throoughout the Colony. While the Committee was almost unanimous in favor of voting the money, such a difference of opinion arose as to the manner of dividing it, and so miny amendments were offered to the somewhat complex character of the resolution itself, that the Committee got involved in a difficulty, which was only solved by agreeing to the vote but abandoning the mode of dividing it for the time. The Government and the stern economists of the House opposed the motion, and when the division took place the leader of the House, Mr. Rolleston, found | himself in the one lobby, supported by his colleagues and two or three other members, and all the rest of the members in the House on the other side. It was a case of the flock forsaking the shepherd, or of the rank and file on one side and the officers on the other. The difficulty about dividing the vote arose from the fact that if it was divided on the pound for pound principle that the cities would get the larger share, end the country districts, which required special consideration, would receive little, a-->d the feeling was that a sliding scale should be provided, by which the small libraries would receive a greater sum per pound of subscriptions than the larger libraries. An attempt was made to confine the vote to the counties, but it was deservedly rejected. As it now stands it is open to the Government or a private member to make a proposal to divide it on a fair basis. ROLLESTON AS A LEADER. Mr. Rolleston is not happy as a leader of the House. He is too apt "to be dogmatic 0 i small questions, and also opposes his individual will to that of the House. Consequently, the House occasionally lets him down rather roughly, as it did last night. The House, in its collective capacity, has a will and temper of its own, and does not like either to be lectured or rubbed against the grain. Mr. Rolleston does boLh, which, liowever commendable in a private member as awing independence of character, is impolitic and out of place in a member of a Ministry which is nominated to carry out the viev/s of v majority of the. House. If Mr. Rolleston's leadership is of long continuance, and he does not get educated up to the duties of a leader, there are, 1 have no doubt, a good many lesions in store for him. | NEWS NOT COPYRIGHT. The attempt to give the Press Association a copyright for thirty-six hours in triegrams was rejected on a division ; and consequently the bill was thrown out. Mr. Fitzgerald said there was no copyright in mere news, therefore no piracy or r«bbery in using news once published ; and he asserted, as a pressman of thirty years' standing, that the best of papers were filled up by wholesale robberies of others, and those that howled most for copyright of telegraphic news were the most unblushing robbers from other papers of original matter. THE LIBEL BILL. The Libel Bill, which purposes to protect newspapers from actions for libel on account of reports of public meetings of libellous matter uttered by speakers at such meetings, provided the reports are of a fair character, will have a hard time. The debate on the second reading has been adjourned, but I hear the mutterings of indignant thunder with repect to it. GAS CONSUMERS' BILL. The Gas Consumers' Bill has pa«sed with but slight alterations. It simply gives power to any person who occupies a house within a hundred yards of a gas main to call on the company or corporation to supply the gas. THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT. The Financial Statement will be delivered on Friday (this evening). This time, I believe, without fail. AN AUCKLAND FIGHT. There was a little Auckland fight today about the Auckland College and Grammar School. It was about changing the name to Grammar School. The question was postponed to settle local differences, and they were solemnly adviied to fight their local battles outside the House. RATHER HOT ON THE MEMBERS. Mr. Pyke did not succeed with his motion to saddle members with the cost of printing their own speeches. Mr. Thompson said he would agree with it if only those speeches were reported and printed when members wished it. Another member proposed that the word " members" bo struck out and the name of " Mr. Pyke" be inserted. Another wished that the corrections in the speeches only be charged for. Finally the amendment and motion were rejected, because it was more in the nature of an abstract question than a practical one. PROPOSAL TO LIGHT THE HOUSE BY ELECTRICITY. Mr. Kelly's motion in favour of the use of the electric light next session instead of gas was interrupted by the adjournment. The feeling of the House is in favour of it, as the gas lighting of the House is inferior and very expensive, averaging some 21,000 feet a day during the session, or at a cost of ten pounds ten shillings a day for gas alone. [FBOM A CORBKSrONDENT.] RESIGNATION OF THE GOVERNOR. I learn on very good authority that Sir A. Gordon will resign the Governorship of New Zealand immediately after his arrival in England, and will be succeeded by Sir 1 G. C. Strahan, tho present Governor of Tasmania, and who is «ne of tho most popular Governors Tasmania ever had. Sir G. C. Strahan will probably bo ■ucceeded by Sir John Pope Hennessy. THE GOVERNMENT AND THE LAST PARIHAKA MEETING. The telegrams between Mr. Bryce, Colonel Roberts, and Mr. Parris, relutive to the assembling of natives at Parihaka on the 17th April last, have been laid on the table. They are chiefly remarkable for the evident alarm on the part of both Colonel Roberts and Mr. Bryce. The result was the tearing down of twelve whares and tho dispersion of a few natives, who had assembled to collect foud. Mr. Parris sends a telegram to Mr. Bryce, complaining of a paragraph in one of the local newspapers about his giving passes to natives. It concludes, " I should not have taken any notice of it but from the fact that the newspapers are copying it | and giving it a wide circulation, for want, J

I suppose, of other matter to fill up with." Mr. Bryce replied, " Of course such statements are calculated to do harm, hut it is one of those inconveniences it seems difficult to avoid."