WELLINGTON POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume IV, Issue 323, 13 October 1875, Page 3

WELLINGTON POLITICAL GOSSIP.

(VEOM OUR OWN’ OOERKSPOKDKNT.) October 4 Fees iTERtJH CrispEKtia! Within S/he hut few minutes I have'been once more listening to the old story of the “liberties of the people,” end hearing Sir George tax the Government with breach of faith, which should prevent any honest man voting with them ; and all this about a clause which provides that Superintmdenls shall till next year act as such, but under the authority of the Governor in Council. Last night the last danse came on, it being re-committed, and Sir George moved that the wh le Abolition Bill be re-committed, lie had teen weak in giving away, and ho would do so no longer, &c, &o. Eventually his second in command (Fitzherbert) pro* mised that the clause should be considered, and go through tmday, and pass the third reading - but to-day the chief himself hao repudiated all that his subordinate said, and’ is acting apparently on his own bottom. Nerer was there such a disorganised,, but powerful Opposition—numerically weak, politically strong ; and with all their corpora 1 strength never was an Imposition with a weaker, more unreliable head. The Estimates are getting on, and I am happy to tell you that a great and appreciable sav.ng has been made by the House refusing some £250 which had been put down as proposed increase of pay among the officers of ihe House stuff I have not heard of any cutting down of honorariums. Sir George of course fired his shot, and had a new theme to expatiate upon—a free breakfast table, and to tai e the duty off tea, sugar and flour he wants to reduce the salary of the Governor and of all the Civil Service clerks, I don’t know how the Most Noble, &c., &o , will look upon that proposition, but I know what my friend Man) kids thinks of fc Ho says he’s ft clerk at a year in the Treasury ; he’s been there lor years; has got into a groove and can’t get out of it and into something else. Postibly ten or fifteen years hence, unless the Civil Service is abolished, he may have £4OO per annum. Meanwhile he is, of course, married, and of course has pledges. He’stried to save money to put it into a Building Society, but there’s always been a doctor’s bHb or something of that kind to take it outof hie pocket as soon at he dropped it in. So 10. rnn«t pay rent, and he can’t get a place under £COand £7O a year; so there’s one fourth of his income gone at once. Meat is high, he tells me ; coals are dear, firewood is dear, and it was in a half'crying, half-laughing tone that poor Many kids exclaimed : “ Isn’t it queer that while Grey is always trotting cutr his own pet poor man, the labouring man, he has no thought for another kind of poor man, who works with his head, who has a. certain position to k> ep up, who must educate his chi'd en, and who comparatively is far poorer than the artisan at 14s a day.” We have but little news about save that Committees eit daily, and that a big rep.rt is said to be coming out soon. I do not think 1 can be accused of having furnished you with “ scandal.” Heaven only knows when I shall be able to keep out of giving you news of that colour. Literally the whole place is floating with rumours. Men’s characters are discussed and insinuations thrown broadcast in llestreo's; accusations are brought fr.ely, though generally,, against men in the Civil Service i while at the same time very queer secrets (of the kind which are meant to be retailed) are whispered about private letter# getting into the hands of parties for whom, they were never intended, and being made use of. Altogether the atmosphere is thick with scandal; and, if credit is to be given to half one hears, we New Zealanders are in every sense one of the most immoral and unscrupulous people under the sun. I liopo it’s not true. The last thing is that A missed letters from the Club ; that B was seen with a letter from C to A, and sl owed it, and kept it three days, and then returned it to A after taking a copy ofU 1 Then comes another cf X having written to T at the Thames, of tl o letter never reading T,bui in some roysterm- «. manner A iding its way down here into (ko haod# of a worshipful knight. Altogether* the scandal juit now is a nuuauce.