POLITICAL NEWS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3722, 20 June 1883, Page 3

POLITICAL NEWS.

[by telegraph.]

[from our own correspondent.] Wellington, This day

The air yesterday afternoon was heavy with rumors of a coming amendment to the Address in Reply, but, as I indicated in my last, the Opposition were not so prepared to play into the hands of Ministers, and no amendment was proposed. Mr Shaw's speech was disappointing. He was evidently careful not to pledge himself to support the Ministry through thick and thin, and he experienced difficulty in evolving anything out of nothing. The debate was slow in the extreme, Mr Montgomery lecturing the Ministry for their omissions from the speech, and Major Atkinson threatening the Opposition that they would have to do their part of the. business differently to what they had done last session. The debate will be resumed this afternoon by Mr Scddon, and will probably be concluded early. As an instance of hasty legislation the EightHoure Bill, which has been introduced, if passed in its present form, would be of no effect, as it neither provides penalties nor machinery for compulsory compliance. Sir George Grey is going to bring in a bill by which charitable institutions receiving bequests will bo exempt from the stamp tax. This is to save the legacy duty of ■soven thousand pounds which would have to be paid for the Costley bequests.