PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Thames Star, Volume XVII, Issue 5205, 22 September 1885, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

[By Telegbaph.] (fbom oitb own cobbeßpondent.) Wellington, Last night. Parliament will be prorogued tomorrow at 2.30 p.m. by Commission, the Commis* sioners being Sir W. Fitzherbert, Hon. P, A. Buckley, Hon. W. Reynolds, and Sir F. Whitaker. No business will be taken to-morrow, except the prorogation. The Tarawera will, if possible, be detained till 9 o'clock to-night, for the convenience of Southern members, and the Hinemoa will sail to-morrow after the prorogation, with the* Northern members.

The proceedings to-day have been more than usuallj doll, and were only relieved by a rather brisk discussion on a breach of privilege question. Upon the Local Bodies Finance and Powers Bill being received from the Legislative Council, it wai discovered that the Council had re-inserted a clause which had been struck out in the House. The Speaker declared this to be a breach of privilege, inasmuch as this being a monetary bill, the Council had no power to amend it. Most members were quite willing.to accept the Speaker's ruling, bat Sir Julius Togel and others seemed rather inclined to question it, and the Treasurer quoted from May in oppo« sition to the Speaker.„ The House, however, agreed with Sir Maurice O'Borke, and a message was sent to the Council informing them that the House disagreed with their amendment, which was an infringement of the privileges of the House. The Council may elect to with draw their amendment, and so let the matter drop. If they insist upon it, there are several ways of overcoming the difficulty, the easiest of which would be to include the bill in the Appro priation Bills, which of course the Council cannot touch, and send it back to the Council.

As I write Major Atkinson is delivering a slashing speech, in which he in severely criticising the policy and actions of the Government during the session. This day. Although Major Atkinson started well last night, he fell off lamentably, and his speech was not by any means what it might have been. The debate on the third reading of the Appropriation Bill was altogether a farce, and as it approached its conclusion was a very dreary affair. You will see that the Lords did not insist on their amendment to the District Bailways Purchasing Bill, which was at last passed by 17 to 15. The Tarawera left at midnight with a number of Southern members, and the Hinemoa leaves at 5 p.m. for the North. The prorogation ceremony has been postponed till 4 p.m., in order to give the printers time to get the bills ready for His Excellency the Governor.