WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 2946, 29 July 1872, Page 2

WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

(From ctn Occasional Correspondent.)

July 23. The past week has been taken up entirely with preliminary matteis neco sary at the opening of a session of Parliament,'and the real work has not yet commenced. To-day (Tuesday) tiic Order Paper does not pr< - sent anything of peculiar interest. In the Orders of the Day, first in importance is the second reading of the Public Healths Bill—a capital measure, which no doubt will go through with little or no amendments ; and the Life Insurance Companies Bill, which I presume will also pass the ordeal scathless. These Bills you no doubt have received, so it will bo unnecessary to give you any of the details. The Permanent Offic rs Salaries Bill will meet with opposition as not being in accordance with the views expressed by members last session. The remainder of the Orders of the Day, excepting the Public Trust Office Bill, are of let a importance. In the notices of motions, the first is the introduction of a Bill by Mr Brown, of Canterbury, entitled the Wast Lands Act, Canterbury. A section of the Canterbury mem-, hers desire an alteration in their Act, so as to admit of sale of lands by deferred payments.

Mr Macandrew gives notice to introduce a Bill in reference to the Public Cemetery at the north-end of Dunedin. Mr Murray, our wonderful Constitution maker of last session, has one of his stupid motions for a return of monies expended on water-racer, railways, &c., and how the balance of loans for these purposes has been invested. It is just one of those absurd returns that tend to no good, but create exj pense, as all the information he wants he could have by applying personally to the proper offices of the departments, as. from my experience, the Government are quite ready to afford information. Mr Murray is one of those gentlemen “ who likes to' see one’s name in print A book, a book, although there’s nothing in’t.” Mr Shepherd moves also for a select committee to inquire into the administration of the Waste Lands Board in selling large blocks of land on the goldfields, to wit, 20,000 acres of land in the Teviot district, and to report whether such sale is legal. &c., &c. The re is an impression abroad on this matter not very favorable to Mr Donald Ilcid. He, the great champion of the people’s rights in former years, as regards settlement of the people on the land—the man that condemned Mr Vogel in by-gono times because he opened up for sale the unsold lands in Hundreds ah 10s per acre by public auction, non veins light about, and rushing to the extreme t ole, sells land without auction sales in princely blocks of not less than 10,000 acres, precluding men from purchasing that may wish to acquire less than that quantity. This is creating a landed aristocracy with a vengeance. We live in changeable times. To change from Otago’s doings, compare the acts of the Provincial Executive in Welling, ton. The colonizing policy of Wellington is wonderfully different from Otago, they only sell in large blocks conditional on the parties settling so many people on the land.

Mr O’Rorke’s motion for Wednesday for a University in Auckland, throwing overheard the absurd peripatatic New Zealand University, will likely cause a very lively discussion. The Canterbury men will have something to say against the move. It is proposed to divide the present sum voted between the Auckland and Otago Universities

It is impossible to say as yet what shaje party will take. Plenty of rumors aro abroad regarding what is to become of the present M inistry. My own opinion is that they are perfectly safe. Notwithstanding the foolish pressure of what is called the Wellington party—the chief of which is Mr Bunny—l fancy this party will ere long see their error in pushing matters to an extremity. They can never form a Government by themselves, and neither Auckland nor Canterbury Avid be likely to give them any support. Suppose they do effect the expulsion from office of the present Ministry, and plase on the Government benches the Stafford party, they will just be out of the frying-pan into the fire.

Your member for the City of Dunedin, Mr Reynolds, is also creating, or endeavoring to create, confusion in the party he has hitherto supported, through the Quixotic way he goes about matters. A strange compound of honesty and absurdity, but withal spiced with a large development of self-importance, he goes recklessly to Avork, and raises faction where none should exist. The truth is, he looks upon it that he should ha\’e had a seat on the Government benches, and proclaims his disajfpointment in the erratic Avay in Avhich he goes to work. He proclaims from the housetops, as it were, that there should be on the benches a member from Otago, and no doubt last session Ministers considered the question, and were anxious to have an Otago man along Avith them ; and no doubt if Mr Reynolds could have added any debat-

ing power, he would have been the man ii respective of his erratic ways. Parliament House is in a queer way. 1 lie Lords being frightened of their lives sgieec to have limber put up to support the root o their senate-house, and carpenters and wood shavings have held the complete command for the past few days. The “faithful” Commons have now taken tright, and, following suit, desire tluit theiv ruof should also be cobbled up, not forgetting the shingles loose. No doubt, from the specimen ol the rafters exhibited, tho buildings require to be thoroughly overhauled. The new part of tho building is g■■•■od, but the old has served its day and generation, and dry <ot reigns suprcm\ What inilnenee this may have on the prospect of removal of the seau of government to some other place, 1 eanno sav The Ota"o people may rest assured that thoir claim°will not he listened to , for my part, would rather see the coiuimxance of it in Wellington Hum anpvhcrc else. It is the real centre for North, .South, Laou, and West, with a capital harbor, and a most agreeable people. At the same time, one session in Dunedin would help to dispel the notions and mistiness of members, who, it maybe nM, neve-left tlie.r mother s anron-etrings, besides showing the Dunedin citizens and Otago settlers what the composition of our Parliament Houses are and their powers for good or evil on the body P °So 0 app»™“ oi tho garner for the South • so I open my letter to say that Mr Shepherd earned his motion or endU.ry the sale of 20,000 acres of land at l eviot. Mr Mervyn opposed the motion, and Mr Keid also spoke strongly against it.