POLITICAL NEWS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1720, 26 November 1887, Page 3

POLITICAL NEWS.

(From our Correspondent. ) Wellington, November 26. Ths whole of laat night's sitting wbb occupied with a most uninteresting debate on the Bible Reading m Schools Bill, the only redeeming feature being the speeoh of Sir G Grey's, ia tha " wee etna' hours," when he found that his own bills had been ruthlessly stonewalled by lawyers who were interested m keeping back tha Inw Practitioners Bill, The Bible Reading Bill would have been thrown out at 10 3i but one after another of five lawyers m succession spoke all round the Bill till at last the object for which they were working beoame most palpable and was commented on severely. Sir G. Grey was very severe on the " Devil's own," who writhed under his denunciations. Eventually the seoond reading was thrown out by 31 to 14, and the question relegated to tbe shades for another session. Sir G, Grey was very eloquent last night m denouncing the lawyers, Messrs Samuel, Guinne6B, Fitzhsrbert and Co , wbom he believed to have been prolonging the debate on the Bible m Schools Bill, m order to block the Law Praotitionera' Bill. The trouble was that the pro longed agony over the Bible m Schools blocked not only the Law Practitioners Sill, which neither Sir G. Grey nor anybody else bas gre»tly at heart, but also involved the killing of the Freehold Tenures Acquisition Bill, which stool first on the Order Paper after the Bible m Schools Bill. Sir George was intensely anxious to get the Bill through, and -was much disappointed with the result of the night's work. Mr Seddon accused Go rernment of working the debate against the Freehold Tenures Bil), and pointed out fourteen Ministerialists and two Ministers had spoken on the subject of religious teaching, but the tvutb. is, a debate on tbe Bible m Echools m a new Parliament is always apt to be a long one There is a minority m every constituency which hold more or less strong opinions on the subject, and to this minority the members like to address themselves through "Hansard." It is said that the Public Works Statement will be made on Friday but no reliance oan be placed on this. , Mr Richardson's new Land Act limits the amount of Crown land one man oan eeleot or buy to 640 aores of firat class land and 2000 aores of second olass land. While Sir G. Grey was declaiming last night Mr Samuel, member for JSow Plymouth,twice rose angrily to points of order. A grave Otago member thereupon wrote out the following riddle and paßaed it round the House: — "How has Sir George Grey surpassed the witch of Endor." Answer: >( Because he has made Samoa rise up twice" Kindly print the "twioe" m italics, Mr Printer, fot the benefit of Caledonian readers. Politics to day are superseded by the races.