POLITICAL ITEMS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1225, 21 August 1885, Page 3

POLITICAL ITEMS.

(Through our Exchanges). 1 Major Atkinson returned to town on Thursday evening, and almost immediately on his arrival a canons was held, the results of which have not yet transpired, I hear that no regular formal meeting of the Opposition was held on Thursday evening, but only a preliminary co saltation prior to a full canons of the parly. This has been convened for 10 o’clock to morrow merning, when it is understood efforts will be made to secure a large meeting. I fancy there is still a good deal of wavering and hesitation as regards the advisableness of’ moving a no-confidence motion. There is no definite agreement yet as to the sequel of snob motion if successfully moved. There was a funny little scene in the Honse on Thursday evening between Mr Seddon and Mr Fergus. While in Cbm-" mittee on the Hours of Po'ling Bill, Mr Fergus insinuated that “ dead men ” had voted in Mr Seddon’s constituency ; whereupon Mr Seddon remarked that, though that might be true, in the hon. member for Wakatipu s district a Chinaman had voted under the name of M'Taviah.

It the proceedings in the House on Thursday afternoon were uninteresting they were sufficiently lively in the evening to make the onlooners think that for once they were transferred into some popular place of amusement Tbe first Order for consideration was the Hours of Polling Bill. It was repeatedly hinted that stonewalling tactics were being pursued in order to talk out tbe next Order (Major Steward’s Licensing Bill), which many hon. members did not think was a proper subject for legislation unless introduced by tbe Government. High words occasionally passed, and on one or two occasions at least the Chairman of Committee had to act with some firmness. While the member for Hokitika was “ stonewalling” someone slipped a note into his hand, and he caused a laugh by reading it alond. “Cut it short, Bevan,” an hon. member had written, “ Yes,” he said “ I will cut it short by sending it to perdition. ' The measure got severely handled, but those members who tried to keep back the Licensing Bill by proposing numerous amendments to Mr Barron’s Bill so as to keep the Committee engaged on it until an early hour in the morning, when they ex pected to get a thin enough House to count the Licensing Bill out, had their calculations upset by Mr Steward and his friends, who, although supporting the Hours of Polling Bill, suddenly threw in their weight for the last motion to report progress, and so cleared the way for the Licensing Bill a few hours before it was expected to come on. 1 1 is understood that the Government will take up the Hours of Polling Bill in fulfilment of their promise to Mr Barron. It is stated that there is considerable annoyance among some Oppositionists about the meeting to day. Some of those whom I referred to the other day as being particularly busy in arranging the proposed campaign against the Government are very sore at not having been invited to attend this morning’s meeting, and argue that there should have been a full meeting of the Opposition party, and nat a private meeting of men, some of whom had no right to con stitute themselves leaders.

There are some peculiar rumours all rat which, if true, seem to bring one or two hnn. members within the operation of the Disqualification Act. It appears that a former Government contributed some L2OII I worth of vater to the Kumara Sludge Channel. During the recess the members for Kumara interviewed Ministers, and the result is that the water contribution has been superseded by a money contribution of L 2500. Contracts have been going on and progress payments made to Richard John Sednen, one of the company of six. There is also a sum of L7OO in question for that service.

In ‘ on mittee of Supply the following items were carried after discussion : -Educa ion, L 315,500 ; Resident Magistrates and Wardens, L 48,414; Survey Department, L 78.861 ; while for “ Expenses Eermal Springs Act,” L 9173 i» voted, only L 225 is voted for the development of the coal fields of the Colony. The head of the Telegraph Department is doing something to relieve the position of those officers whose miserable salaries have reduced them to a condition of penury. Lately a private circular was issued to the telegraphists, asking that those in financial distress should forward a statement of their indebtedness to the head of the Department. in order that the Department may assist them in recovering their solvency. It is said that upwards of twenty telegraphists have sought the protection of the Bankruptcy Act during the past few months.

A serious hitch had arisen with regard to the expected no-confidence motion, Mr Ormond having finally declined to move it, on the ground that he could not command a maj >rity. Mr Montgomery then became the chosen leader of the hour. It was under stood that he was willing to move, and was virtually certain he would be followed by a majority, but it soon became known that he was reluctant to act apart from Mr Macandrew, and that the latter was anxious to see his Port Chalmers dock bill safely through before any disturbance was created. The promised, or at any rate anticipated, sensation did not come on after all. An examination of the Order paper prior to the meeting of the House showed the Government had been bold and invited attack by putting up Supply. The motion for going into Supply may be intercepted at any time, and of course a no-confidence motion may be tabled at almost any time. But the object of putling up Supply wan undoubtedly to bring on the no-confidenoe debate at once, instead of waiting for it to be tabled and then pursuing the usual course of adjourning the House until next sitting day. It was known this afternoon that it a motion was tabled this evening the Government would propose to take the debate at once instead of adjourning the House. The galleries of the House were packed, and expectation sat on the faces of everyone except those in the inner circle, who of course knew that they were going to disappoint every body. it is true the Opposition now declare they propose moving a no-confidence motion so soon as the Public Works Statement and Public Works Estimates are before the House, and they say they intend to challenge the Ministry on a specific issue. The respective numbers are so close that, even taking the most sanguine Opposition views of the cases it would only need very few to lie alienated to render this course useless. I do not donbt that this is their intention, but I am inclined to think that the Government will construct the Public Works proposals so as to make things p'easant for certain shaky members of the Opposition and the defeat of the Opposition a certainty. I fully expect that the Public Works proposals will he carefully framed, keeping this end steadily in view, and that it will he successfully managed. I may be wrong, and I may have reason to modify my view in the course of a day or two ; but meanwhile I am convinced that this opinion is a correct one.