POLITICAL NOTES.

Waikato Argus, Volume I, Issue 38, 6 October 1896, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

(UY TKLKGIUrH.--SPECIAL OOUUKSI'ONIIEN'I .) Wr.i.uxcroN, Last Night. PUBLIC \VuRKS EsTIMATKS. Tiii'.ui' appears to have Ik en some sirangi; fatality attaching to tins Public Wo ks Intimates this year. The Houa was delayed for about Unco Inurs on i-'riday night, wating for the Statement itself, and whin itauivodat half-past twoi.i thomouiing.it wasciirrontly stated that thc.c was a mistake if .CSO.OCO in •.he figures. It is the invaiiab'.e ru'o tha' the Estimates always accompany the Public Works Statonent, hut up ta tliis afternoon J not a single copy of_ the Kstimates could he procured. Wh n they did come down, howevc - , orders were almot immediately issued for the r withdrawal, and uopic? which had 1 c:m put into memoirs' pigeon holei were promptly taken out again hy the House messengers. This extrao dim: y proceeding nntuval'y lc<l to the supposition that another s r.inn O'-ior h:d been (liscovered, hut it wis explained in the llmse before Iho dinner adjournment, tilth by the Prcmvr and the Mr istcr f >r Public Works that the mistake was .simply hsuing the Estimates before they weic' bioughl down in the House by mes.-ago from llie Governor in the usual way. The Premier oven then endeavoured to force on the debate in the Pu'de Works fjtalem.mt this :iltarnoo>, but Dr. Newman and Mr Buchanin vigorously protested agnii si sneii nn unheard of proceeding as debating the statement before the estimate were in the hands of meinbers. Sir Unlit. Stout also told tin' L'remier he could not go on with the debate under such circumstance?, and Jlr Seddon tinallv agreed to postpone the debate till half-past S tonight, so that members could study the estimates in the meantime.

TILK LIQUOR BILL. Some s trprisc wai caused this afterno )n by the Legislative Council rojje'ing the Alcoholic Liiptor Bill in its second rcaiVnjj after a vmy short debate. It was "cmrally expected that whci the Bill got into Committee the national option and the club clauses \vi old be thrown out as wis the ease last yea - , but the Council seemed to have irade up its inin 1 over the matter by refusing to let the Bill go into Committee. The reason for the rejection of the Bill at. that stage was, I understand, because the Council felt that as two cimfeic-;ejs were held last session without en »i• i■_» to any agrc.m ent wi-li llie House it \v : ,s us.doss to waste fur her time over the Hill this 'BANK LKIISLATIOY. The report is again revived that .Ministers intend to bring down imp riant and fat'-reaching legislation in the interests of the il Bilik sharcho'ders, and the Premier is said to he desperately anxious to gel it through before the House prorogues. I understand that if a Bill with tlrs object comes down a most determined stonewall will he set up against any clause ol tins kind being passed, ami it will certainly pro'ong the session well into next week. The o'.'struetirn to the. proposal would c me from the Government side (f the House as strongly, perhaps, ;i s fom llie Opposition benches, and the Bill would probably never rereh the committee stages. TIIK KLKCTIOXS. A Chrislchnrch ge itleman informs me that some live or six seats will I e W; n by llie Opposition in Canterbury at the coming elections, lie .-ays Mr Lewis' reelection for ChrisUku;eh City is almosl a certainly, and that if the lion. W. Rolleston consents to s'and to:- Iticcarton he can heat. Mr (I. W. Kiisscil, a !a;\.e pert on :.f the present d'striet being in Mr Hollostcu'a old elcctoiatc. Mr 11. Moore, the late in- luber for Kaiapoi, is i.lso said to have an excellent chance against Mr Buddo, the present rep eseuta ive of the distlict, whilst Mr Arthur Hindus is exp-cted to def at. Mi' Flatman easily for I'. reroa. Two or three other seats in Canti rhury are also 1 hear, likely to be v. re-ted from the Government cith.er by Opposition or Independent candidates, JOTTINGS. Mr PilMiii said in the Hou.se to-day that Mr Carroll would so n (am tie- title of the Minister who is divesting the Maoris of t'.eir lands. Mr 0. W. Bus-sell this'afternooa challenged Mr Buchanan to meet h m on any platform to d scuss elect- ral refoim. Mr Buchanan replied amidst laughter that the member for Kiccarton would have ipiite enough to do on his own platform at the eomiug el.etion.