PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Thames Star, Volume XVII, Issue 5170, 12 August 1885, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

[By Telegraph.] (from own ova cobkespondent.)

Wellin&ton, Last night. Political matters appear to be approaching a crisis. Yesterday I informed you that Messrs Montgomery, Barron, and Capt. Sutter had seceded from the Government, and their action seems to be Tery generally applauded by members of

a House mow thoroughly dissatisfied with the submissiveness aud vacoillalion of the Government. Writing on the situation, the Post this morning says :—" Ministers are evidently writhing under the position into which thpy have brought ibeniselves. Submissive as they hare hitherto been, the limit of their compliance is, we Fancy, pretty well reached;; the most, timid animals will turn to bay when too hard pressed, and we shall riot bo surprised to find the Stout-Vogel Ministry ero lon £ screw its courage lo the sticking placp, announce a distinct and definite policy, and challenge the House to accept or. reject it. -Letthat policy be what it will, tho House, in its present temper, . will.'almost certainly reject it, nnd then the Ministry may not improbably appeal to the higher Court of the electorates. In plain words, it is by no means unlikely that the present session will end in a dissolution. It would be perhaps as good an ending for it as any which could be devised. Between the Ministry nnd the House, between the various sections of the House, and it is even rumored between the members of the Ministry themselves, there is a hopeless incoropaiibility of temper. In such a condition of affairs, the sooner the ties which bind them all together are dissolved the' better. The present Ministry certainly has not a working majority at its command in the House, but it is very do btful indeed whether a direct vote of wantof-cotifidenco would array an absolute majority against them. There are rumors that Mr Brj?ce or Mr Ormond will make the experiment, but even if a majority c.juld be got to support such a motion, neither, nor both these gentlemen could, even with the aid of Mr Montgomery, hope to command the support of a majority for any Ministry they mightbe able to. form. If the present Ministry were turned out, the state of chaos which existed at the commencement of the present Parliament last year would be restored, but with greatly increased difficulties in the way of evolving order from it. Under all circumstances, au appeal to the electors really appears the only way of restoring a healthy tone to the Legislature, and once more enabling party Government to be established on fairly 4efined lines." I send you this rather lengthy extract because I think it fairly grasps the situation. It was rumored this morning that the Government intended resigning this afternoon, but the rumor turned out to be quite without foundation. A good deal of scheming is still going on to bring about a no confidence motion, but all the scheming in the world will result in nothing unless Mr Ormond and Major Atkinson can agree to work together—that, to mj mind, is the solution of the present difficulty. If Major Atkinson were inclined to give Mr Ormond a passive kind of support, and refrain from taking office himself, I believe the member for Napier would be successful in ousting the Government and in forming a very strong party about him —too strong, perhaps, Atkinson thinks, for the head of the Continuous Ministry does not desire to remain out longer than necessary. I believe something is hatching in this direction. Major Atkinson and Mr Ormond were in a fair way towards settling their differences before the leader of the Opposition loft for Taranaki. Now that he has gone, fresh scheming has commenced, in which Messrs Holieston and Bryce are mixed up, and a telegram has been despatched to Major Atkinson desiriDg his return to Wellington. It is plain that this portends some-, thing of which we shall know more when Major Atkinson returns. Sir Julius Vogel is to make a supplementary financial statement to-morrow, in consequence of the battering Government have had over their financial proposals, and the falling off in the revenue. This day. The House went into Committee on the Wow Zealand State Forests Bill on clause 26, providing that railways may be made to develope State Forests. Objections were raised by Messrs Rolleston, Grey, and Montgomery, and the clause was eventually struck out; the remaining clause and schedule were passed without amendment, and the bill was read a third time and passed. The Resident Magistrates Court Proceedings Validation Bill was read a third time and passed, and the House rose at 1 a.m.