POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 26 August 1880, Page 2

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

(FROM othr

(BY TELEGRAPH EROM CHRISTCfIUttCft. Wellington, August 2a,

It is. probable the session will close this week: The Grown and Native Lands Rating and the Local Public Works Bills have been abandoned. In lieu thereof, half the subsidies for the nine months ending 31st March will be paid, but will the Government take the 20 per cent, from the land fund hitherto paid to the counties. So the sacrifice is Hot very great. It is understood that the Hinemoa leaves on Friday, at 10 p.m. , with the Northern members, and the Southern members go by the Hawea on the morning of the same day. .It is probable, however, that the'discussion which will take place, on the altered financial proposals of the Ministry will delay the prorogation, if some, concession is not. made, The reduction of the Beer Tax was made on the Wition of Mr. Ballance, eighteen Government supporters and one of their whijjs voting against the Minis try. J , The' Legal Practitioners Amendment I Bill -was rejected by -the Council by. a large majority. This has created; 'cbnv siderable disgust.in quarters. Sir Gt. j Grey will intefod\vje aBjlJ providing that • anyone t%1^0. : can : pass an examination,' whethey. he has been artioled or not, shall; bp admitted to the bar. i

| The newspaper special wire has been abolished after a pretty warm discussion. I Sir George Grey admittedly made the most amusing speech that ever he made in the House on the financial proposals of ,the Government. For "half an hour, he pointed out the ridiculous and extraordinary position the Government .occupied in consequence of the speech 0# slr. Wood, which was virtually a vote of confidence. The wks kept 11 ■ ' '

in a continuous state of merriment by the 1 witty allusions, and Sir George Grey himI self was in an exceedingly happy mood, iHe introduced Hans Anderson's fairy . tale of the Invisible Clothes, and said a man undertook to make suits of clothing that could be seen by good people only. He made a suit for the King which everybody cuuld see, because not to do so 1 would be tantamount to confessing that people were not good. The King's vestments were greatly admired until one day some one dared to tell the truth, and say that the King was walking the streets in a state of nudity, and the bubble burst. The Government were in the position of this King. Notwithstanding what had been said to the contrary, they were wearing invisible clothes. The Treasurer had first been divested of his coat, then of his vest, and then of his breeches, till at last he would have stood 011 the floor of the House in all his naked deformity, had it not been for the garments which he had stolen from his predecessor, but which hung about him in tatters. He concluded by calling the Ministry a naked and impotent rabble. He received cheering and personal congratulations from all sides for his impromptu witty aally, in whicli there was a great deal of truth told with singular and 'eloquent forcibleness.