Notes and Events.

Manawatu Herald, 31 August 1893, Page 3

Notes and Events.

The two Ministers — Premier and Colonial Treasurer — do not agree. In the Budget, the Treasurer remarked on the interesting fact that people were being attracted to this colony. The Premier, why ? very soon after that statement was made, telegraphed to Australia to stop the influx. It is funny when it's read ihis way. One Minister rejoices, the other countermands. Let Ministers in their little nest agree.

" Trade and commerce are active and increasing," is another assertion the Treasurer has got to substantiate. He is a Southern representative and therefore must be aware of the contrary, the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce having only lately mentioned how dull all business is, and declared that in glancing at the staple linos of the New Zealand trade it was rather difficult to find any items of a very re assuring nature. These two items do not lead one to suppose that the Treasurer is iv the running as a second George Washington.

A very, very wicked member of the House of Representatives, and there are some, though of course such a statement bhould be received with considerable doubt, has said, " There is nothing new in the proposals of the Colonial Treasurer in this Budget. It reminds me very much of a travelling circus in depressed circumstances." A dreadful remark as our loaders will admit, and, for a wonder, it called for no question of privilege from the Premier, for which circumstance, knowing well his general delight to object to remavWs made by the Opposition, leads us to believe he must have been absent or asleep.

Asleep ! is it a fact that the Premier sleeps in the House during a debate? The little difference in the accounts last year of £90,000, being tbat sum less than what Ministers took credit for, was explained by the Premier this session, as having arisen from his having been asleep when his attention was called to this error. So that the suggestion that the gentle Premier slept during the remarks we have have referred to, is no far-ietched piece of ima^ina-

tion

Not being interrupted the hon. member pursued his remarks thusly — " They advertise all their old threadbare tricks as new, and thus beguile the public, who think they are getting new proposals when practically it is all the same old story over again. It is a new edition of old posters. We have a new edition of the Bailways Bill, and a new edition of the Shop-hours Bill. We have a vamped-up aged Electoral Bill, which, as a sporting-man would say, is not a " trier " in this race. We have a second edition of the Boarding house keepers Bill, and we have the fortieth edition of the Municipal Councils Bill, and about the thirtieth edition of the Criminal Code Bill. Last year the policy of the Government climaxed in a Bankruptcy Bill and a Manure Bill. This year a Codlin-moth Bill croons their work."

Alas, alas, this audacious member related to friends and foes the following " horrible tale " : — " A member of the Opposition," please note, dreamt that ho went to the infernal regions (which seems just possible), and that Satan went round to show him everything, and that he saw there a number of people burning, and at last came to a stack that was not burning. When he asked Satan why it was not burning, Satan replied, * Ok! those aye tho Ministers and Government members who be* lieve iv the veduotion of the public debt : they are staoked there now because they are too green to burn."