POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2625, 5 September 1882, Page 3

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

[mom the <f PEEsa/'J WELLINGTON, September 4. A report relative to the rabbit nuiiicea was laid on the table to night After relating what has been done daring the past year towards miiiga ing the rabbit pest, the Inspector expresses the opinion that •• the introduction of the natural enemy of the rabbit is the only thorough solution of the matter and he seggesfs that Acclimatisation Societies should aid in the work. He also recommends that the Government shonld let to private persons the waste lands infested! with rabbits for such terms as would indomnify these for destroying the rabbits. H» fears the pest will for some years continue to be an annual tax on landowners.

At to-day’s sitting Mr J. W. Thomson, member for the Olutha, gave notice of the following motion relative to the Governorship of New Zealand : —’’That iu the opinion of this House the protracted absence of the Governor from the colony is unconstitutional, and discourteous to the colony, and fraught with serious consequences to the mother country, to the colonies generally, and to this colony in particular. That the Secretary of State for the Colonies should request the Governor to return immediately - to the colony, or should cancel his appointment, and that in future appointments the Secretary of State for the Colonies shonld take care to appoint a Governor who will not absent himself from the colony, especially when the Parliament is in so is'onj and that a special aidrees be presented to the officer administer* mg the Government, requesting him to . r* 1 ® the above resolution to the Secretary of State for the Colonies.” Mrßathgate bos tabled a notice of motion for Thursday next to the effeot'that it ia the opinion of the House (I) that all important Q-oyernment ihouid ba circulated by sending copies to chairmen of County Connoils, Mayors of boroughs, and members of Assembly, at least two months before the commencement of the session, as is usuallydone by the Imperial Government. (2) That the estimates be laid before this House on the first day of the session, according to the rules followed in the United States of America, France, Belgium, Italy, and the other continental natio s poesestir g constitutional government. (3) That the imoroper practice of supplementary estimates, under which large sums are dealt with in a burriad manner, end after many of the members have left for their homes, be discontinnad.” The reason assigned for this motion is in order to obviate the cost’y waste of time resulting from the delay of the Government in bringing down their most important measures till after Parliament has been mo*e than three months in session.

. -A- rather cnricm and unusual point ia the direction of a breach of privilege was raised to-day. It seems two or three select committee* continued to lit and transact business after the House had met at eh- en o’clock without haring previously reoei ud the tanctioh of the Home. Mr Macandrew drew attention to this, whereupon the Colonial Treasurer moved that the committee hare 1* are to sit until a quarter-past twelve. Sir John Hall protested against such a proposal. He mentioned he was a member cf the special rating for railways committee, which he found had been sitting since half-past ten o’clock this morning. As there was no notice on the order paper of any meetings of Select Committees, and in view of the fact that committees had not obtained leave to sit, ho thought 1m was justified in having come to the conclusion that the committee in question would not meat to day. Consequently he had been deprived of a fair voice in any discussion that committee might have arrived at. He certainly did not think it right that the proceeding* of committees should receive the ex post facto sanction of the House, and,, therefore, he should vote against the motion. On the question being put, Sir John called for a division, and the motion was negatived, by 40 to 24. In answer to Mr Hutchison, the Speaker stated that the whole badness which might have been transacted by the Select Committees since the House met to day was illegal, and would have to be gone over again.

Mr Daniel asked whether the Government, having been defeated cn the point, wished to take time to consider their position. This rather worn out jest brought down upon Mr Daniel the wrath of the Speaker, wholectured him for “ trifling with the House.” Mr Turnbull has given notice that tomorrow he will ask the Oolonu l Secretary if ho will cause enquiry to be made intci the case of one Frank Burns, who was receniTydisofcargod from the Lyttelton gaol under peculiar circumstances j also, if he will take the necessary steps to prevent the sending of impecunious sick men to gaol as vagrants. Mr Mollraith is to ask the PostmasterGeneral to-morrow if it is not practicable ta abolish the postage on telegrams de ivered in a Post office or building where received or within a mile radius on the same day. Mr George will ask the Postmaster General to consider the question of forwarding frsc of postage i'i future all telegrams which may require to be forwarded to their destination by post. Mr Vincent Pyke already has brought the grievances of the police in respect of their wages under the notice of Parliament several

times, and he will follow the matter np to* morrow by asking the Minister of Defence—(l) What per csntage did the police get refunded subiequent to the tea per cent reduction ? (2) Is it not a fact that the man are now receiving 8d per day less than they did previous to the ten per cent, reduction P (3) I* it not a fact that in consequence of each reduction the police have had only 5 per cent, of their former pay returned to them instead of the 10 per cent, restored to all other departments of the public service r <md (4) will the Minister take action to this inequality by restoring tho 6d per day, equal to 5 per cent., wli;h is still deducted from their pay. It it, cf course, mere then doubtful whether most of these motions wilx ever be reached at all.

In the Legislative Council to-day the Native Affairs committee made a report recommending that the Native Land Act Amendment Bill, end Native Land Division Bill should bo allowed to proceed without amendments, and that the Native Reserves Bill be allowed to proceed with certain amendments indicated. Many of thees amendments ate purely verbal or technical, bat others are more important, for instance, all the sub-sections in clause 8 relating to the powers and liabilities of trustee are struck out, but generally the alterations are merely in the direction of greater clearness and precision. The waste lands committee of tbs Council will report on the Land Act Amendment Bill to-morrow. I understand they have struck out Mr McKenzie's clause limiting the pastoral holding to 20,000 sheep. With this amendment, and perhaps come other ones, the Bill will pass committee. Sir Q-. Grey allowed his Elective Lard Boards Bill to go up to the Legisi.-.tive Council without asking any councillor to take charge of it. When the Speaker asked if any councillor would act as its sponsor there was no reply, and so the Bill remained kicking, about until to day, when the Hon. Mr Wilson undertook to father it, and moved its second reading, but this was negatived by 2G to 8. Tbe division list was as fellows; Ayet: Messrs P. A. Buckley, Dignsa, Fraser, Lahmann, Martin, Raynoldf, Whitmore, Wilson. Noes (20) : Messrs Aclend, Bonar, Pratt, Chamberlain, Grace, Gray, Kart, Holmes, G. W. Johnston, McLean, Merzies, Miller, Oliver, Peters, Pollen, Scotland, Stevens, Whitaker, Wigley, Williamson, Tho Council to day swept the Order Paper abselutcly clean, but there are already twentytwo orders of the day £cr to-morrow. It has been a bitterly dull day in the Lower House. Almost the only notable feature being Mr Bryce’s very strong and outspoken utterances respecting the Native representatives and the Native affairs committee. He was never more rmpha'.io or distinct, and put it very plainly to t c Maoris, that if they did not exhibit a better and more cosmopolitan spirit, the Home would have very seriously to reconsider the whole question of Maori representation, while it would assuredly have to deal vrith the Native affair* committee next session. The local Bills are going steadily and swiftly through the committee, and bid fair to have a comparatively e,-.ey transit to the Statute Book. I notice, by the way, an error in the transmission of one of my telegrams last week as to tho attitude of the local bodies towards tho scheme. I telegraphed that the North Island bodies almost unanimously “ approved " it, and alto a majority of the South Island, but the word w;a transmitted “ opposed,” which made it wholly contrary. I ’understand the Public Worts estimate!are not at all likely to come down 10-night. they are nearly ready, but the Governro?^ « want to git the Local Govern tne nt act t of the way first, and tho Lean Bill* on again.