WEEKLY BULLETIN.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5498, 9 November 1878, Page 2

WEEKLY BULLETIN.

(From tho New Zealand Mail.) After the flurry of the last hours of the session, there has been a short spell of political rest. ■ Ministers are already oft", and tho policy of habitual absence from their offices and from tho seat of Government will not, it appears, be departed from during the recess. Tho Premier, through his new Press Agenoy ; has challenged the “Lords” to fight him next session for the championship. Mr. Manders, the honorable member for Wakatip, who it appears holds strong and unfavorable opinions about tho Legislative Council, is, perhaps, to be Sir George Grey’s second, with Mr. J. 0. Brown as bottle-holder. We J extract the following from ' a notification which is said to have recently appeared in an Auckland journal:—“lt is confidently “ expected in well-informed political “ circles that tho Ministerial policy next “ session will be of a character for bold- “ ness wholly unprecedented in the his- “ tory of tho colony. Sir George Grey “ has, it is said, become convinced that a “ groat constitutional struggle is pending “ between the two branches of tho Legia- “ lature, and has resolved that the battlo- “ ground shall bo of his own choosing, “ and that the fight shall take place at “ his own time. It is also rumored “ in tho same well-informed circles

“ that Sir George contemplates pre- “ cipitating the struggle next session.” The choice of a Cavalier has not, we believe, yet been made by the Council, but we assume that the duty of pulling down his “beaver” and putting his lance in rest against the old knightly opponent would naturally devolve upon Mr. Chamberlin in his occasional character as leaderof the Opposition, having the Honorable Mr. Martin and the Honorable Mr. Reynolds, the youngest members of the Council, as his squires. The day of the fight will be a great day “ intirely;” Paddy Mubihy may bo expected to write a “ pome ” on the occasion ; an enterprising hotel-keeper in this city, it is said, is already making preparations for a monstrous Sweep, with guinea tickets. The railway administration in this North Island is not, wo have reason to believe, quite as successful or satisfactory to the public as might be expected under the now and improved management. Trains run into each other here and there ; there is trouble about stores; waggons are short, and altogether a good many difficulties which ought no doubt to have afflicted the Public Works Department under the “Continuous Ministry,” —but somehow did not do so, —have reserved themselves for the annoyance of their successors. We note that Ministers have been good enough to suggest that in order to get over the waggon difficulty a “ Waggon Company” should bo set on foothere, tokeeptheDunedin job in countenance and to show that they are disposed to be impartial in wasting the public money. We are not, however, able to understand why the Government cannot buy or make waggons for themselves with money at five per cent., or on what public grounds Mr. Macandhew should find it beneficial to hire rolling stock at such rates as will pay the adventurers in such a speculation 20 per cent, on their capital. Some “fellah,” no doubt, understands it, but our capacity, like Mr. Weller’s “wision ” —in regard to the power of seeing through a door and two pair of stairs—is “limited.’’ The European news, by cablegrams and through special correspondents, duringthe last few days, has been of a sensational character. The low price of consols, 90£ in London on the 2nd instant, and a bank rate of 6 per cent., are signs of an uneasy time. But from such fragmentary intelligence it is unsafe to draw any conclusions as to the future of the great game which is being played by the Powers on the other side of the line. In our city rival candidates for the Mayoralty are in the field. Mr. Dransfield, the present occupant of the civic chair, would, it was expected, have been quietly allowed to servo the burgesses for a second year, but Mr. Hutchison, a former Mayor, thinks that he himself ought now to have another turn. The records of the municipality during Mr. Hutchison’s later term of office showed so mtich administrative laxity as made a clean sweep of the official staff appear to be necessary ; and that change was accordingly effected. Although Sir. Hutchison may bo of opinion that the action taken in regard to the illegal issue of a cheque for £2970 for “extras,” to which ho was a party, in favor of the contractor for the City Waterworks “was a political job,” and that “it has worn out now,” he may find that ho is mistaken. He is a fluent speaker, and his “plank” is the “popular” one ; but the working men in Wellington are themselves ratepayers, and they may require some better security against risk of wasteful expenditure of their money than Mr. Hutchinson can give them by reference to his past administration. Mr. Dransfield will address the citizens on Tuesday evening next. In another place will be found a summaiy of the result of the census of the Maori people of the Colony, which has recently been laid before Parliament. It reveals the. melancholy fact that in four years the decrease in the number of the Natives has been 3319. The population which in 1874 was 46,061 souls is now returned at 42,819. A letter from the Waikato correspondent of the New Zealand Times, which we have reprinted elsewhere, gives a picture of the kind of “friendly relations” which Sir George Grey has “at last succeeded in establishing with the King’s people and with their allies at Taranaki, the accuracy of which may wo believe be relied on.