PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2010, 3 August 1880, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

[Br Tblbgeaph.] [JEOM OCB OWN OOBBBBPONDBNT.] WELLINGTON, August 2. I hear that the Public Works statement will not bo ready for delivery to-morrow evening, as expected, but Mr Oliver is hard at work at it, and hopes to bring it down some time in the course of this week.

Arrangements are being made to amalgamate the office of Deputy Commissioner under the Property Assessment Act with some other office, in every case practicable one officer discharging both functions. This, of course, is with a view to farther retrenchment.

Letters received by the Government per the San Francisco mail state that Sir J. Yogel is suffering from a severe attack of gout, and it is understood that his illness has assumed rather a serious form.

The Cabinet was engaged to-day with the Solicitor-General on the Representation Bill, which is still undergoing modification. I hoar that in its present shape it will increase the numerical strength of the House by six European members, making ninety in all, or ninety-four including the four Maori members, whoso number it is not proposed to increase. In addition to these six new seats two more will be rendered available by the docking of one “from Nelson (Motueka and Oollingwood), and returning one jointly, and one from Nelson city. Nelson suburbs and the Waimea boundaries will be re-arranged so as to form three districts, each returning one member. Auckland, Taranaki, Napier, Marlborough and Westland remain in statu quo, but Wellington gains one member. This leaves seven to distribute, and, I believe, four will go to Canterbury, including one for Sydenham, and three to Otago. All the constituencies will be single ones, that is returning only one member each, excepting Wanganui, which will continue to return two, owing to the practical impossibility of defining the boundary between town and country. The distribution is to be nearly as possible 5400 population for city and town districts, and 4300 for country districts. Every effort is being made to preserve existing boundaries as far as practicable in order to avoid confusion, and where this cannot be effected the boundaries are to be continuous with the road districts or county. It is the extreme difficulty of arranging this that has caused the delay in circulating the Bill, which even now is not expected to be ready for a few days.