POLITICAL ITEMS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1219, 10 July 1885, Page 3

POLITICAL ITEMS.

(Throngh onr Exchanges). Wellington, July 3. The Goldfields Committee, reporting on the petition of Simon Eraser, who claims to be the discoverer of the West Taieri goldfields, and prays for a reward, report that they have only to repeat the decision of the committee of 1884, viz , that the petitioner has already received all the reward to which be was entitled from the Provincial Council of Otago in 1865. The meeting of Otago members convened yesterday by Mr Downie Stewart was held this morning. About 10 wera present, as also was Messrs Peacock’s representative. After a conference it was agreed to oppose the duty on fruit-pulp. Mr Stewart intends to get a deputation to wait on Sir J. Vogel for the purpose of communicating the decision of the meeting. The members present at to-day’s meeting were Messrs VV. D. Stewart, J. C. Bucktand, Fulton, Bradshaw, Maeandrew, Barron, Hislop, Thomson, and J. 0. Brown. Mr Peacock to-day presented a very lengthy petition from 6317 residents of Auckland against “ woman called barmaid.” Poor barmaids ! It has been suggested that the barmaids should be called to the bar of the House. Some days ago I informed you of the pro posed change in the duties of the wardens of Otago and Southland The following is the proposed new arrangement: —Mr Be veil is to have his headquarters at Lawrence, where he is to sit weekly, and he will hold monthly sittings at the following places : Milton, Balelutha, Tapanue, Clinton, Gore, and Roxburgh. Mr Hickson’s headquarter will be at Queenstown, where he will sit two days a month. Ho will hold monthly sittings at Arrow and Lumsden,at Waikaia on alternate months, at Riverton (orWmtonl fortnightly, and at Pembroke monthly, during the summer. Mr Wood will, it is proposed, sit once a fortnight at Naseby, and at Cromwell two days a month ; at Clyde, Alexandra, Blacks, and St. Bathans every alternate month j at Hamilton every alternate month, and at Hyde and Macraes quarterly. Mr M’Cullooh will have nis headquarters at Invercargill, where he will sit three days a week, and at the following places he will sit monthly—viz., at Mataura, Campbelltown (or Wyndhatn), Winton (or Riverton), July 6-

A meeting of the Freetrade Committee was held this afternoon, all the members being piesent, and Mr Pyke presiding. The following resolutions were agreed to 1. “ That the committee consider it undesirable that there should be auy increase of customs duty this session. 2. That the Customs Tariff Bill providing for an increase of duties should not be allowed to pass a second reading.” This action has been taken at this juncture because of the probability of the introduction of the Customs Unties Bill some time to-morrow.

It is generally understood that consideration of the tariff question has engaged the attention of Ministers during the day, they having been in Cabinet both during the morning and afternoon, but it is not known whether the Government will p oposo any very startling alterations in the proposed tariff. On the contrary, it is thought more than likely that theie will be very little alteration Or modification in the resolutions abeady tempo arily agreed to by the House, hut that tho Government will adopt the more con enieiit mode of placing them as they stand before the House. If they invite ameudm-ut andalteration item by item, the plan would probably give the Government trouble. It would of course involve a great deal of discussion over nearly every item, and tho work of modification would be an almost interminable one. July 7'h. A number of Government suppoiters nnxions to keep them in office waited on the P emier to-day to urge upon him the desirableness of dropping tho proposed increase in the tariff. I am informed that tho Premier sail the Cabinet had been sitting all day upon the question, and had agreed to remodel the tariff, striking out all items except those for revenue raising purposes. The coal duty would be abandoned. as would be the imposts upon cheap clothing. The Government were prepared to give way to a certain extent upon tea, but that matter was still under the consideration of the Cabinet.

A general meeting of members belonging to local governing bodies will be held tomorrow at the City Council Chambers to discuss the local government policy. William Agnew and his wife, petitioners from Otago, who were formerly deferredpayment seb'ctors, but failing to comply with the conditions respecting deferredpayment selection, the land was taken from them, have achieved notoriety. The petition has been reported on favourably, and the Government have decided to award the petitioners LSO, and also to give them back their land, or Ll2O without the land. This offer they refused, and the lady 1 -ys dowu the law to every member she can catch hold of. Yesterday morning she interviewed the Minister of Lands, and after a stormy interview, it is said, used her am brella with more vigor than that gentleman thought proper. It is said that Mr Speaker has issued au order to exclude them from the grounds of Parliament ings, unless they desist from the present practice of buttonholing members. I give this as lobby gossip, and may say that it has been contradicted. What really took place was that Mrs Agnew called on Mr Ballance, and in some warmth of temper represented that she feared Mr Turnbull. the Chairman of the Public Petitions Committee, was influencing Mr Ballance against her husband’s claim, and she railed at the Minister on this account for two or three minutes, but withdrew without any attempt at striking him as has l>“en stated.