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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5150, 25 September 1877, Page 2

Me. Vincent Pykb is determined to get credit as a representative somewhere. His parliamentary career hitherto has not been a distinguished one. During his first session we do not know what he did; during his second he sat on a rail for' a while, • and his opinions as to the measure of the session—the Abolition 1 Act—and as to separation; weto not very clearly defined at, its close. His third term, so to speak, saw him a Government whip,"and the present session sees him a patriot who divides the House on a measure even if he can only find one other member to followhim into his lobby. At, present, however, he does possess a qualification which ho lacked before.' He has got hold of a question all for himself, and oven if the colony refuses to think that question a great one, he is. determined that it shall bo

made so. The Strath Taieri railway is (o; Mr. Pyke what the Bulgrocities are to Mr. Gladstone, what the. Local Option Bill is to Mr. Fox, and what the Tichborne case is to-Dr. Kenealy.. He enlightened the'House upon it the other day, and the result was an Otago free fight; and now it will be seen that he has dragged the Hon. George McLean into it. The member for the Dunstau telegraphed to the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce:— “McLean is doing his utmost in the House, in committee, in lobbies, Bellamy’s, and Cabinet to obstruct construction of Strath-Taieri railway. Have majority, but McLean throws difficulties in the way of division. Can any influence be brought to bear.” The telegram is exceedingly comprehensive, but is unfortunately not in accord with fact. More than one Otago member has assured us that the Hon. Mr. McLean hasneversaid a word to him in connection with the Strath Taieri railway, and as we are loath to believe that Mr. Pyke evolved his statements out of his own inner consciousness, we can only charitably conclude that he has been grossly misinformed by some one or another.