The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, AUGUST 23, 1906.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1841, 23 August 1906, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, AUGUST 23, 1906.

Thu korero lias commenced, and the “ other place ” (as it is eloquently named in the House of KepresentaBg tiv6s) is apparently going to keep up if its hoary representation if we are to | judge by the two speeches that filled I in its time yesterday afternoon. The I Hon. C. Louisson started the ball □ roiling on his motion that a respectful g address be presented to His Excellency | in reply, etc. Then the hon. gentle- | man went on to applaud the Speech jj from the Throne in a manner that i ■' emosthenes might envy, for he said i so much and yet so little, the logic of ; which was that the country being I pleased with the Government the Exhibition was going to be a big I success, therefore the Speech was a \ good one—an excellent one—only thoro was something not in it that i ought to be in it. It was quite evident that the hon gentleman was not | speaking as he felt, for before he sat down he had to let himsplf go in condemnation, and scored a decisive hit in telling the Government that revision of the tariff ought not to have been delayed. Like Sir Joseph Porter of “ Pinafore ” fame, his | arguments were “ unanswerable,” i that with yearly-increasing record surj pluses, it was the duty of the Treasurer j to ease the burden of taxation by the I remission of duties on the necessaries of life. In this connection it is inter' osting to note that about the time Mr Lcuisson was speaking in that strain a | little breeze was going on in the other Chamber over some returns asked for I by Mr Fisher. These returns have really no direct connection with the remission of duty on breakfast table commodities, yet when the returns are | published, if ever, it will be seen that Ministers who have yearned for the comfort of the working man and preached “ humanity, humanity,’’ with resonant and pathetic emphasis, have not forgotten at the same time the prior claims of number one to all the luxuries and comfort that life can enjoy. To be more explicit, it may be stated that certain Ministerial residences in the city of Wellington, the property (with all they contain, except the Ministers and their clothes, of course) of the general Government, have been used by Premiers and members of successive Ministries, and were thought to be quite sufficient. Of late years, however, the importance of Ministers has gone up the scale in somebody’s estimation, and those houses woro considered to be quite too

utterly ho ho. Additions and alterations wore made, nml tho grounds tnstoiully laid out, expensive furnishings put in, and luxury found a homo. This was all right until wo rubbod shoulders with Royalty, and whu; man nan live in a house after that V so tho houso had to assume tho dimensions of a cnstlo to keep pace with tho growing importance of ita occupants (quite natural, of course). Bo at least in one cnBO tho surrouuding'aroa too had to ho extended, and an adjoining section was commandeered under tho Public Works Act. Thou a lino billiard saloon was added, and a billiard table costing, it is said, over £2OO found its way there at tho public expense. Thoso are the little bills that Mr Fisher’s motions

are fishing for to enablo members to say exactly how much thoy amount to, whilo Mr Louissou, a staunch supporter of tho Government, is telling

his colleaguos in “another place” that tho indigent taxpayer could do with a little rnoro luxury in the shape of a cheaper breakfast. If tho session is going to progress as it has startod in this highly interesting mannor the working man will find that there aro more profitable things in politics for him to study than amendments in the Labor laws.