ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 284, 14 August 1874, Page 2

ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

Parson Andrew was not so far wrong after all in his prognostication that the heavenly stranger predicted political strife. Parliamentary affairs have gained impienaely in interest since our last issue. Mr. Macandrew has pronounced the talk of members who fancied Superintendents and their tails objected to the system of State Forests, as being flap-doodle. Like a friend who, When puzzled by some technical word he knows nothing of, says he supposes it's Scotch—so we suppose flap-doodle is some hybrid betwixt

Highland and Lowland. Mr. Reid, not so dexterous in not showing his opposition as his astute chief, gives a practical definition of flap-doodle, which we presume is correct. With him it takes the form of delaying, on all and every pretence, the passing of the Bill, crippled as it is in the amended form in which form, however, it has passed its second reading. Mr. "Vogel has thought it fit to give the option to the Superintendents to of themselves make over the land necessary —consequently he lays himself open to the charge, as put forward by Sir P. D. Bell, of bringing down in its amended form, a Bill comparable to nothing else than a house gutted. The Premier said the" amendments were so simple that a child might understand them. The House was asked unequivocally to pledge itself to the promotion of State forests. If the Bill was passed, it was solely with that object, not to establish departments, and he felt confident the ouject would be heartily responded to from one end of the country to the other. If land for that purpose was placed at the disposal of Government by Superintendents of Provinces, they would be most grateful for the boon. Just before passing, Mr. Wales threw out the following little hint of things that are to be in the future with regard to building and other matters on which tenders are needed: He informed the House that nothing was more difficult of accomplishment than to draw up conditions and specifications so as to secure their fulfilment by tenderers. In fact, it was seriously contemplated now to do away with the practice altogether. How this measure will fare with My Lords of the upper stratum of Parliament remains to be seen. He who rumor says issoon tobetranslatedto that high political atmosphere, if any index at all as like of'like, shows unfavorably. He (Mr. Reynolds) is said to be of opinion thatthe abolition of the Northern Provinces, &c.—the etcetera including State forests—is in advance of its time.—The 'Bruce Herald' "Vagrant" puts out a rumor—it may be suggested by someone who knows, or probably is only a comatose idea—that Mr. Reid will shortA take office in Mr. Vogel's Ministry, and the sinking ship of Provincialism to take care of-itself. We don't believe a word of it. After the tip-toe excitement we rose to on the appearance last week of sensational telegrams in the Ward examination privilege question, it is really <lisgusting to see the outcome. We had visions of a ' Daily Times ' satellite who had slithered in funk from his chair, and. was unmistakeably ill; also rumors of £SO bribes to telegraph clerks to divulge telegrams for the Dimedin Jupiter—all come to this: Mr. Luckie, of Nelson, confessed he sent the telegrams, and Judge Ward gave him the information. The Select Committee report that they found that Judge Ward gave information to Mr. Luckie, who telegraphed the substance to Auckland, and that" it was subsequently reproduced in the Wellington 'Tribune,' and the gentlemen mentioned were entirely responsible for the publication. Then followed the ensuing precious bit of humbug (is this flap-doodle, Mr. Macandrew ?): Mr. Luckie said, as it was due to the forms of the House, he begged to offer an apology for having acted in violation of the usages of Parliament. He wasmuch indebted to the gentleman from whom he obtained the information for the way in which he came forward and told him to use his name as the person who gave him the information. Mr. Luckie then withdrew. Mr. O'Rorke moved that the House accept the apology as satisfactory. He hoped it would not unduly strain its power. Of course the sinner was' pardoned, as in the equally absurd case in our own Provincial Council, where, it will be remembered, the offender and the offended almost got to the length of tears of reconciliation, only to be washed out in the waters of Bellamy's.—Mr. Andrew appears to understand political sarcasm, at least, the little • bit we extract next is, to our mind, most telling: He thought that, as a rule, it would be a bad practice for debates to be adjourned until ' Hansard' was published; but in this case (of the Electoral Qualification Bill) he thought it had happened so most fortunately. "The notes I took," he says, "of the remarks of the hon. memfcer for Dunedin City (Mr. Reynolds) in moving the second reading, were so meagre that any oatside reader might very well say that I was not doing ' him justice if I had merely spoken upon those notes. I turned to the newspapers for information, but I found in one—supposed to be the Government organ—that the Bill had been read a second time, but there was no report of the honorable gentleman's remarks, while the other journals, though more accurate, were equally curt. It is fortunate, therefore, that I have 'Hansard' to refer to." Turning to the Bill, the Conservative parson says many clever things: " I use the term of universal suffrage although I am aware that the late John Stuart Mill, commonly assumed, to be the great authority on these matters, calls it a silly term, because it leaves out oift-half, and that the fairest half, of creation." A little further on he gets more outspoken as against an extension of the suffrage, saying, *' The suffrage is, in my opinion, quite wide enough already. T happened, the other day, to go into a barber's shop to have my hair trimmed. The barber

was a voter, and I spoke to him, as usual upon such occasions, on the subject of arailway in the neighborhood. He complained that the permanent way was not laid. I pointed out to him that there were not sufficient sleepers, and that to put down those at hand would be to lay them to rot before they 'could be used. He remarked, ' What doea it matter ? More will be wanted; more mast be got; and more money will be spent.' I think we have already a sufficient number of persons of that description on the electoral roll." And then comes a plea that, if themeasure is pressed, an electoral privilege should be extended to women also. - parson's heart must be susceptible of much to draw this burst of eloquence: "Sir, women contribute to the taxes from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head—to the very bloom that hides the ravages of time, and makes things pleasant in public and by gaslight." During the same debate, Mr. Luckie told a story related by a Scotch humorist, how he met an acquaintance who was a great radical when he possessed nothing, but had seen reason to change his opinions. " Ah, John," said he to his acquaintance, '' you've changed your opinions." John replied, " Oh, I'm obliged to change my opinions: a coo now." The possession of the " coo " or " a sheep " makes men "careful _.• •: • so that not a horn or a fleece of their property should be injured. Mr. Vogel thought that the longer we live in this Co-lony—-for a considerable time, at any rate—the greater will be the tendency of persons not to live in houses of their own, but to adopt the American system of living in firstclass hotels. The Bill is, meanwhile) withdrawn. It may come on again towards the end of the session, but probably will not, unless another session of the present Parliament is not intended.—Mr. Reid evidently had lingering memories in his ear when he uttered the following, in reply to Mr. Rolleston, who had advocated what appeared to be an extension of power to Superintendents: " The hon. gentleman had assured the House that a Superintendent was elected by a majority of the people of the Province, but it did not therefore follow that he was in many respects superior to those who were members of the Provincial Council. It was well known that m these matters personal popularity went a long way. Mr. Luckie said it seemed to him that the discussion which had taken - place between three honorable gentlemen filling liigli official positions in Provinces n. the Middle Island, indicated something like an approach of the end. There was an assumption, of semi-regal dignitv to an extent which would indicate what he believed the people at large would hail with satisfaction,

tin approach to the end of Provincial institutions as they were now carried on. . . ." -—Mr. Bradshaw, in a valuable speech we Bhall again refer to, quotes an authority who 'states "that in one brickfield at Moxley I found a girl of twenty-four making 2,000 bricks a day, and having two girls—one fifteen and the other sixteen years of age—to carry clay and lay her bricks. These girls had to carry ten tons of clay, which she (the brickmaker) used in the day, up the slippery sides of the pit, from a depth of about ten yards and over a distance of about seventy yards." —We wished to niche Mr. Mervyn into our column, but having ransacked two ' Hansards ' and baskets-full of paper, we can find no trace of his efforts in Parliament since that little encouragement Mr. Richardson gave him anent the Sludge Channel. No doubt he is vigilant as ever, and, we note, attended the caucus of Ota£o members who -agreed to oppose Mr. Vogel's original State Forests proposals. With that glimpse of life we must leave him. Mr. Shepherd has done good service in insisting on his Bill dealing With the pollution of rivers. He would have done better if ho had consented to sink his miserable egotism, and trust a measure of each importance to other hands. But the leopard could not change his spots. Dunstan invariably prefers himself to the possible advantage of thoao ho represents.—The Hon. Mr. Kohere did not .come to call in the' Upper House. A friend, the Hon. Mr. Ngatata, explained that, as he lived at a distance, and at a place very difficult of access, it was very probable he had not received notice of call. He moved that the hon. member be excused. What a miserable farce—a member of Parliament not supposed to know that Parliament was sitting.— The latest ' Star' telegrams to hand Btate that the Polynesian Company's Guarantee Bill proposes to guarantee five per cent, for fifty years. Interest on one quarter of a million only to be guaranteed for the first two years; during the next two on half a million, and for the remaining period on one million. Power is to be reserved to suspend the company's functions, if in the opinion of the Govenor in Council the affairs of the company are not conducted with vigor and prudence, or if at any time after three years from the date of the agreement thero is due by the company to the Government, £IOO,OOO. The Loan Bill asks power to raiso £4,000,000 for different purposes; £3,000,000 for railway construction ; £50,000 for works on the Gold fields ; £60,000 for roads in the North Island ; £50,000 for immigration ; £390,000 for pub--I*o works, buildings, telegraphs, and other purposes. The Public Revenues Act provides for the appointment of two Commissioners of Audit, with salaries of £9OO per annum ; the present Comptroller and Audit-General to be the first Commissioners, with an increase to their salaries of £IOO each.