Parliamentary Gossip.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4526, 7 July 1883, Page 2

Parliamentary Gossip.

FEOM OUB OWN COBBEBPONDENT.)

Wellington, Last night.

From a pretty careful examination of the estimates now' before Parliament, it appears that the following division of accounts may be approximately made : — Total amount estimated for the year, in* eluding public workseatimates, £3,938,276; ef this amount £1,554,848 goes fov interest and sinking: fund. For salaries' and wages. £1,768,000; this latter sum of course includes Civil list, pensions, commission on insurance, and sums paid to members and s 'officers of Parliament. There is of coarse no exactness in this calculation, there teing numberless entries such as Hinemou, £8000 ; Stella, £5200; in which labor has to be assessed, apart from the maintenance of the vessels, and analogous charges. Class 8: Educa tion is large, £92,000, but the railways service is much larger, being £636,000; platelayers and all kinds of railway labourers are included in this sum. Class 5: Post and Telegraphs is light-, although every small payment made to country postmasters is included in the sum; £124,000 are down for the public works estimates, salaries of permanent officers only amount to £30,142. Taking, bowever, the moat moderate estimate possible, there is no doubt of the fact that the annual cost of the Civil Service ia far in excess of th" annual payments made for interest and sinking fund on loans, and it is also firmly embedded in the minds of members that the Civil Service is annually increasing largely.

This day

Great trouble is experienced in getting the electric light to work well in the legislature; this results, in my opinion, from gas being employed as a motive pawer, instead of steam, and Dr Lemon's having apparently to puzzle out, by experiment, his mode of procedure. Gas is not steady enough, lam told/as a driving agent. I notice by a printed report that the cost tor 63 lamps in the Government printing office, is two shillings and three halfpence per hour, while (the same illuminating prower from eas would cost four and fourpence halfpenny; the gas engine which is used for driving the House apparatus is in Sydney street in a shed, and makes night hideous with its noise. There is nothing, moving in politics farther than what you know. One effect of this Triennial Parliament Bill is this: when men get in, the first year they know not whit to do, the second year they dislike doing anything, and the third year they wonder what they shall do to coma back again. This house is not a success.