PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6312, 9 August 1888, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

[FROM OUB SPECIAL COiraESFONDENT.] WELLINGTON, August 8. KILLED in thb council.. The sensation of the evening hap, of course, been the rejection of the Pair Eent Bill by a most unmistakable majority j of the Legislative Council. I have told | you moro than once that the collapse of the opposition to the B.llinthe Lower Chamber ! was largely owing to the conviction that it was mere waste of time to prevent it from hastening to it 3 doom in the Upper House. Still, I was hardly prepared for its getting co short a ebrift. I bad fancied that the Lords would have contented themselves with adopting the sweeping amendments suggested by tho Waste Lands Committee. However, their lordships preferred to kill their -victim at once, mstead of playing with it. Of course, the feeling against the Government is very strong in the Council just now, but the feeling was just as strong against the Bill for its own sake. I dare say the Premier and Mr Hislop will be nettled at their measure's failure, but I fancy the Minister for Lands will bear ie philosophically, and most assuredly several prominent Government supporters will be only too delighted. This is not the first time that tbe Continuous Ministry has carried a Radical measure in the Lower Chamber, only to have it thrown out in the Upper. CATBPAWB. Whether the Government's manceuvreof getting Mr Taylor to catch the Speaker's eye yesterday with his tomfoolish motion about holding the nest session in Christ-, church was quite a creditable piece of tactics or not, it will assuredly have the effect of hastening the end of the session. Mr Macarfchur's motion about theelectoral quotas would certainly have given the Government a great deal of trouble, and have produced a long and strong debate. As there will be no more chances of moving amendments on the motion to go into Committee of Supply, Mc Macarthur has been shelved for this session. Ido not know, nor does it muchmattsr, whether Mr O'Connor's frivolous amendment of Monday on the subject of appointments to the Legislative Council was also moved by collusion with the Government whips. Probably it was. CONSTITUTIONAL EIGHTS. I might venture to remind some of your readers that only cne unsuccessful amendment may be moved on going iuto Supply. If the first amendment moved is beaten, the House at once proceeds to discuss the Estimates. To move an amendment on these occasions is one of the chief constitutional rightß of an Opposition, for it ia so by immemorial custom of Parliament. In juggling them out of thia right by using catspaws to anticipate tbem, the Government dees a very questionable thing. TARAXAEI HARBOUR The Union Company's action for J830,000 againßt the Taranaki Harbour Board, will by no means be welcome to the supporters of the Harbour Act Amendment Bill. I hear tbat there is no longer any doubt whatever about the existence of the; rock on which the Hawea waa wrecked, bufrt_b__tf it has been found end bnoyed. The sand- ' spit «t the end of the famous breakwater is increasing at the rate of 50ft a month, I am told, and has overlapped the work, and . is rapidly encroaching on the anchorage-, 'inside. As for the Bill, it seems quite, ■understood now that if it is passed,, .the,, extinction of Harbour Boards. in ett '"'parts*' of the Colony will only be a qneßtaoa-of. time, and of na very long time. Exm** would your readers like to haves thea; central Government reigning supreme jlqLyttelton, ond raising the port dues- so' as to suit the notions of Wellington-public opinion? lam glnd to say the. opposition to the Bill is certain to be very strong. ' PASSING THE ESTIMATES. A section ofthe Opposition tried to pay. the Government out last night- for.* the* trick it played Mr Macarthur, by -stonewalling the Estimates in the., hope of forcing the Minister in charge to report progress before morning-. This would;, have necessitated another motion to go into Committee of Supply, which would have given Mr Macarthur one more chance. Ministers, however, who were supported by some members of the Opposition, stood firm and finished off their Estimates at six o'clock in the morning. BAILWAT MANAGEMENT. An interminable discussion took place on Mr Maxwell's salary, the snbject being railway management in general, and Mr Maxwell's shortcomings and virtues in particular. Everybody seemed able to say exactly where the savings were to be made. Ultimately, a mandatory reduction of ,£IO,OOO was carried, as an instruction that the desired economies should be effected during the recess. Members recruited themselves to-day by resting during the afternoon, and passing a number of uninteresting and inoffensive little Bills this evening. THE NATIVE BILLS. A short diecsiEsion took place on tbe Native Bills, Sir G. Grey, on behalf of the Native Couimittee assembled in Wellington, asked for further delay. The Premier, in reply, said he had seen tbe Committee himsflf, aud had agreed to delay the Bills till to-morrow, aud also that a spokesman, on behalf of the Committee, should be heard at the bar of the House, ii: the House was agreeable. Some talking followed, during which Mr Pish was called to order for speaking of " ti*i*» confounded Native question," and Mr Tn.i*rhan>*a for J threats-iics* to stonewall the Native Bills.

[pi.OJI OUR OWN COSIIESroNDENT.] THE CI.KW OF THE ANNIE BOW. Iv connection with the petition from SOO residents of Invercirgill re tho crew of the Aunie Bow, the Colonial -secretary lias [.informed Mr Ward that the Acting- | Governor declines to take action towards the release of the crew- uuder sentence. | Mr Ward, backed up by a good number | of members, hH_-asl.ee 1 the Actiug-Qovevnor S to reconsider his decinou. j MAJOI. CA_._F__E__l..£ J The general opinion now- seems to be I that, after the action of tbo Opposition in | regard to Majvr Campbell's appointment j to a seat in tha Upper House, the matter ( T.ill > be quietly dropped, for the present } .-session a« any rate. Eumcur bas it tbat ; in view o_ the increasing age of Sir W. Fitzherbert, tbe probability is that Major Campbell would havo been, appointed to tho Speakership of the Council on the resignation of the present occupant of the chair, and that this ia at the back of the j anxiety to "place Major Campbell au_o_igst j the lords. ' THE PROPOSED r_-V* ITWAY BOAKD. j The suggestiou that the Hon E. Mitchel- j son, the Hon E. Kiel-_~.Tds.on, and Mr ! Hannay are to form a Hallway Board ba-j been considerably canvassed in the lobbies ; but so far it io in.p->-.sll_le to tell how ib .will be accepted. Kef erring to the matter to-nigh.fc, the Post says that Messrs Richardson and Mitchelson would simply be puppets worked by Mr Maxwell. , CIVIL BEBVICT. COMMISSION. Blr Thompson, & momb_r of the " Skinflint" Committee, is urging the Premier to take into coca-deration tbe -uivieableness of appointing a Commission, to consist of | throe commercial experts, one each to be selected from Auckland, Cbristchurch, and Dunedin, for tho purpose of preparing a scheme foe re-organising tho Civil Service, I so _vs to bring its cost within the means of tho Colony, and to fix the ealaries of Cisil Servants on a fair and equitable basis, to enable the Home to deal with the whole question next aepeion.