The Evening Star MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1871.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2667, 4 September 1871, Page 2

The Evening Star MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1871.

The letters of our correspondents at Wellington, although very graphic, do not intimate that any very great amount of hard work has been accomplished. It may be that there is not much real work to be done, but members must spend their time after some

fashion. If they do not work they must talk, although by the returns moved for, evidently, they want subjects to talk about. If it were worth while, a ■ vei'y curious precis of the Order Papers before Us might be compiled. They tell of the difference between the feelings and ideas of the two Houses. Those of the Legislative Council only need to be printed in one page of foolscap, and appear ornamented with bold type in order to fill up the sheet. Pat no such waste of space can be allowed for the business programme of the House of Representatives. It requires three and a-half to four pages, closely printed. The notices of motion of the Council are neat little paragraphs, and relate to a select range of subjects ; while those of the Representatives are frequently long, sometimes involved, and embrace all imaginable and unimaginable topics. To take a single day as an example. In the Legislative Council on Wednesday, the 23rd August, there were six notices of motion; three by the Hon Mr Sewell; two asking leave to bring in Bills to regulate the sale of poisons and Law of Evidence, and-the third merely proposing an additional name to the list of a select committee. The Hon Major Richmond, C.8., moved a formal resolution, that the report of the Standing Orders Committee should be adopted. The Hon Mr Waterhouse moved for information as to the Goverment banking account with the Bank of New Zealand, and the Hon Dr Buchanan moved an addition to the House Committee. Twoselectcommitteeswereto sit in the morning. So ended their proposed labors for that day. Of course as the session advances th«re will be more work for them to do ; but the Hou. M. Holmes is determined not to have more thrown upon their hands than can be comfortably dealt with, and two days afterwards was to move : “ That, 11 having regard to the late, period of “ the meeting of Parliament this ses- “ sion, and the probability that honor- “ able members will be obliged to seek “ leave of absence at an earlier date “ than usual, the Council will not cu- “ tertaiu any Bill -which may be sent “ up at such a period before the close “ of the session as will not admit of “ the most careful consideration of its “ provisions." Probably the honorable gentlem n was terrified into the absurdity shown by our italics by the Order Paper of the House of Representatives ; for on the 23rd two questions wore to be asked, twelve notices of motion to be dealt with, and six orders of the day. As to the answers to the questions, very short ones would do, although the first, in the present stage of intercourse between New Zealand and the United States, involves considerations which should not be lost sight of. It perhaps may not be generally known that there is shortly to be an Industrial Exhibition at San Francisco. We need not point out the importance of giving prominence to the productions of New Zealand; and Mr Harrison wished to know “ If any steps had u been taken to have ” them represented. In looking over the Notices of Motion, it is not very easy to distinguish the 1,1 party motions ” from the hona fide ones. On that day there were two by Mr Stafford that seem to indicate he is on the look-out for pretexts for opposition; and one by Mr Creighton similar in character. Mr Stafford asked for two returns ; one of the names of all persons, European and Native, employed by the Government, whose salaries were (< not sub- “ matted to the House in the annual “ estimates.” This looks as if there was 1 somebody on account of whose appointment he means to pluck a crow with the Government; or perhaps he wants to' persuade the House that the practice of log rolling, so adroitly carried out by himself, inis not been neglected by the present Government. Mr Stafford’s experience in that line gives him great advantage in ferreting out occasions for the exhibition of artful dodging by 1 Executives. The second is for correspondence “ not yet submitted to ■ Parliament,” with reference to postal 1 steam communication with the United Kingdom via San Francisco, 11 is action throughout, in reference to this line, bodes future damage, if lie can only get a “ slant ” at the Government, Mr Creighton wants returns that are easily get-at-able by a man of ordinary industry, who has access to official papers. Really the country ought to protest against the time of the employes in different departments being wasted on such repetitions as are involved. It may be advisable to have a return of the “ Working of the Official A gency ” in Auckland, from September of last year to June of this. Why, or what use he intends to make of it, we cannot guess, but the published statistics of the Colony provide full information which he asks on the vessels employed in the coasting trade, and as far can be ascertained the quantity and value of inter-provincial traffic. Next on the list stood Mr ■ Kelly, who wanted eight returns re- 1 specting work done in the North Island, Most of the information he

asked had already been laid on the table, but we suppose not exactly in the form that best suits his cast of mind. Then Mr Collins is not satisfied with the Distillation Act, and wants to mend it; Mr Bryce wants to know all about a road between Wanganui and Taupo —for his special behoof maps and plans ai-e asked to be drawn. Mr Macandrew moved that the Dunedin Waterworks Act lie referred to a Select Committee, and named Mr Bradshaw, the Hon. Mr Hall, Mr Bunny, Mr Pearce, Mr Gr. M‘Lean, and himself. Then Mr Pearce had a similar motion respecing the Wellington Waterworks Bill, the Hon. Mr M‘Lean wants to amend the Gisborne Land Act, and Mr Mervyn was to move for a volume of statistical returns, which may be valuable in view of the contemplated legislation for the goldfields. The orders of the day comprised four bills, three of which were second readings—the Christchurch City Council Borrowing Bill, the Coasting Trade Regulations Bill, and the Nelson Loan Bill. We need not say this was laying out wide fields for discussion. The fourth was the Port Chalmers Railway Bill, which, on that day, was appointed to be read a third time. We may add five Select Committees were to meet that day. This sketch of one day’s proposed work is a type of all—the useful and the useless are mixed up, so that it is hard to distinguish one from the other ; but one may fairly say most of the returns are valueless for any other purpose than to gratify the passion for notoriety of the movers.