PARLIAMENTARY NOTES,

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1892, 13 July 1888, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES,

(Fhom our own Correspondent.)

Wellington, July 12. It eeoma to be now generally understood that a no-coDfidenoe motion will for a certainty be proposed m a few days to ascertain the ro»l state of partieß, but at present no one knows what portion of the House It will coma from, or whit will be the purport.

It is stated that the Hon G. F, Rfohardson Is very anxfi vi to get through the Mining Aot Amendment Bill m the absence of Mr Seddon, irho is cxpeoted after his speech. on the. subject to-opposa-* U tooth and nail. The beaoty of the thins; fa that no one knows where Mr Seddon has gone Mr Walker moved for leave of absence for hlin^'bul did noT" know his destination, atid it is variously stated that he is somewhere m the Walrarap* and on the \Vest Coast.- -In fait absence the Bill will probably go through without muoh opposition.

An amusing cuse of "the biter being bit" has occurred m oonneoHon with the tariff, which has rettliated oa the Premier m a peculiar manner. Aa Grand Matter of the Masonla order he has jaat Imported from Home an elaborate regalia whiqhjs very expensive, bat whioh under the old tariff would have been exempt from duty. The result of the Imposition of the new duties is, however, that Sir Harry ba« to pay another £10 or so for his decorations, and there Is great joy m ■ the Freetrade oamp m consequence. ' "'' " Some light has been thrown by the Premier on the question of the oostof onrrlage of mails from the .oalony. Sir Harry stated that by the oonveyanpe of mails by ordinary steamers trading to and from New Zealand, without subsidies, as cotr pared with the present system, a saving of about £52,000 a year could be made. It will soon be the law that all veasels mast carry letters at Id eaoh, whioh would mean an expense of £2000 a yew, and allowing about £4000 more for tht oooveyanoß of books and papers, we get a total of £6000. This, deduo red from the £58,000 at present paid, would leave £62,000 a year. > During the eleven years from 1876 to 1887 a total sum of £3,385 978 17s 4d was paid to local bodies In the shape of subsidies from the publio and consolidated funds, and during the same period £3,231,308 was raised as rates by the various looal bodies, Under the Roads and Bridges Construction Aot, Grown and Native Lands Bating Act, and Government Loans to Looal Bodies Aot, the sum of £434,036 18i was paid to looal bodies, the other amounts being principally from endowments and lands made over.

The Premier huy* reputation, well earned, for being able to so o'onf da? mem* bera by the glamour he oasts over all hii financial jdßglery that, jn nine^qaaes xmt of ten, no one is able tq state: under which thimble the pea lies when he hat finished the triok. In thja respect h.B ,waa not to he improved- tipoii this afremocm, while replying to Mr Maoarthar's question as to the' apparent discrepancy m the Financial Statement over his saving during last year; By a cloud of words ana figures, intended, it is thought, to obscure and not explain matters, he left members m a hopeless fog on the point/I have endeavored to ascertain from several membere what was the gist of an explanation whioh was quite incomprehensible trom the gallery, but everybody confesses to be unable to give .it to hie ; though Mr Macartbur claims that thefacti remaia as stated by mo yesterday, - r ■''-' The following from the Crown* Lauds report is of interest :—(• It will bY se^n that the favorite tenure }8 perpetual lease, and it is certain'y th,e most advantageous to settlers, because tj\e land is secured to them and their assigns for ever, on an annual rent of 5 per cent on the preaenfc value of the land, with the right of o,om« pleting the freehold at any time^'aa already mentioned, on payment of that value. Ab under the* new Act this ia likely to o mtinuo the most popular tenure m the future, the land revenue,.* will not attain large dimensions. -There was' very little Crown land sold for casV last * year? Large areas were and still -are-r :withhe'd for the Midland. Railway and otherwise, and what was available wai nearly all proclaimed aa only open 'for application under settlement condition!'* The Land Act of 1887, by giving the settler the option of purohaae over extensive areas, will certainly Induoe to somt extent purohaaas on freehold tonure, although, aa already polntei out, the perpetual lease system, with right of preemption, is likely to be popular with aettlera ; for it is virtually a freehold tenure, the Government advancing the purohaߧ money at 6; per qeat Interest,'' Prom all appearances there la going to be a struggle over the proposal of the Government, aa embodied m the new Land BUI, to abolish L»nd Boards. There are amongst the members a Urge' number who are, or have" been, membarV of Boarda, and it is expaoted they will combine their fortes to defeat the Government In this matter. The old alternative of elective Boards la to be brought forward In a now form, and notice has already been given by Mr Beetham, ari old £<md Board member, to move the insertion of a clause to provide for eleotlon of jtVaate L»nd Boards by the. looal bodlea In The various land dlatrlota. It Is believed, however, thet the Boards are doomed.

Wbuingtoit, July 13. Government have not yet deoided whtt action they will take with regard to tht Ohlneae Immigrant!' Bill. I understand that certain members of tl»e Upper Hoqse have Intimated 1 to a Minister * that ?M another Conference li ' arranged, 1 «h amloable 'settlement of the qaeitloo oan be arrived at between the two Hous'eV, but lfc Is felt fcnat etioh a course" would be somewhat nndlgnlfiad on the pare of the L"bwer Hoqse. * «■ : *' V f « .-& '»* 4 meeting of metnbera Interested |n thf question of Blble^je^dlng In eohooli wai fie.ld this morning when there were present ; The Hon. Mr Beynolds (In th« ohair), Messrs Tanner, Allen, Fiih, Rost, Graham, Buzton, and Joyce. &e7eral members aympathialng with the objeoti of the meeting were unable to ba present. Mr Tanner oommunlcat«d to the meeting important information, which he had received from the Landaq School Board, ana the Eduoatlon''Det pnrtments of New South; Wales and Victoria, and it was agreed on his motion to propose the following as an amendment to Mr Fulton's resolution : '* That m the interests of morality, the education Acts should be so amended an to permit o! bquool CQmmit^eeq T ; nljcwiqg fßoripiqrQ leßßons to hi giveu Within 'sohpdl hours with a time-lablrt and ooneoience clause, the Byllabue of Bible instruction to be similar to that m uso m the School Board schools of England, the Irish National sonoola, the schools of the London tichool Board, and the publio schools of New SouthWea.'! • /• • v .. ,;. * The Waoto Lands Oomralttee this mowing had linger qonsl^eratiqa the L%nd Bill and paased throdgh. abogt half ft»t dlauiei. The principal amendment made was to. regard to the Waste Land Boards, the clause abolishing them being Btruok out by 7to 3. The Minister wao nrd<™><i *-

draft a new cause ratustatlng the boardi and 'the Committee will m,eet again qa Tuesday to receive them. ' "" . ■■« *"*