POLITICAL NOTES.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11404, 8 November 1904, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES.

(By Our Parliamentary Special.) (By Telegraph.) ' SUPPLEMENTARY VOTES.' WELLINGTON, November 8! The following items of interest . appear in the Supplementary Estimates: — The Speaker and Chairmen of Committees of the House each get a bonus of .£200; the salary of the Parliamentary ' librarian is increased by <£25; Hansard supervisor by .£SO; grant to Bellamy's, JE7SO; contribution to Veterans' Home^fund, j6sOOjf Greater New Zealand Exhibition, Hagley Park, Christchurch,". ,£1000; New Zealand's portion of the estimated deficiency on the Pacific cable, .£9751; . salary of Chief Health Officer increased to £850; Assistant Health Officer to <£600; importation of game, .£300; two monotype machines for the Government Printing Office, .£1200; additional grants •" to- Education Boards for teachers' salaries, £$000;' ad-* ditional capitation- for secondary schools, £'3000; additional grant to. Education Boards for buildings, etc., ,£35,066; subsidy for Maternity Homes, ,£3009^ ihocli^ lation of, calves for black-leg, £2000; de^ velopment of State coal mines, £25,000; compensation for ' lands taken ' under th« Scenery Preservation Act, £23,000; additional for telephone and 1 telegraph extend sions, £20,000. BUSINESS IN THE "WEE SMA* • «*• HOURS." . , : 'r; Proceedings in Parliament early this* morning were, to say the least, peculiar. The Council was adjourned from time J» time, vainly hoping for the House-to sena, it up some business, but after "waiting 4ill close on 3 a.m. it adjourned till, 10 o^clocfc this morning, in the hope that th.c repre/ sentative Chamber would -have', settled down to business by that time. The Housf was not at all in accord with the Premier in its desire to knock itself out by. sitting all night in order to . let the Governor away' by the morning train for Auckland. The Supplementary Estimates appeared on the scene shortly before 1 a.m., and it was very soon apparent that the . Governor would have to wait until the House had fully considered the various matters. Bellamy's (the Parliamentary bar) did not at all please a certain Section of members, who wanted to know wliy'a loss had been incurred, and the House was astonished to learn that things had been absolutely stolen from that historic institution. Several members were by this time sound asleep, others" were careless what was being done ' with ' the colony's funds, and .even the Premier' recognised that the best thing was to let members go home for a few hours, even if the Governor's departure for Auckland had to bo delayed. Some discussion took place- on matters of detail, But sleepiness prevailed, and members were only, too glad to agree with the Premier to go home for a -few ■ hours' rest, and did „not resent-his'pro-posal at 3.20 a.m. to adjourn till- 9 a.m.SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES^ ." Local votes on the Supplementary Estimates are:—^Compensation for destruction of eel weirs > in the .Patea River, £100; landing waiter at. Wanganui gets an increase of £10;. Morabhalri State. Farm, £675; Wanganui Rivet "Trust, an addftional £400. The following votes appear for roads:— Batley Road, £75; Fordell,so Mangamahu . (main road), £1 for '£I', £650; Mangariiii-otte-ao (to open section 16, Block XTV:j, £300; . MangaiturntuEtf. j £300; Oeo, No. 2 (access road through timber milling reserve), £200; Rangitifeei County roads. (£1 for £1), £500; Shakespeare's Cliff Road, £280. ' p RUMOURS OF CABINET BECON-o • STRUCTION. ■ - -f-.' v - ' To-night's Evening* Post statics /tiiat among the many whispers current' just now in the lobbies, 'of * Parliament, ,it is being said that thejpremier may bid farewell to th'& colony -before. -the end of -the I current year, and that in that event he will be accompanied by a very capable and popular secretary. Then would, of \ course, follow the advent of Sir Joseph. Ward as Premier,' and a consequent Cabinet reconstruction. It would be invidious to mention the names of probably retiring Ministers, but those who profess to know more than. their political fellows say that there will be three vacancies, and that they may possibly be filled by representatives of the middle district of the North Island, Southern Otago, and Auckland ! City respectively. .- | A LIVELY SCENE. | There was a lively little scene in the I House this afternoon, after the resolution i protesting against the employment of Chinese in the Transvaal had been carried by 50 votes to 4. When the resolution \ had been put it was apparent that.'there was a general desire that it should be carried unanimously, but in his anxiety to pin the Opposition down by a division list, and the fact that they fiitd voted with him, the Premier' instructed his whips to declare that. ,the "noes'* had it, and to insist on^a division. That, of course, 11 the whips (Messrs Flatman and Hogg)- voting against the resolution, and when the figures were announced Mr Flatman rose ,to explain his 1 action. He was met with a perfect' storm ! of protest from both sides of the Honse^ and Mr Hogg, ,whp followed, met with the same reception, Despite the call of l^r Speaker for order, .members kept up a strident chorus of. "Noes" and , other npjfsy sign's of protest, arid the explanation was rendered absolutely inaudible. ;>