WELLINGTON POLITICS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 321, 3 May 1877, Page 3

WELLINGTON POLITICS.

(From the " Daily Times.") The "Wellingtonians are a 'cute and enterprising folk. They have always got some great scheme in hand. Their latest project seems to be a Parliamentary Opposition all to themselves, of which Sir William Fitzherbert would be the chieftain and Mr. Travers first lieutenant. The project is not a bad one, and ought to work well for Wellington. Sir George Grey, Mr. Macandrew, Mr. Rolleston, and the other personages who have hitherto led the Opposition, would, we presume, retire on half-pay. The secrets of the programme of the new Opposition have not yet been revealed. The important question of " lunch " at the Government Buildings would doubtless occnpy an honoured place in it, and amongst its other cardinal features a rigid curtailment of Government expenditure in the Empire City, and brief sessions of the General Assembly, would, of certainty, figure. Good times are surely in store for New Zealand. This is not the only recent instance of mental activity on the part of the Wellingtonians. Mr. Pearce resigned his seat in the House of Representatives, and forthwith two candidates appeared. One was a clever man, and the other was not; yet, nevertheless, departing from their fixed rule of electing nonentities as their representatives, the Wellingtonians actually returned the former. It was a hard mental struggle, as the closeness of

the polling testified ; still, they did it, although they do not appear to be quite satisfied that they acted rightly on the occasion. Then, since the session of the Assembly closed, there have been in the local journals a number of onslaughts upon the Civil Service and the Ministry, characterised by almost as much vigour as is displayed in stage combats, while other manifestations of excitement are visible. During the election contest between Mr. Travers and Mr. Hutchison, mysterious whispers went about as to the possibility of tue interests of Wellington (not of the Colony) being put in peril, ami the need for a man of mark to defend them. It is evilent the Wellingtoniaus are much disturbed in mind about something or another. They should not, however, talk of turning the Ministry out of cilice. It has done a good ileal for them.