POLITICAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 3483, 25 October 1894, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES.

(by telegrafh.-special correspondent.) Wellington, Last Night. THE FINAL SCENE.

- There were about 40 members present when " the House mot to-day for the closing scene in the drama. The Speaker at once announced that the Governor would assent in the Queen's name to the remaining Bills that had been awaiting His Excellency's pleasure. Under ordinary circumstances this announcement would have closed the business of the session, but a peculiar de« bate arose in which the annexation of Samoa, the Local Government question, and the Licensing Bill were so delightfully mixed that the Speaker hud finally to interfere in order to piohibit members from bring in all sorts of irrelevant matter. The Premier spoke for nearly half an hour on the necessity of something being done by way of briuging Samoa under the wing of New Zealand, and he expressed the opinion that the Samoan natives could be as easily managed as the natives of this colony. He also spread himself on the local government question, but when Mr Seddon expressed the regret he felt at the Licensing Bill not having passed this session, it was too much for the temperance members present, and they regarded the Premier with blank amazement. It is probably correct that the Licensing Bill was not required at all this year, but when he; Premier, of all people, coolly expressed regret that the Bill had not passed, it is just as well to state that he himself is solely responsible for its not becoming law this session, for the simple reason that the ■ House was actually twelve weeks in session before he introduced the Licensing Bill at all.' It is scarcely necessary to add that a Bill of that magnitude must be brought in early in' the session or else it has little chance of parsing. The Premier before sitting down expressed the hope that they would all part good friends and that they would meet next year in the same amicable spirit that now animated them. He then moved the adjournment of the House for a week, or in other words till next session, but there was a storm of "noes "against the adjournment, the idea being that the names '. of those who remained till the last should be recorded in Hansard. When the question was put from the chair a second, time, tha "noes"were still more pronounced, and Sir Maurice O'fiorke remarked that he hoped a sufficient number of members would vote for the adjournment to carry it, inferring thereby that an awkward complication might result if the motion were lost, as no other business could possibly be disposed of after the. Appropriation Bill was assented to. Those members present, I understand, wished the'division to result in a tie, so that the adjournment might be . carried on the Speaker's casting vote. Sir Maurice, in announcing the result, laughingly said that he was pleased to see the motion had been carried by a good majority, as on the last day of the session he did not desire to offend either party in the exercise of his casting vote. The House rose immediately, and the longest, the most harassing, and most eventful session held for many years ended. THE MOCK PARLIAMENT. Mr Hall Jones intended introducing a Bill to the " Mock Parliament" last night entitled, the Bank Overdraft Bill. This was of course intended a3 a skit on the Ministerial legislation of the session and was to be debated in the orthodox style.The Bill was to provide that everybody should be entitled to a bank overdraft and the discussion was to turn on what the amount of the' overdraft was to be' or whether it was to be absolutely unlimited in extent. The.little ioke, however, was spoiled by the return of the Speaker to.the Chamber sooner than was expected and before the Bill was completed by the member for Timaru. A MISCHIEVOUS SESSION. The Post tonight has a most scathing article on the legislation of the session just closed. It says, "Kicked and cuffed battered and bruised Ministers have at last arrived at Chicago. After many rebuffs and grievous humiliations they have arrived at their journey's end, but. in what a desperate state and by what a sacrifice. ihey have saved their seats, but they stand bereft of honor and a scorn and reproach to all honest men. A large number of Bills have certainly been passed, far too many for the good of the country and a very large proportion of them are of a mischievous rather than a useful character and it will take the country years to recover from the ill effects of much of the legislation of the present session." After referring in most condemnatory terms to several measures introduced, the article says Ministers sed their party power at the very outset of the session to break and defy the law by rewarding a partisan at the public expense. 'They defied every sentiment of public morality and decency by an outrageous job in the last days of tha soasiou. They forced the House to condone another moat improper transaction whereby the colony has paid a sum of £IBOOO for laud barely worth £BOOO, and to whitewash those responsible lor it. They used their party force again to enable them to wreak vengeance on the heais of a few railway officers whose offence is having done their duty too faithfully to place Ministers. They equivocated regarding and finally evaded enquiry concerning the celebrated black list, not as the Wemier falsely put it, to save the feelings of Mr MoKerrow, but to save himself and one of his colleagues from damning ex- . posure. They violated their work in regard,to instituting enquiry into the Audit Public Trust disputes. They were guilty of barefaced hypocricy in regard to the Midland Railway and the Licensing Bill, Generally throughout the session they have shuffled and wriggled and equivocated and misrepresented in a manner which fortunately for t the honor of the colony has no parallel in its annals. Well might Capt. Russell describe their conduct as ■" a policy of bounce, bluster, borrowing, bribery, and abuse." He should ha'veadded" falsehood, deceit and misrepresentation •' in order to lender the description perfect.' JOTTINGS.

A large number of members left for their homes to-day, Several are remaining in Wellington till the end of the week.Mr La wry told the House this morning bat it-was the last time he should address it in his official capacity of Government whips.' 'Mr Tanner, a Ministerialist, loudly cheered this declaration, which appeared to take Mr Lawry completely by surprise. He said that although

Ministers had always treated him loyally, some members of the party hurt not behaved in the some manner.

The Colonial Treasurer goes South by'the Hinemiifl to-morrow.

Mr Tom Mackenzie says the Government policy tin's session, is a policy of shunting, ( According to Mr Lawry, all other questions have been subordinated this sussiun to cold water and bridge?. The Press says that Captain Russell carried off the record in the debate on the Appropriation Bill, and that his speech was listened to with marked attention by all tiresenb, lb says that the member for Hawkes Bay, wound up his remarks with a vigorous denminciation of the ignorant hund to mouth political!?, who occupied the treasury benches, and he predicted that when the people of the colony were disillusionized the present Opposition would take office, put the finances of New Zealand in order only to' hive them demoralised by blatant demagogues.