WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 3912, 7 September 1875, Page 2

WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

[By Telegraph.] (From our own Correspondent.)

Wellington, September G. The seventh week has now passed since Parliament was called together, and only the second stage of the Abolition Bill is reached. At this rate of progress, when will the end be ? To say nothing of (ho time required for the advance of that Bill through its remaining stages, there are the Loan Negotiations, Financial Statement, Railway Proposals, Californian Mill! Contract, Qn ditication of Electors, Insolvency, and Representation. Bills to lie considered. A pretty programme, truly. Unless the Government act upon some of their supporters’ suggestions, and by sitting contit.uoiudy put an end to the flood of talk which the Opposition threaten, there is every probability of the session lasting a couple of mouths more.

In the opening purl of tho abolition debate List wock, Nli Keid called in question tho wtiole of the Tieusurer’s figures relating to Otago, and argued from calculations he had made upon them, that the Province would lose L 50,000 odd by the Ministerial proposals. For days our Provincial Secret irv'a mind lias been occupied with the ptobloni of discovering where b.ltiß,B(i4, said to be available for pub'ie works in the Province, is to conic from, and he has been forced to give it up. This s wh&t

Mr Reid had to say on the subject“l take the Provincial Estimates and tind there we have available for main roads and main branch roads--'which are certainly local public works —1,100,091; for roads • and tracks, also decidedly local public works—L4l.BSs ; and for bridges, L 57.892; making n total of L 200,378. Then wo have for jetties and harbors L 18.812 ; for works and buildings, L55.2G0; making altogether the grand total of L 274,450, as against the L1G3.8G4 which shows in his tables. Then I find under his table the expenditure on lands, surveys, and reclamation, as estimated by the Provincial Government, is put down at L 90,670; but I find in the Provincial Estimates themselves lands, surveys, and •reclamations put down at L 42,440. The Treasurer takes credit in this table for license fees to be given to municipalities, which he puts down at L 7.300. He has no right to take credit for that sum in his table, because those license fees are already given over directly by the Provincial Council to municipalities, which bodies receive them in a far more direct manner than they will under the proposals of the Government, I think it right that I should show how the proposed change —to take over police, gaols, education, &c.—will specially affect Otago. We are to abolish Provincial Councils, Superintendents, and Executives; and the Colonial Government is. to take over and administer the police, gaols, harbor, lunatic asylums, and education, and at the same time they will k'-ep what has been paid as Provincial capitation-grants towards the expense of these departments. I understand, at the same time, that when tne Government take over these departments they will also take the revenues accruing from them, for I cannot conceive that they will take over the expenditure and allow the Road Boards and Municipalities in the Provincial districts to take the fees, &c. The following figures show the cost of those depart ments: —Expenses of departments, as per. Provincial balance-sheet of March 31, 1875 : police, L23.C64 14s 6d; gaols, L10.43G 16s; harbors, L 7,644 8s lid; lunatic asylums, ii 4,841; 19s 2d ; education, L 27.878 2s Gd; total, L 73.466 Is Id. Less repayments as under:— Harbor dues and pilotage, 1,5,377 9s lid ; education, 1.5,839 11s lOd ; debtors, L 279 7s 7d ; gaol, L 230 2s ; hospital, L2G3 ISs 2d; lunatic asylums, 1.778 16a Gd; police. L 97 6s 7d ; total, L 12.91.6 11s 9d; net coat, LG0,549 9s 2d. The capitation allowance, as per the Treasurer’s tables, was L77,5G8 ; deduct net cost of departments as above, and the result is L 17,018 10s lOd. The sum of LIT,OIB 10s lOd would have gone a long way to pay for our Provincial administration, and would have been as well expended by the Provincial Government as by the Colonial Government. But, according to the Treasurer’s proposals, the cost of the education department for the year is to be borne by the laud funds of 1 lie different Provinces. They are estimated to cost L 33,403 10s in Otago, and the neb loss to the Province will thus be L 5.042 Os lOd.” To this the Treasurer makes the reply that Ills figures were obtained from the Provincial balance-sheet, and he maintains their accuracy. J’y it the Provincial revenue is esti mated at L 349,000, in which sum was included 1.60,000 which the Provincial Government proposed to borrow from the General Assembly ; also L 24,000 to repay the loan falling due in October, which it was proposed to borrow oa Treasury bills. In addition to this 1.549,000 there was the capitation allowance, L 77.568, bringing up the total revenue to LG26,610. The figures come from the Appropriation Act, and must, or ought to be, correct. The expenditure seems to be made up as follows :—Provincial departments and services, I 112,895; education, 1.39,526 ; laPd, _ surveys, aud reclamation, LOO,GiI ; working expenses of railways, L 71,145 ; interest on Provincial loans, LOO, 109 ; interest on railways, L 38.401; total expenditure, L462.74G. The revenue was L62G,610, leaving a balance of L163,5G4. 9he figures are susceptible of proof disproof, but, according to the Estimates of the Provincial Council there was but this sum available for public works under the proposed system. There was a total estimated reserve of L 533,042 after the sum of L 140,000 taken over by the Colony ; from the consolidated revenue would be paid L 138,492, giving a total revenue of L 673.534 as expenditure for ordinary services. Interest on loan, &c., was placed at L 464,946, so there would be an available balance of L2L8.G35. Oh Thursday, admittedly the beat speech of the evening was Mr Montgomery’s, who produced elaborate tables to show that-Provincial Government could not be carried out, and from whom came the first and only admission from a Southern man on tho Opposition side of the House that the Provincial debts must be undertaken by the Colony. He blames the Provincial parties for incessantly appealing to the Colony for assistance, as striking the first nail into the Provincial coffin, but holds the Government responsible for not having resisted such attacks, even to the length of vacating their seats.

What a contrast to Sir George Grey’s blood-and-thund«r speech was the egotistical one from Taranaki’s Superintendent, who kept the Houss in a constant roar while he told them how he got his harbor. Passing over his refereuses to hi* loye for the people of Taranaki for hnving twite elected him Superintendent, and to the scenes he had visited in his youth, he explained how the Government first opposed his pet harbor scheme, but ultimately came to assist him. But this was not done by log-rolling he was at pains explain. A state paper was drawn up by fyimself, in which the glorious climate ©f Taranaki was painted in the first style of art. The reading of this precious document occupied nearly half an hour, during which there was no respite from side-splitting laughter and derisive cheers, Mr Carrington, in a Uriah-Heepish tone of voice, pursued the even tenor of his way, winding up one of the most extraordinary speeches heard in the House for by declaring that the people of Taranaki did not care one jot whether Provincial Governments remained or were abolished, since they had got possession of such large tracts of country as the Act of 1873 secured to them.

The speech of Mr Wood on Friday night was, as all his Set speeches are, a grand pyrotechnical display. In discussing finance he was in his element and was heard to advantage, hut when speaking to the peisonal question his temper mastered his good judgment. With quite theatrical effect, which showed he could cut no inconsiderable figure op the stage, he hit off that modern disciple of Sir Pertinax Mac sycophant, whose servile following of Ministers was shown in such true colors and admirable nicety that no one could fail to understand on whose head it was intended the cap should fit.

It may not bo out of place to remark that Mr Buokhmd is credited with the best bon mot of the session. At the Ministerial caucus, after the Bill was introduced and when Mr Wood bad spoken his mind and retired, Mr Bucklaml is said to have remarked that last year Mr Wood was an apostle, this year he was an apostate of Provincialism. Is there any connection between this and the extreme roughness of Mr Wood on the member for Frank in on Friday? The member for the Clutha possesses more originality than most people give him credit for. To him. is due the credit of the discovery that abolition will sive the Government power of so controlling the army of civil servants then under them that it would he impossible to contest an election with any one in their interests. Losupport of his argument he read a classified list, of the civil service, now amounting fo 5,206 persons. On pensions there are 26; stamps, 44 ; printing, besides apprenticeships, 42 ; store, 5 ; geological, 8; electoral, 3; crown lands, 8 ; inspections of machinery, 6; lawanil justice, including District and Resident Magistrate’s Courts, 240; laud transfer, 36; deeds registry, 32; postal, Dll; telegraphs, 6U3 ; customs and services, 211; European and Native affairs, 228 ; masters of Native schools, 4b ; miscellaneous, 105 ; on railways open for traffic, 582 ; besides Provincial Armed Constabuhiry, 737 ; confiscated lands. 18 ; defence and loan, 738 ; public works, 316 ; immigrates 08 ; Commissioner of Crown lands id • receivers of land revenue, 7; Native Lands Court, 27 ; inspectors of surveys, 14 jjanrt trust funds, 30. Mr iVPGkshan, after asking if it was likely ib * Govcrnmentjcouhl control the votes of men lil-p, the country postmartera. receiving a paltry L r s.dapv, r*.ieinlain f ‘d that Provincial Councils did northing but 1 ester jealousies and h.-art burnings. If for nothing but this he would abolish them from the face of the earth. As ts th« great Amount o Ordinances passed by

the Provincial Council of Otago, ns alluded to by the member for Port Chalmers, he contended that those Ordinances could be passed equally as weH by Municipal Councils. Referring to the land laws of the Colony he pointed to a large book—which he called aipocket volume—of land law's of tho Colony, and said that if a man acquainted with the laws of one Province entered another the land laws of that other Province were entirely strange to him. Therefore he maintained that the land laws of the Colony should be solidified and made more uniform. He asserted that the Otago Council was anything but unanimously in favor of abolition, and as often as he reiterated this assertion Mr Macandrew contradicted him.

On Saturday morning Mr Reid, on speaking to the adjournment, fiercely attacked Dr Pollen for his opposition to the Otago Land Bill, saying when a Ministerial member in the Lower House he supported it. He asked the House what guarantee there was of the proposed Board of Works Bill not being rejected by the ’ouncil, and therefore called upon the Government to tack it on to the Abolition Bill. If they refused he called upon the member for Port) Chalmers to persist with his amendment. Dr Pollen had proposed to alter Mr Shepherd’s Pollution Bill by making compensation obtained under it chargeable against goldfields revenue instead of to land fund.

Mr Eitzherbort made a violent speech during :1m small hours of Saturday. He said the attitude of Ministers was like that of dumb dogs, and called their supporters serfs with shackles round them. He further said the works policy had paid its inventors, and that Ministers had caused the premature abortion of their offspring—abolition —by accepting the drugs of' the meniDer for Port Chalmers in a half-penitent half-sneaking way, and had given birth to twins—shires and boards of works. The debate on the second reading of the Abolition Bill extended over eleven nights, and fifty-four members addressed the House. The speeches occupy 665 columns ef ‘Hansard,’and, were they placed lengthwise, would measure 414 ft 4in. The longest speech delivered was by Mr Fitzherbert, measuring 374 inches of ‘Hansard,” or over 31ft. The shortest was Mr Dignau’s, which measur&d sin, Mr Fitzherbert’s speech equalled within 2in the combined speeches of fourteen of the shortest speeches during the debate. Mr Sheehan comes next to Mr Fitzherbert in order of length, with 203 in, being an inch short of 17ft. Mr Reid contributed 16ft J. C. Brown, lift. The longest speech on the Government side was Mr Cuthbcrtson’s, who contributed 10ft Gin. The greatest number of speeches delivered at any one sitting was on the tenth day, when nine members spoke. The ninth sitting, however, when seven members spoke, contributed the largest quantity of matter to * Hansard,’ namely, 55ft Gin.