POLITICAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2834, 11 September 1890, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

(BY TKI.KGKU'II— OWN OOKUBSrONDEST; A/KLi.ixin'ON, List Night. THE GIONERAL STRIKE.

Tins question was again brought u|> in the House this afternoon by Mr Joyce, who had an inquiry on the order paper respecting the last trip of theWanaka from Wellington to Lyttelton. Tu put tine the question tho member for Lyttelton informed tiie Minister of Marine that in tlie trip referred to the lamp trimmers had placed the side lights in the wrong positions ; that the engineers had to leave their posts and go down to the istolce-hole to instruct tho incompetent firemen; that scarcely one of the seamen had ever been at sea before, one being a Wellington umbrella maker and the other a member of a local rowing club, and that though the vessel was full of passengers she had only two boats. If the Minister would cause an enquiry to be held he (Mr Joyce) would be giad to furnish him with the names nf disinterested witnesses from amongst tho passengers. Mr I'Yrgus said lie would cause an enquiry to bo made, as to the side lights. Ihe Government had no power to hold an enquiry as to the actun of the engineers, in regard to stokers, and tho matter of boats was regulated according to tonnage, and not to tho number of passengers, and he would ascertain whether this regulation was complied with. He pointed out also that either Captain Meades or the passengers wero at liberty to weigh the anchor, and that certainly did not call for the interference of the Government. VOTE OF CENSURE. The prime sensation to-day was Mr Ooldie's motion, which, as it directly challenged the position of the Government was loudly cheered by Mr Ballanco and his followers. The motion is as follows : " That on going into Committee of-Supply lie will move that tho Government is deserving of grave censure, for having in defiance of the clear and repeated votes of the House, reinstated on the Supplementary Estimates items Qoalt with in Committee o£ Supply." SIM '1 >LK M K N'T AIIY ISSTI MATES. Amongst the general votes in tho Supplementary Estimates are the following; - Salary ot resident at llarulouga, L'SOO; Tasmanian Exhibition, £500 : Mrs Keaton's book on New Zealand flora, £300 ; Telegraph Extension, £o.O<SJ ; J. Aitkeu Connoll, for valuation report of the lands ~f the I'last Coast Native Lands Settlement Company, £150, 1»- Malmnoy, for prep;\r;ition of ]>l;wis for the Dunediu I'olice Station buildings, £323. The unauthorised expenditure fur last year was £12,25~, and included £'.100 for_ compensation to ex-Inspector Weld on ; Hsßo compensation to ex-ehief Lotective Brown, and £212 for Judge Trimble's salary for four months. Tho total expenditure under tlieso estimates if £58,371.

PARLIMUNTARY PRIVILEGES. A curious illustration of the privileges possessed by a member of Parliament occurred yeeterday. Mr O'Conor had been speaking on cheWestport-Npakawa itnilway Hill, and in referring to Mr Hutchisons remarks on tho 11.11, Mr O'Conor said that hou. gentleman had slandered the Westport Company. It was not the first time, he added, that the member for Waitotara had uttered slander in the House. The Speaker pulled Mr O'Conor up short, and said he must withdraw the charge of slander against Mr Hutchison. The member for Boiler attempted to remonstrate gently with Sir M. O'Rorke on the injustice of any lion, gentleman being permitted to injure people outside the House who could not defend themselves. Ihe Speak ;r, however, reminded Mr O Conor that although tho member for Wai totara or any other lion, gentleman was entitlfd to say what ho liked.no matter how damaging about outsiders, the rules of procedure absolutely prohibited any such charge against a fellow legislator as that he had uttered. Late in tho evening Mr Hutchison and Mr Eorgus were prevented from quoting passages of the l< manual Statement from Hansard of this session, but were considered to be quite within the rules in quoting exactly tho same words from the Statement itself.

NORTH ISLAND RAILWAYS. Tlio Minister for Public Works to-day assured Mr Bruce tliat as soon as the grades were revised, tenders would be called for constructing u section of the North Island Trunk Railway, from Rangatira to Malca-