POLITICAL NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5652, 23 June 1886, Page 3

POLITICAL NOTES.

1 [FRO* THB "BTAJB's" BPBCIAL COBBEBPONDMTT.I WELLINGTON, Junjh 28. TAILB'b BAILWAT BCHHMI. The Special Committee appointed to consider Mr Vaile's railway scheme is Btill i sitting. The general opinion of members is ihatMr Yailehas failed to make out his case. Messrs Maxwell (Qeneral Manager), Qrant : (the Dunedin Manager), and Hudson (the Auckland Manager), have all given cvi- , dence strongly coademning the Bcheme. ' Whatever may be the conclusion arrived ; at, the Committee is very likely to recom- j mend the appointment of a Commission to • enquire into the whole question, including . that of general railway management. I MIDLAND BAILWAT. ] Yesterday's debate was remarkable for i two things — plainness of Bpeech and exhaustivenesa of discussion. The first waa Sir Q. Grey's chief weapon, and it was also the weapon employed chiefly against him. The second shows that there is not much in the contract which the House does not understand, and very little that it cannot undertake to put on a right footing. Mr Barron ia a little ridiculed in some quarters for his motion to refer the Bill to a committee, and in others criticised adversely in the spirit of the question which Bir Julius put to him and he did not answer. Mr Barron has assured me that his object was solely to get the technicalities of the subject discussed, and not at all to damage the Bill ; the same obiect that so cool and level-headed a man as Mr G. F. Bichardson had in view in supporting the proposal for the Committee. I have no doubt whatever that Mr Barron is quite right. It is unfortunate for him that the proposal should have come from him, : one of those who voted against the principle of the Bill. Criticism in his case ia natural, which could not have been applied to a member like Mr G. F. Bichardson, who had accepted the principle by speech and supported it by vote, and announced his intention of doing something to improTo the details. It is, all things considered, a very good thing that Mr Barron made the proposal and pressed it to a division. We should not otherwise havo known how very well the opponents of the Bill had taken their beatiing, whereas now everybody understands the full force of what Mr Fergus said, '' , when he declared tbat having made their protest as emphatically as possible, he and nis friends were quite prepared to give the Bill a loyal support through the remainder of its course. j RHFBBBBNTATION. ] It is now evident that there will be a great talk about this question, but it is not evident at all what the result will be. The Government are divided in opinion on the question, like the rest of the House. Major Atkinson and the Premier both believing in the population basis, no change is expected in that direction. The whole subject will, of course, be threshed out, but the chief point of contention will be the expediency or otherwise of bringing in and passing a Bill this year. I do not myself, as yet, think that the House will, after talking, decide to do more than move in the matter this year, ac the Government have intimated their desire to do. The Premier's explanation that all the necessary information is not yet ready, weighs a good deal with a large section of the House. The desire to avoid troublesome woik, and have a short session, adds ite effect in the scale ; and were it not something like a breach of ; privilege to Bay it, I should say that the prospect of a fourth session, with all its consequenoes, is not an absolutely remote factor in the situation. The virtuouß are indignant at such things ; they say, " Draw up your map of electorates, and stand or fall by it; let us have a programme of some kind - we want to Btay here and work; what right has anybody to call for a short session ?" But virtue does not always lead tho multitude, even when ; but I forbear. What is more to tho purpose is that I hear the Opposition party has in caucus passed a resolution that Government shall bo forced to bring in and pass a Bepreeentation Bill this session. In support of their pretension to success, they state they have the assent of every North Island member but one, and of all the Opposition party in the South. Of course thia statement is founded on fact. "It is plain as daylight that we shall not leave here till a Eepresentation Act iB in the Statute Book." But I am sceptical of Northern unanimity on the subject, and Southern adhesion for party purposes may be doubted, now that the matter has been taken out of the region of party politioa by the express declaration of the Premier in answer to Major Atkinson. I refer to his refusal to take the Major's threatened motion ac a "No-confidence" motion. PRITILBOB. The privilege question between the trvo Houses was a very simple affair. A gentleman occupying an official position nnder the Council is thought by the Committee of the Lower Souse, -which is studying economy, to bo paid rather moro than meets the eye in the Estimates. The Committee enquires, tho official gentleman takes his stand on the Estimates. The I Committee insists, tbe official gentleman is . firm. The ICommittee appeals to the ' House, and the Houso appeals to the Council. In tho meantime the injudicious

mmmamummmmmmmammmmmmmmmmmmmmm rush in on both sides, dividing into two relentlessly hostile camps. The Lowea: House oamp of friends declare tbat the official gentlemen ia acting by order of the king— that is, the Speaker of the CouncU— and the impression is pnt abont that the Council is going to usurp authority. Dignity and democracy taking the alarm, show signs of becoming rampant. The Council camp, on the other ride, imputes grave and similar designs to the " other place," until a fear is established that the existence of the Second Chamber is menaced by a skilful attack " Such radical undermining must be put an end to. Reserve the leave granted to our members and officers to give evidence before this Committee. Teach the impudent Radicals a lesson." Such was the spirit of a motion brought forward yesterday in the Council, and its spirit, I may add, was au echo of some of the declarations indignantly made in the House shortly before. But the injudicious have failed to prevail, either in the House or the Council. The question is understood as a simple question of figures; the official gentleman is not to be blamed for refusing to give details of the Council's figures without permission by tho Council. _ The Lower House must appeal to the Council, and the Upper House ia quite ready to order its Clerk to give any information that may be required.