POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 2 July 1880, Page 2

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

(fKOM OTJE OWN COBiEESpOHDENT). i .WELLINGTON', July 2. . The Estimates will not be brought; on again to-day. The Government'are in a quandary, and wish to see how the land lies . before. resuming their consideration. The Ministry are sorely embarrassed; by the-action of their supporters, who seem to be divided in opinion as to the course to be pursued in regard to the: re-model-, ling of the financial'policy. The Govern-., ment hold a caucus to-morrow to consider the situation. The no-confidence v debate closed last night.' The spirits- of hon. members rose •perceptibly when Mr. De Lautour.made an excellent and judicious • speech. He was ; followed by Mr. Shrimski and .others, as you already know. Seeing that the result' of the division was ft foregone conclusion, : the proceedings, -lacked . the excitement necessary to maintain interest, and the House thinned towards the close. Many of the recognised men of ability' in the House refrained from '-speaking on the, motion, which had been worn so threadbare as to be nauseous, and several .members spoke merely for the. sake< of being able to say that they had entered their protest'. "When the division came i off,-many members on both sides entered the lobbies with heavy hearts. Those l voting with the Government felt tfrey ' were in one sense upholding the policy of the Ministry, and that against.'their o.wn convictions ; whilst those voting with th% Opposition felt that they could at best .obtain, but a very. milcl victory. "Ely division .was not viewed , as, a tsst ; strength of t&e Government, but as."/. aI - i ndication of an anxiety- to< ■ proceed T '.vitl the. business. Hopes, are now- enterfe Unei that the session will cloaa withir twi : months. ;

In Committee of Supply, -at tl? .e close' of-the debate, the Premier .said-, during the 7 discussion oil the Estimates , that'the cost of transmitting letters via 'Brindisi is as follows :—The Imperial C.overnment twopence, ;Yictorian Government sixpence, and sixpence subsidy "between' this Colony and Victoria ; so th?.t there is loss to the Colony; on every lett.er sent by this route of sixpence. - The Premier signified 'that he would suggest , to- the Governiaent;the desirableness of collecting "an.additional; twopence:. The suggestion seemed io ./meet. Avifh approval. ; Tho Premier'also "said that* with a view to economy, a large number of post. and telegraph . offices ' had been amalgamated,.rand, that others would be .seryed. .similarly. Those departments at' Hampden ara amongst the number. He said the special trains for the conveyance of the Suez mails, the cost of which had been credited to the Railway Department, would be- discontinued; also, that a three-monthly service by the Stella on the West Coast, when on her usual trip, j would' be' substituted • for the present} monthly service* ai - ; j

A warm debate, as usual, ensued on the manner in which; the Estimates should be treated, during which numerous speakers expressed themselves as suspicious of the Government's promises of retrenchment and as desirous that the Estimates should be reduced by L 300,000 or so. The Government are considering the position. With reference to the Oamaru Hospital it has been intimated that the proposed Bill is not acceptable either to the Corporation or the County Council. It j s thought by the Oamaru members of both Houses that the Government should contribute £ for £, and that the management should remain as at present. The Oamaru members will again immediately interview the Minister for Public Works, who promised to bring the Dun-J troon-Hakateramea railway before the ' Cabinet. Ministers are favorable, and proceedings are only delayed till they complete the Maerewhenua bridge, and the, extension will be undertaken immediately. AThe following colloquy occurred during the course of Mr. M'Lean's speech :—fie. ventured to divine a reason for Mr. Hislop's resignation in such a manner as to raise the indignation of Mr. Shrimski. The following is the Hansard report of the occurrence : ;

Mr./M'Lean : I feel . convinced that many hon. gentlemen on the opposite side have no.sympathy with theit; leaders, and I believe that if the reasons which induced a late hon. member to leave this House were traced to < the bottom they would be found- to be a refusal.to act with the Opposition any longer coupled with a disinclination to change sides. Mr. Shrimski: I rise to a point of order, sir. The hon.; gentleman, in reference to a person no .longer a member of this House,has' said he because he "would not go over to> the"?: although :,' he knew? he dught to- 'do so., *1 .believe the hon ( . gentleman is referring to my late col}league,and ; -if such is the case, I begfej contradict the statement. -s - - 1 Mr. Speaker: There is no < poimfa. 0 f tirder in .that. 1 , ,-i -Mf.TM'Lean-: It 'is astonishimg how touchy. some hon. ! members ,ap>pear to I become »when I get. on my. legs. I was. i merely surmising <that the' hon.-member's-late 1 colleague./resigned > for -some such! reason as I ; In the-Upper,-House, Captain Fraser who moved .for a select committee toenquire into the management of the Otago> Industrials School, said that many mem:bers -' iW_ere- of sopirooni : that .it . would be# convenient to have- ai local investigation and Jhat this wo.ul'd. meet his views wish regard it. Mr. Martin said the grounds on which the Committee was'called f oar by the hon.- member went to prove the necessity for an investigation. ■; (PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Wellington, ."Inly 5L In the House of Representatives today, Sir William Fox gave noti«e to move that the Education-Act be amended, so as to- permit the, reading of . the Bible in public schools, subject to a time table and conscience cause. ' i