POLITICAL ITEMS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1647, 15 October 1887, Page 2

POLITICAL ITEMS.

Mr Bat lance has siren notice of a Bill to amend the Municipal Corporation! Act by empowering municipal corporations to impose a tax not exceeding £IOO on Chinese engaging in business in boroughs. It is requested that the Crown, and Native Lands Rating Act will bo repealed: this session. Rumor has it that Sir George Grey has stipulated that in return for his support the Government shall support hie Law Practitioners, Limitation of Votes, and Land Acquisition Bills. Mr Fyke will reintroduce his Bill (or the completion of the Otago Central Railway by means of land grants. At a meeting of Protectionist members it was decided to take no action until the Government proposals wore brought, down. At a meeting of the Opposition Sir Julius Vogel was elected leader. The Lyttelton Times’ Wellington correspondent telegraphed pu Thursday, night Sir Julins Vogel in his speech the Address-in-Reply expressed alarm at ~ Mr Graham’s proposal to raise the railway rates, and went on to chaff tbe new Ministers io a fashion equally bland, deliberate, and unmerciful. The sheep had been got into the Atkinson slaughterhouse by the use of wethers who had ran ahead of the inexperienced mob, and disappeared when business began. Majpjt Atkinson was at the bead of the Ministry, but then the Premier himself would hardly say he was (here by the voice of the people. All the Opposition had either declared against him on the platform or hnd said as little about him as possible. One gentleman, nn Aucklander, hnd indeed eulogised him very highly, but the result had been that this gentlsman had had to go to a doctor sad get a certificate of sanity. (Rears of laughter). Mr Fisher was in the Ministry because he had threatened that if left out be would "make it hot" for the Cabinet, As for Mr Hislop, he was like the apple which puM'ed His Majesty Qsorgo the Third, How the devil bad he got l into the dumpling! With deliberate i slowness snd hesitation, Sir Julius read an extract from Mr Hislop’i speech at Oamaru last month, wheren Major Atkinson’s remarkable colleague had dubbed him as " vacciHating, too commnnistih, and unfit to be at the h 'ad of any Government.’’ The Opposition applauded and laughed with rare enjoyment, while poor Mr Hislop looked as eminently unhappy and as uncomfortably furious as a young Minister feeling the lash for the first time could well look.. Altogether, Sir Julius was in ra r e form, and his party must have felt that ail doubts to the fighting quality of their new leader were set at rest.