A LADY'S LETTER FROM WELLINGTON.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 7500, 25 August 1891, Page 2

A LADY'S LETTER FROM WELLINGTON.

Saturday, August 22. Dbab , A plethora of riches again ; important events, items of interest, varieties innumerable, but how to compress them oil into one little column without utterly destroying their flavour, ah, cette est la quesHon.

Let me see, having been too busy to write during this week, I must hark back to its beginning. (Tho polical week begins on Tuesday, you know : at least that has obtained hitherto ; for the rest of the session, however, and with a view to abridge it, the Governmont have decided to open tho House on Monday.) In the annals of tho colony last Tuesday will be memorable as the day on which the radical and righteous change in the >y<stem of taxation, intro- ! duced by tho present Government at the call of the taxpayers, became law, so far, at least, as it is in the power of one Chamber to make it suoh. The opponents of the measure— the representatives of land and capital, the timorous and bigotted decriers of change, and hatera of progress— died hard, kicking vainly till the last gasp. It suits the Tory organs to represent the Op position as fair in its tactics, and, though opposed to ohange, quito guiltless of anything in the nature of obstruction ; bat here the Tory organs claim too much for their patrons. A " mere woman " cannot, of course, judge of what is " fair " in political tactics j but the " obstruction " was undoubted, and always en evidence during tbe Financial Debate, which, on various pretexts, has been spun out to such unexampled length. The propriety, indeed the paramount necessity, of fully discussing Bucu important proposals as those brought down by the Government everyone must admit, and some of the Opposition, I believe, addressed themselves to the task with v conscientious desire to examine and decide dispassionately! but the majority brought to the discussion foregone conclusion, passionate prejudice, and irreconcilable hostility, and had no hesitation in reßOrting to ovory device allowed by Parliamentary procedure to frustrate the will of the people of the colony, and of the large majority of tho House, the time of which was daily wasted by irrepressible, and apparently irresponsible " gaspipes " of the Buckland typo, who, without rhyme or reason, objected, and objected, and objected, until convinced, at length, by the invincible patience and firm though conciliatory attitude of the Government; of the utter futility of their efforts to prevent needful legislation. The big guns node a lost display on Tuesday night, joining ia a solemn requiem over the "dear departed," the good old "right," nowdead and buried, to take and keep; and whes they bad breathed their concluding sighs the Premier rose and made reply. I was not there, alas ! for the hour was just on 3 am., and, though not asleep, I was ebed, and so missed a masterly oration, of which those who heard it speak in terms of highest praise. In a highlylaudatory article, the Post— a by no moans indulgent critic— says, " Mr Ballance's final speech on the Bill was a brilliant effort. He showed a pardonable exultation in tho successful achievement of «. great task. He dealt fairly and courteously wilh his fair and courteous opponents, and treated with becoming scorn and contempt the snarling, carping Opposition of the Fisher class of critics. It was a great spec*! worthy of a great occasion." The New Zealand Times winds up its graphic account of tbe evening's proceeding thus : — " He (Mr Ballance) gets to his peroration confident, spirited, witty, and as he sits down is greeted with enthusiastic) applause ; " and, a little later, "we go away talking of Mr Ballance's fine debating power." (Please make a note, and quote to those mean critics who, asserting that " Madge " " gets her afflatus direct from the Premier," sneer at his "over- modesty." How little these petty minds are able to judge of the all-engrossing nature of a Prime Minister's labours their paltry insinuations prove. If all the accusations of his enemies are as baseless as tais, then, indeed, may he say, with the Psalmist of old, "Behold, Lord, 'I have washed ir.y hands in innooenoy.") But, dear mo, how I am using up my space! I'll have to '"skip" a lot, I see. Did you see, by th« wire, that our G.O.M. had got his Law Practitioners Bill tnrough at last ? Tho legal profession is no longer a cloEe monopoly (provided, that is, that the Lords indorse the measure), and exorbitant fees are things oE the past; and, what is more, our legislators, more power to them ! have thrown tho profession open lo men and women alike ! I don't " apprehend "—to borrow Bryce pbrasiology— that womon will make a rush to get in; but the recognition of our rights as human beings is significant and satisfactory. Them be those ivho croak that this session is proving barren, but it seems to me there's a good ohance of the future historian singling it out as tbe most prolific, in era making measures, of any ever held in this colony. The same night (Thursday) witnessed, in ike Becond reading of the Friendly Societies Act Amondtneat Bill, the frustration of one of the most specious attempts to tio the hands and cripple the power of Labour which, perhaps, was ever made. Thia Bill was introduced by Sir George Grey for a Bpeoial purpose, and that purpose the veteran advocate of the rights of Labour did not hesitate to avow. The Union Steamship Company, it appears, having been inconvenienced by the action of the Seamen's Unions during therecent unfortunate "strike," resolved to form a "Union" beneath their own auspices, which, under the speoious title of Friendly Society, should unite thoir men to them in a bond more close than agroeable. The men's subscriptions were to be generoiuly supplemented by those of their benevolent employers, who, however, stipulated tho retention in their own hand of the "preponderating power in the management, and who, further, made it a rule that anyone leaving their employ without permission should forfeit all claim to share in the moneys whioh had accumulated — thereby, as was pointed out, leaving tho company free to transfer them to his successor. These and similar provisions, transparently designed to completely fottor labour, were fully exposed by Sir Georgo Groy and numerous other speakers, the former denouuoing in scathing terms tho sham bcnovolonco of Iho jo who, iv tho guiso of " friendly interest," sought to obtain suoh a hold upon n largo number of thoir follow beings. Mr James Mills, tho energetic and capablo manager of tho Union Steamship Compauy, is M.H.B. for Port Ohalmors, and he, of courso, made hard light for his " society " (tho object of whioh tho Bill, by disallowing eruployora to act on Friendly Soointies' Committoes, and by other provisions, aimed at dostroying), which, by tho use of specious phraseology, he sought to make appear essentially benevolent. With a quiet pertinacity, using always — be it said to his credit— the most courteous terms, he moved amendment after amendmont, seeking, unavailiogly, to so twist, or interline, some clause that his society would bo afforded a bophote of escape from tho proposed new legislation. The majority of the Houte, however, refuied to have dust thrown in its eyes, and the passing of the Bill added another to the many obligations conferred by Sir G-eorge Grey upon the workingclussoß, whose hard-earned subscriptions are now protected by law from the " preponderating influence" which Mr Mills so suavely contended should beloug to their employers. Yesterday aftornoon was chiefly occupied by the Publio Trustee, and the evening sitting by tho Payment of Members Bill ; but 1 must defor particularising until tomorrow; only alluding, in passing, to another piece of obstruction ou the part of the Opposition, which, at twenty minutes past twelvo, put up Mr Fergus to keep the bull going till tho half-hour (no new business can be taken after half-past twelve, you know), though well knowing that the Government wanted to get on with the Mining Bill. The effort was successful, but it gave rise to 'a most unseemly row, for the Government party resented the proceeding all the mare warnily on account of the pereistent and mock-virtuous denials of obstruction constantly emanating from the other eide. As I have remarked before, the G-overument are anxious to get on with the business, and they and their party are proparod to make long sittings ; but the Opposition is mighty easily fatigued, and its members, like spoilt children, resent any attempt to keep thorn up after twelve — that is, sucft'do as are visible at that hour, for the Opposition by no means feels bound to aid in" keeping up a House. More to morrow. Matob.

A Molbourne cable states that Colston, the Narbcthong double taurderer, was hanged yesterday.