PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 2764, 2 August 1883, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

(Fbom oub own Cobresposdbht.) Wbixinqtok, July 27. Tho feverish excitement with which the session stnrtod seems to have abated. The storm of no confidence motions proper, nnd others tlmt were reckoned as such, has died xway, the entrance, of the lion has had its isunl sequel tho exit of the lamb. Whother, however, the Ministry nnd its supporters will be allowed to proceed calmly on tho oven road pointed out by the Hon. Major Atkinson to the meeting of the Ministerial party tho other day, or whether fresh storms will arise, nnd ambuscades be discovered that are at present little dreamt of, it is iinpossiblo to nay. It is not likely (bat if tho Opposition does intend any further attack that it will bo foolish enough to forearm its opponents by commmiicntions even of a most private nature. To anyone outside its own ranko, indeed, having regard to the jealousies between its leader.-", and the antagonism that exists between the private members on the Speaker's left, it is probable that any machinations that there may be going on, ore known only to the individuals whose only chance of success seems to lie in a eoupiV etat. Itisnotthereforo likely that any correspondents aro in possession of any of theso secrets, 10 that at present everything seems to be going on smoothly. Tho debato on the annexation question was resumed yesterday afternoon, and was commenced with several amendments delivered in an undertone, as if they were secrets, by Colonel Trimble, Mr Wynn-Williams, Mr Pencoek and Mr Montgomery. After getting tho original resolution hopelessly involved so that no one knew exactly what it represented, the honorable members unwound the tangle by withdrawing their amendments one by one, until apparently the motion stood unclothed nnd in its right menning. Mr Steward then proposed another amendment, which Major Atkinson accepted, and which you have already received. Meanwhile, Sir George Grey sits quietly by watching what ho doubtless considers these puny efforts to play with a scheme of annexation which, compared to his grand vision of it great Australasian-Pacific Empire, is as a. China orange to Lombard street, and occasionally gives rent to a dry sarcastic cough or a request to some member proposing a careful amendment to speak up. On Friday there was tho greatest excitement in tho Legislative Council over tho lion. C. J. Phnruzvn's motion for abolishing members' honoraria. Colonel Brett took up the cudgel on behalf of the stipendiary veterans, and posed alternately as a Bengal tiger, and us a love lorn swniu torn from hia nymph. Ho delighted the House with the story of how bo wrenched liimself from the bosom of his family to take part in the councils of the colony, nnd how, after endeavoring not to squander all his honorarium in the conviviality of Bellamy's, or the gay festivities of the ompire city, he rushed back with tho remainder to buy bonnets for his wife and lollypops for his little ones. After almost moving his hearcra to tears by tho description of his lovo-lornness (if I may bo allowed tho oxpression), tho hon. and gallant member proceeded to unload himself of a heap of what it appeared, he supposed, to be sarcasm, but which contained a great many personal allusions, some of which were decidedly vulgar and in bad taste. For instance, he referred to Mrs Pharazyn, who is a very old lady, as the " young wife " of the proposer of the motion, and went on to hint at the disputes that had arison somo time back as to Mr Puanizyn's right to a scat in the House. The allusion to ft lady was extremely out of placo and in tho worst taste. Colonel Brett was frequently called to order, and his epeoeh caused tho greatest excitement in tho Chamber, as if a hyena had suddenly appeared in somo farmyard where a lot of pompous old turkeys were spreading their tails in tho sun and gobbling to each other on tho delights of pensioned existence. The Report of the Public Trust Office has just been brought down. It shows that tho increase in tho business is considerable, tho total transactions for tho past six months amounting to £131,319, which is about £12,000 in excess of tho wholo business of tho yeai' 1879-80. The following are eomo of the main figures in the report : — Securities hold at the close of the year, £126,035 Gs 5d ; interest paid to estates, £1544 2s 8d j expenditure, £1075 19s ; receipts, £2627 12» 9d, showing a profit to the ollico of £651 13s 9d. Administrations, 121 ; orders of administration taken out, 66 ; probates, 2 ; trusts, 7 ; while tho inward and out .ward correspondence comprised 5000 letters.