PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1802, 29 November 1879, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

[Bt Teieoeaph.]

[PEOM DUE COBEESPONDENTO.]

WELLINGTON, November 28.

Sir George made a feeble effort re Christchurch election this afternoon, and only a few words from Mr Hall were said in reply. It was evident that Sir G. Grey’s own party did not wish a discussion or a division. About twenty of the party have been holding meetings to improve their leadership and organisation, and are evidently tired of their present leaders. No one of the leaders has proved a success. Mr Macandrew, besides being slow of speech, is so utterly oblivious of the necessity of means to accomplish an end that no one believes in him. Mr Ballance can speak on parade, but always fails in a fight. Mr Montgomery has quite lost any power of speech he ever had, so that no one can listen to him. Mr Stewart’s great over-estimate of himself seemed to deceive his friends for a time, but now he is universally admitted to be a perfect failure. Mr DeLautour on the other hand, though slow, spiritless, heartless, and with a weak disagreeable Yankee twang, is a very reliable man, can always tattle respectably upon any subject, and if he takes a long time about it he chooses the right road at last. Then he is not so aggressive as Mr Hislop, and never descends so low, and he is equally reliable at any time of the night or morning, so that he is decidedly a rising man with his party, and in the absence of anyone else at all promising, must take a lead. Mr Andrews undertook to enlighten the House this afternoon by a long speech on Native affairs, and got much snubbed for his presumption by the northern European members ; but Tawhai undertook to defend him, and said that it was a good thing that such members should speak upon things that they knew nothing about, as it made other members eet up to answer them, who did know something. The estimates bid fair to be all got through to-night. The most liberal Land Bill ever yet passed in New Zealand went through Committee last night. It is understood that the delivery of the Public Works Statement has been delayed as long as possible, in the hope that some satisfactory news might be received in regard to the prospects of floating the new loan, so that the Ministerial proposals as to Public Works might take a more favorable shape than they otherwise would. It is thought Ministers will obtain conditional authority to proceed with various works in the event of the necessary funds being available. The members present yesterday at the meeting of the “ young ” members of the House of Representatives were : Messrs George, Hamlin, Harris, McDonald, Speight, Tole, Levin, J. B. Fisher, Allwright, Reeves, Turnbull, Reid, Seddon, J. O. Brown, Einn, Hislop, Ireland, Shanks, and Shrimski. Mr George has resigned the position of whip of the Macandrew party.