Parliamentary Gossip

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4537, 20 July 1883, Page 2

Parliamentary Gossip

FBOM OUS OWtf COBBBSPONDENT.) Wbllihgtos, This day.

On Tuesday tbe Hon W. B. Man tell enquires from the Council, whether they will take any steps to make good the losses the Maori members of tbe Council have sustained through the alleged defalcations of Mr Reraenschneider, the interpreter. It will be hard to know what actiom' they can take, unless they subscribe among themselves and provide the sum so required, and judging them from their past action about money affairs, oru* would conceive, them to be'the last'people to mike any sacrifice: and this further complicity arises —Riem.enschneider says he paid them in full; Mokura says he did not. The way it will be shuffled .o^t of, is, that a conflict of testimony will have arisen. „,. ;.-> .. ■'; ; , ,;. , i; ;,^ \ .

Sir Geo. Grey's Bill goes farther than I thought about Native lands. It renders penal, traffic about native lands until they are through the Court, and prohibits a renewal of leases of leasei lands, while the lease is still current. Tbisis a challenge to the Government to see how far thAy will go: • Apropos to this matter Mr Kelly got np yesterday,, and gave notice that he would this day ask the Government to fix an early, date for •he /discussion of his resolutions. The resolutions, by the ,way, are supposed to be Mr Bryce's. Chief Judge McDonald is being pumped dry daily by, Ministers, 'to obtain hints to amend the law. ;

. - Mr Sbeehan has given notice to ask the .Government on Tuesday if they will place on the estimates a sum of £500 for the Thames Hi gU School, and give: effect to the,recommendations' of Dr Grabham in reference to the Thames Hospital. . The debate last night on the annexation question was well above the level of ordinary debate. Sir George Grey spoke as ha should' always speaL, above all party, unclouded by passidnflike or dislike, and only to the matter in hand. Major Atkinson frequently applauded him. Sir Wm. Pox's work on the West Coast can't be made to spin out longer than another month/ He will then be able to devote himself to lectar" ing boys and girls, and writing in the j Hangitikei Advocate.' AH the interest about West Coast affairs has died out; and, yet;l hear they may again attract attention in an unexpected manner. ! A special committee to deal with the Catholic petitions meets to-day, to elect a Chairman. \Mt Pyke told me yesterday that the aggregate names t> petitions yet in, are about 4000. v '' : Messrs Morris and Sheehan waited on the Government yesterday about your railway; The: difficulty seems to be;~wtnraal,, in the Native Department, but this can be overcome. What took place amounted to nothing beyond an ordinary deputation, and the fixing of a meeting for Tuesday next, when the northern members will more numerously attend. Mr Bitso, I hear, turned out a trump.