PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1857, 2 June 1888, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

(From our own Correspondent. )

! Wellington, Jane 1. ( At a meeting of the Opposition this • imrnlng to consider the tariff, thirty-one wero present and others were acoounted . for. Mt Lanoe ooouplod the ohair. It was dcoldad after disousßion to ask Sir EF, Atkinson not to move the resolution of which he has given notice to the effect that when the second reading of the Customs I BUI Is abroad to ii shall take precedence 1 of all other business, on the ground that members have not yet had an opportunity of judging what increase of revenue or economies will be effected. Nothing was done as to united notion of the Oppoait'on m regard to tho tariff except that they will refuse to diaoasi the Bill if brought on to-day. The feeling of the meeting eeemed to be favorable to the supporting of the tariff as it stands with a few alterations. Mr Lanoe was authorised to give expression to the resolutions m the House to-day. The Opposition now claim to have forty votes of the old Opposition party proper and twelve Government malcontents, making a total o 52, which, with the Speakers vote and 43 from Government make up the total. Mr Marohant of Taranakl Is said to have expressed hlm■elf very strongly against the tariff. Throughout the day there has been a feeling of nnreat aa to the time wbloh would be taken over th 6 financial discussion by both sides of the House. A faint rumor has got abont that an amendment to the motion for the second reading of the Customs Duties Bill was t > be moved by a Government supporter, but no one oould cay who was to move it, or what It was about, and everyone was on the gui vive for the sitting of the House to ace what would be done. All doubts were set at rest by Mr Ormond, who, before the Orders of the day were called on, said he thought that m view of the statements made by the Premier, that the burden of taxation could be made to fall less heavily on the country, they should have an opportunity to discuss these points, and to do this he intended, unless i the Premier would afford htm an oppor- ■ tunlty earlier, of moving a species of ' resolutions on going into Committee of , Supply, affirming the principle of raising • the school ai?e to 6 yeara, and saving thereby £25,000 a year, the discontinuance of subsidies to local bodiea, and the funding of the defiolt of last year, m- i stead of increasing taxation to clear it off. What he wanted to know was whether Government thought (t desirable to dlsonss these subjects prior to the general discussion on the Financial Statement as if he was interfering with their arrangements, he wonld move the resolutions on going into Committee of . Supply. In reply the Premier said he , considered the suggestions of the member for Napier were very good, as the course • he had proposed would undoubtedly clear . the way for consideration of the tariff. If they discussed the tariff without firat deciding what money they would requite they would bs getting into difficulties, j He should be glad to give an opportunity | for the discussion of the motions, and as ( he considered it inadvisable to have tho debate on going Into Supply he thought they should be dealt with as substantive motions the same evening instead of the Customs Tariff Bill. This bombshell naturally caused a sensation m the Op- . position ranks, and a good deal of diaoasdon took place upon the matter, m which Government wore twitted with endeavoring to first ascertain what polloy j the House wanted and then give it to them. Eventually it was deolded to take the debate on Tuesday night, apd Mr Ormond gave notlca of* his mot* ons. Considerable diesatlafaotion is f»t m the House as to the minimum fixed for the new loan, which is oonaldered to be absolutely low. The information disclosed by the oablo message to-night that £96 10a is to be the minimum, brought Mr Seddon to his feet, this afternoon, to enquire if suoh was the case. In reply, the Premier stated Government had to* day received a cable from their loan agents to Bay that they had m oonjuno tion with the Governors of the B»nk of England, fixed the minimum at £96 103, and that they had announced that tenders would finally clone on the 7th. Ttie message further stated that the figures supplied by the Financial Statement will probably cause the loan to go off ma oh better than otherwise. Although the latter portion la re-assuring, the general view of the position m regard to tho loan Is rather gloomy £ A rumor is circulated this morning, by the misleading morning journal, to the effect that a oable message had been received that the present is a most unfavorable time for fl a .Ing the loan, bat I have the direct authority of the Premier for stating th it the contrary (• the ease. Re has just received a moasagn to tho effect that the figures In the Financial Statement are likely to have a beneficial effect on the floating of the loan, Mr Joyce informs ma that he is receiving all sorts of encouraging telegrams from different parts of the colony as to his Shop Hoars Bill. I learn from Mr Joyce that he Intendi to ask the Government to amend the Workmen's Wages Act, 1884, m the dlreotlon of making the person who lets a contract for the erto lon of building or other work responsible for the payment of the wageß of those workmen employed on the buildings erected for him. Mr O'Oallaghan has given notice to ask the Colonial Secretary on Tuesday why no statement of aooounts has been received from the Board of Governors of Canterbury College elnco December 31, 1886. The Minister for Eduoatioo states thit the fact that the dohools are not self-sup* porting Is In tin hands of the Boards, and the Government have no oontrol over them. The galleries were crowded to-night to hear the financial debate. Mr Kerr is moving to have all papers as to scab and rheumatio gout m horses referred to the Stock Oommittea. The Premier professes not to be able to understand the meaning of " absentee landowner." It Is impossible, scoordlng to Mr Fisher, to avoid the multiplicity of text bo>ks m schools while tho present system of Ednoatlon Boards exists. Mr Mitchelson has promised to erqnlre into the position of the nnemplovad at Ohilstohnroh. Mr Pyke intends asking the Government if they will take into consideration the desirability of so altering the Civil Service regulations as to give ocly a half hoar recess m thd middle of the day, and fix the closing hour half an hour earlier. The Minister for Public Works states that the reduction In the wages of railway men on the West Ooast Is to mike the amount uniform all over tho colony « Rumor has h that there is to be an increase m the Volunteer capitation allowance en condition that four extra parades are given during the year. Mr Waterhouee Is moving In the Council " That It Is inexpedient at the present time to construct any other railways In ( the North Island, except from Woodvllle j to Palmer ston," t Wellington, Jane 2 j The great topic of cunveraaiion to-day 3 is of course the political position which 1 has been so oomplotoly reversed by the 3 unexpected motions of Mr Ormond. Oo f all hands the Government got credit for 1 having scoomp'lsheo'la very ai'n 0 a stroke 1 of policy by drawing a red herring across 3 the scent and bo giving their wavering followers an opportunity to come b&ok to ' the fold. No one for agminute doubts that the motions were prompted by ' Sir H, Atkinson, but ouch, I the have very t best of reßson to believe Is not the case 9 The position is, that Mr Ormond wrote oat the mottopo yeatord&y tnornjng and

aent them to Sir H. Atkinson, who Btat that he would giva an opportunity for dieoußßlng thorn though be would not promise to aupport them. In faot it is an open Beoret that the proposal to fund tho deficit of £128,000 will be strenuously opposed but It is anticipated that Ministers will support the proposal to raise the sohool age and abolish Education Boards. The question of taking away the subsidies from looal bodies and dispensing with the duty on tea will probably be left to the discretion of the House. The motions have undoubtedly had the effeot of upsetting all the previous arrangements of the Opposition, who are naturally very wroth at Mr Ormond for trying to draw them into a false position. Nothing is known as to what aotion will probably be taken m regard to the motion by them, and a meeting of the party will most likely be held either on Monday or Tuesday.