NOTES ON PROVINCIAL COUNCIL ITEMS.

Cromwell Argus, Volume VI, Issue 291, 9 June 1875, Page 7

NOTES ON PROVINCIAL COUNCIL ITEMS.

THE GOLD DUTY. The gold duty reduction members must, I fancy, judging by their subsequent conduct, have been dreadfully disgusted lately at the conduct of the Reid-Turnbull Executive in being prepared to forego a portion or the whole of the obnoxious tax if the General Government would only signify the manner in which it could be legally done. Why, their occupation was clean gone, and they hadn't a grievance worthy of their talents left upon which to expatiate, and to which they could, with any degree of satisfaction to themselves, point their constituents. A happy thought, however, occured to some of them. Perhaps the Government were telling a __ > well, a political story, and it would be well to find them out in doing so. And accordingly Mr Brown (on a well-known old principle, I suppose,) was moved to ask a question in reference to this reduction, and the how and the why and all about it. Only to end in confusion worse confounded ; for the Goldfields Secretary was still more explicit than his Honor. And then came deputation after deputation to the Colonial Secretary and to the Superintendent, and notices in the papers, and—bah ! messieurs, your, little game is up. We all thank you for your zeal, but there is no use in " pouring water on a drowned rat." If the reduction can be made at all, we are satisfied with the assurances of the Government on the subject, and there's no use in your trying to gain any more popularity on the subject' than you deserve. Your industrious efforts «an only embarrass the Government: they can serve no useful purpose whatever. Drop your play-acting in the deputation line, and , attend to your business. THB BASTINGS GOVERNMENT. T.he new Government'? first appearance, as is usually the case, was the means apparently of provoking a' short but extremely lively discussion, in which -a good many members ' took part. By a reference' to- the reply at the end of it by Mr Bastings, and to the; remarks made during, the discussion by members supporting the Government, the criticisms of the members for the Taieri, the Kawaran, arid lnvercargill must have touched >-\ipon very sore places, especially the allusions to the Executive- wearing the old clothes of their predecessors, to their being a Govern- ' inent of the " unemployed;" and to the log- • rolling and wire-pulling which had taken place. Mr Bastings, of course, would not • agree with the Kawarau meriiWs condemnation of his conduct in making it a grave charge against Mr Raid that he held the three offices of Provincial Secretary, Secretary for Works,-and Secretary for. Lands, while he himself aspired to fill three offices, -• still more onerous, and exacting more time and attention: Of course not. The mote in Mr Reid's eye was clearly distinguishable ■ through a pair of Opposition spectacles, but the beam in his own- ph dear no !. How delightful was the verdancy of Mr Green! u The Government had.not yet. had time to agree upon a policy," and "he would be most happy to wear the old clothes of the hon. member for the Taieri —that was, if they would fit him." Mr Moody surrendered unconditionally. He admitted that there had been wire-pulling, but could not see that there was any harm in wire-pulling arid log-rolling, because such things had happened before. Mr Moody is evidently no "relation of his Evangelistic namesake when he defends such conduct on the ground that two blacks will make a white. Mr Moody must have felt rather, unhappy while he was making such a speech, for he had (in Southland, at any rate,) the character of being a straightforward sort of man. Mr Fish of course had to make a speech, and equally as a matter of course he contrived to contradict not only his opponents, but also the head of the Government of which he was a riiember, and his colleague, the Secretary for Lands. They admitted the Government had not yet agreed upon a policy, but Mr Fish not only asserted they had one, but proceeded to state it also. Mr Fish evidently lacks the quality known as the better part of valour.