PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1849, 24 May 1888, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

« (From our own Correspondent.) Wellington, May 23 Aq wa^ generally anticipated, the ques tlon of the Attorney-General's ridiculous assertion as to the financial oonditlon of the oolony, and still more ridiculous explanation is not to be dropped very readily, and it is anticipated that it will oorae before the House m various shapes for some time to oome. This afternoon, before the Houae rose, Mr Seddon, without notice, enquired from the Premier whether he had already sent, or Intended to send to the AgentGeneral a denial of the statement made by the Attorney-General that the tnlony must file its sohedu'e ujlees the Loan Bill were passed this aeas'on He considered suoh denial neouaaary from the fact that the matter was c<-iUin to be cabled home, and the Agent-General should be m a position to refute the assertion auihorltatlvely. Sir Harry, however, replied very decidedly m Ihe negative, and remarked that it vr«s tlcno enough to take aotion m the raatteV when the AgentGeneral advised them that the oredit of the oolouy was m riauger. In all probability a Seleot Committee will be appointed this session to consider the form of loct! Government best suited for the (rants of the colony. The Minister of Publio Works will endeavor to ra*ke a change m the direction of charging freight on wheat by weight instead of by measurement. It will be arranged m future that halfyearly deferred payments may be made at the local postefficea Instead of m Wellington. Mr Hutohison is pressing on the Governmeufc tho necessity of rcduciog the tariff on dead maat to the rates now charged for live slock on Government lines of ra'lway. Me J. G. Wilson is very anxious to have increased facilities for the opening up of the Tnhua country for goldmining purposes, which, if it turned out a bucceas, would cause a boom, he believes, equal to that of the Thames la the early days, and lift the depression now existing m the Colony. It appears, that there still some hltoh In th<3 negotiations with the Midland Railway Company, which refer A principally to the working < f lines, and what 1b to be done with them after completion of the works. Government are said to be sticking out on these points, but the amount involved is each a email affair that members generally hold the opinion that the concessions bad better be grantad than to have the whole nftVr thrown up. The old subject of banking arrangements has been revived during the last few daya by Mr Ward m the shape of a proposal to have the banking affairß of the colony conducted by the Associated Banks as is done by tie Australian colonies, instead of with tho Bank of New Zealand only, The Premier, however, will have none of this, and gives as his reason that by having the aocount with the Associated Banks they would be m possession of political secrets, whereas, under thn present arrangement, the Government could dictate to the Bvnk. Mr Guinness, who has been reading up on the subject of land tenure In different portions of the world, hss dropped acrosß a schpme m force io the Argenlino Rtpub!!c, which would, he is o£ opiaion, go a great way toivarda settling thai unemployed difficulty here, if adopted. Roughly speaklop, it is soraeihlug after the style of the Village Settlement scheme of New Zealand though on a much more comprehensive zcp.le. The Government will have M Franklyn's paper on the Hare system laid on the table and printed. Mr Joyce's suggestion of giving civil servants reoolving less than £150 a year, free railway passes, does not find favor with the Government. Government do not favor the Idea of making experiments m tei-plantlng In the Taupo diatriot a3 suggested by Mr Wilaou. Mr Turnbnll is enquiring from the Government if they intend to appoint aoy official oonimisßioneirß to represent tho colony afc the Melbourne Exhibition. Mr Wilson is moving for leavo of absence fur Captain Russell, on acooont of ill health, for six weeks. Nothing is to be done m the meantime m the matter of the redistribution of the colony Into electorates. Mr Seddon Is of opinion that a dissolution will soon be necessary. No steps have yet been taken to fill the vacancy on the Representation Commission, oaußed by the retirement of Colonel Haultaln. The Government are anderotood to have concluded arrangemento for an extension of the existing San Frauoisco mail oontract for another twelve months. The Government will oonslder tho advisableneaß of introducing legislation to prevent the impositions of falth-healerß In the colony. The Minister for Edaoatlot) Is said to favor the abolition of Education Boards, but no legislation m that direoHon will be brought m this session. A paper on "Proportional Representation," embodying extraots from Sir John Lubbopk'a work on Representation, has been circulated. Sir G. S. Whltmore intends, on Friday, to movu m the Counoli to the effaofc that persona naturalised m another portion (f the British Dominions should have the privileges of British subjects m thia oolony.