Political Items.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11568, 8 July 1899, Page 2

Political Items.

[PER PKES3 ASSOCIATION.]

Wellington, July 7.— The Liberal ana Labour Federation League has decided not to take any part in the forthcoming bye election. "Donedis, July 7.— Mr J. J. Ram«ay has definitely decided that he will not be a candidate for Tuapeki at the general election. Mr C. Samson, ex-Chairman of the Taieii County Council, will contest the Taieri seat at the general election. At a special mealing of the Workers' Political Comoiittee, the nominations of Messrs J. A. Millar, D. Thomson, and J. P. Arnold were accepted for the city. These names will be sent to the Unions to ballot for the selection of two candidates. The third will be selected by the Liberal and Labour Association. Mr A. Morrison was finally selected as the Committee's candidate for Caversham. The nomination for the Wellington election is fixed for the 18-h, aad Dollinc on the 25th. F B Mr Kirk, Mayor oE Petone, was asked to stand in the Government interests but declined, preferring to contest the auburn bau seat at the general election. [prom cub parliamentary correspondent], Duiing the nosconfidenre debite the Legislative Council, though strongly tempted to take a short holiday, with Rreat Bfcrenglh of mind resisted the alluring bait. It is a traditional policy of that Chimber that, while the fate of the Government is being decided in another place, tbe Council must decline to do any but the ordinary routine business. The issue having been dcci !ed in the other place, the Lords have coninenced the business of their political existence, the passing of Bills of thsirown and the revising of those from the other place, or the other chamber, the guirded way of speech when the House of Representa-, tives is meant. It has commenced with The Workera 1 Compensation Accidenta Rill, wbioh is of wide application, and ia mainly founied on the Imperial Act of 1897, with such modifications as are necesx sary to meet the nqairemants of New Zealand. 'Jhe Complementary Act, Ac-i-ident Insurance, will, being an Appro— if ia iun Biil, be introdu 'ed in the House: of Representatives. These tcvo Acto will no doubt) stir those interested in these nutters to their depths, for they are of a •?cul (-hiking character, for they touch the pooket, the most sensitive organ of the ordinary citizjn, whether Christian, Jew, or Pagan, From a paper laid on the table, I find that notwithstanding tha assertions of the veracious prohibition lecturers, the cocsumption of alcoholic liquors is not increasing in Xew Zealand, but, on the-coLtia-y, h steadily declining. Iv 187& very uearlj 4J gallon 3of 8| idtaper adulfc male head oz the popu'ation was consumed per annum, and the duty derived per head was £2 163 3J, while in 1898 only 2{ gallons per head wa3 consumed, and the duty per hsad £1 16s 4d. Ia wine a similar falling off isno'.ed; in 1878 seven-tenths oE a gallou per adult head and the revenue per head 2* lOd ; ia 1893 a little ovtr two- tenths of a gallon and the revenue only Is 31 Beer imported in IS7B, If gallons per head, duty coll cted 2s Id ; in 1898, slightly under four-tenths of a gallon and the duty collected 9^l per head. Beer produced! in the colony in 1881, 14 J gallons pechead, revenue collected per head 3i 73d ; in 1898, 12 gallons and duty per head collected 3) o^.l. The total duties per hea i for alcub >lie I'qnora in the earlier dates being £3 4s lOd, a-.d for 1898 £2 Is 4|d per head. Who will, after thi3, dare to slander the colony by stating thab the consumption of alcoholic liquors ia increasing ? 1 will now turn to tobacco. This insidious intoxicant ib consumed by Prohibitionists as well as alcohol consumer^ which may account for the vigorous condition of the trade and its quiet development. In 1880, whan the 3s 6J duty commenced, the consumption was 6Jlb3 ncr head and the revenue £1 3s 7d per head ; in cigars, cigarettes and snuff the consumption wa* a little over four-tenths of a pound per head and the duty collected perh'ad 2j 8d In 1898 the consumption was six pounds andt nine tenths per head, but the revenue collected per head was £1 4s OJ. In 1880; the duty collected on cigars, cigarettes, and snuff was 2s 8d per head, and iv 1898 G* 7d per haad. Thetotil duties collected on tobacco in all shapes was in 1880, £1 64 3 I per head, and in 1898 £1 10 a 7d t being a substantial rise in tho consumption of this narcotic. The total duty collect? 1 o 1 all alcoholic liquors iv 1898) was £b]s J3B, and on tobicso in all shapes 1 1.51,380. These figures shonld cause soul 1 rt flection to moderate- minded people, aui it appears to me that n» adtquatu answer has been given to the* question, ''If colonial Prohibition i» carried, 'Uo v will you provide the half million b.v -pt away from the Treasury ?' "Oh 1 1.11., it on the fan.}," was thd lighthearted r? ply of our enthusiasm Hapoily his owner-hip of the eartbs3urtace cid not exceed >r an acre. UnhipDj UudOffner?, <ur prospec a according to this vi=w are iv\t of the bri^htett. Tho dvbtte on tho v uL (i <>f winfc of confi lonce ended in atpVh i<\ tbe House. Mr Joh 1 ItatobeFon, the senior member for Wellington, who is siid 10 have discovered ih so-called marine ?nandil, has baen in a groat state of mental perturbatioD for sttme time. It seonm h > made unhappy pledgps to his onsti v?n f s with regard to the support ha would give ta tha Go eminent. UU interpretation, Reems to be that the be-t way ni .supporting a part} is to ssek for aiH expose alt faults, rttnl or imngirwiy, uud be perpetually sicnfi'jing himself <n public on iha altar of duty, beciu*o h 1 sti I his cohv science compelled him . 1h j consrquencewas thit his head Rvellnd from th& adulation he rec ived fro-n tha Oj>positioa inside and nu side of th«. floosj. Now a man who hrn conscience of this character, which orci-<ionally carries him away, is in politics a vury dangerous supporter, and so it happened that notwithstanding his pledges to support the Government ou & want of confidence motion, hi-t conscience carried him bodily into tbe Opposition lobby on th) no^aonfi-. dence amendment. Such au act requires come abnormil fibaegation af self, 'otne penance io the natu-e of sacrifice. .An ordinary mortil would hive resignpd his rojitkuia* member in the ordinary way. This, however, did not sati-f v John Hutcho*ou's conscience,, so after In »otod with tha 'Jppo^ition he» aßkod permis*'on to mak" an explanation andsai'l. in fact, tint n* he ha 1 not carried cut his trusi- ho would [>lsce !>i-> resigns tion in 'thu hands of iho Speaker, and! walked 1 ke the hero of tho occision uptho lengih ot the Chamber amidst (her cheers of tho Opposit on and tendered bia resignation. Hi* consuiencr) U a very clever ono. The pubic mind in Welling- : ton h in a state of yeasty fermentation, [ and this dramatic act, whi h appeals to the public, will probably fbit him into the Home again, and his political gars ment, wb'fh is uuw as criensoo, will become &s s iow.