WELLINGTON NOTES.

Waikato Argus, Volume III, Issue 211, 18 November 1897, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

—_«— [FROM OtTli OWN CDKIti: rOXDKNT]. Wki.uxgtox, November 9. HUMBUG AS A PINE ART. Tjie Right Honorable Dr. Scddon's followers never ahnire him so much as when ho is shamming. For instance, while all Wellington is holi-day-making this afternoon the House is sitting and doing what ? may be asked. Briefly Mr Seddon has been stonewalling. A caucus of Liberals met in the morning in a most amicable frame of mind, being now purged of that disturbing element the left wing, and it was quit,; refreshing to hear that they intended among Other things to "see the estimates through as soon as possible the Premier's travelling expenses included. This is a big order, for not an item will be passed without some explanation or refusal, and either of them mean time, and both Opposition and left wing are prepared for all night sittings ani strong language. Then the Liberals propose to pass the thing called an Old Age Pension Bill, —a measure which may commend itself to old loafers, but which every man and woman with any self respect can look upon as nothing else than a Bill to encourage pauperism for a year or so and then become a dead letter. The Bill of 1S06" was laughed out of the House because it had in it no less than ten various sources of revenue. This year Mr Seddon has excelled his previous effort by not providing any means whatever to pay the GOOO or 7000 veterans their 7s per week. He simply asks Perliament to permit him, as Treasurer, to dip his hand into the Treasury chest when he requires the necessary benevolences. And supposing for a moment that the Bill passed, and the aged poor and needy who became state pensioners entered into their beatific state, the 7s would hardly provide the thirsty souls with modest quenchers daily. And then look at the disproportion between the provision he a - akes for himself as compared with the toilers ho loves so much. £4OOO a year for Bichard J. Seddon and £IS per annum for those " deserving colonists who, during the prime of life, have helped to bear the public burdens of the colony," for that is how the preamble of the Act is worded.

It was also agreed at tho amicable caucus tbis morning tbat tbe committees should be sot up, tbe Opposition having tbe rigbt to name the members from tbeir side. But when the House met tbis afternoon, after tbe shouting Premier bad addressed the crowd on tbe Basin Beserve as to bis ambition for an S bonrs day,which, by the way, everybody bas already enjoyed except Government employees for yeais, he commenced his favourite diversion of stonewalling the setting up of a committee. It was a special tribunal for a very special purpose, viz., to upset the Bill of- last year which had tbe one word " mortgage" inserted, and which enabled those who had advanced money to natives to enforce their claims by a simple instead of a round-about process. Judging by what happened a few evenings ago, tbe Minister of Lands, who talks glibly of "fraud" in respect of all native land transactions, and fails to realise tbat Bushy Park was a more than questionable stroke of business —this statesman desires to destroy all titles held direct from the natives, to give them back their land and let those who paid for it in good faith whistle for their money. The facts are that the land was purchased by Mr Pharazyn and is situated on tho bleak shores of Palliser Bay, exposed to the southwest gales, and carries one sheep to three acres. He paid full value for what he got; but he is, if the Liberal Government can compass it, to bo evicted, and tbe descendants of tbe chief to whom he paid the money by way of mortgage years ago, and who spent the cash in tbe way usual to the noble savage of those days —they are to bo given back tbe land. The Native Land Legislation is a subject of so complicated a nature tbat only a very few men in the colony are competent to -deal with it, and wber a knotty point like the one referred to arises, imperilling as it does, half the lands in the North Island, a committee to do justice to the subject requires tbe best brained men in the House, together with members of the legal profession. And, as was pointed out by Capt. Russell, Ihe presence of anyone who has dealings with native lands should be strongly opposed. Messrs Carroll and "Wi Pore were both nominated, and they bad been accused of more trafficking in native lands and in a manner detrimental to tbe natives than any others in tbe colony. The other members from tbe Government side were Messrs R. MeKenzie, Duncan, Graham and Morrison, all South Island men, and altogether ignorant of the ticklish subject they were to discuss. And on this subject Mr Seddon contrived to wasto a whole afternoon.

THE GOLDEIELDS EXPENDITURE. Although there is a new Mines Bill which would give a committee of experience in such matters ;i month's solid work, no committee lias yet been set up. A motion hits been on the Order Paper for five ■weeks, and of the fourteen names proposed only three :tro on the Opposition side of the House, and Scobie McKen/.ie, an old goldfields number, and ihe one with the best knowledge of mining matters, is left out. Probably the Government, fear a too close inspection into the methods by which Mr >Seddon returned to his electorate in days gone by " groaning under the weight of his plunder," as iScobie put it. And a search through that maze of twaddle and contradictions called the Mines Report shows that the proportion of plunder which used to gravitate to Kumara in days gone by has rather increased than diminished, notwithstanding that the Warden of the district reports that mining matters arc in a very languishing condition in every part of the Westbind electorate. In a somewhat less degree 1!. McKenzie, O'ltegan and Guinness have benefitted out of both consolidated fund and loan money during the past year. The accounts are such an awful jumble that it i.s impossible to discover exactly how much and where the money has gone, but a few items which can be traced will show what an ingenious Government rules us.

The memory of that wondrous wordpainting in Mr Sodrlon's ISOG Budget, ■\vhoro lie poetically dsscribwd the " marvellous region of Roforua," tho " cool silence among the stalactites of 11m Wailonio Caves," and the " torinit leaping over Die di/./.y lieighl froni ledge to lodge on the Siilhcrliind Kails," the recollection of those rounded periods and the consequent raising of a million Joan, of which JM'J.TOo was fur tho development of the T'ijonual (springs, still remains with us. But it ciinies with something of u. shuck tu and that a, guod

deal more of the vote found ifs way to the West Coast than to Rotorua. Among amounts so diverted were : Coach road, Xelson - AVestportHeefton £-M9B Coach road. Nelson, Havol«ck and Picton «U Various rutuls in Westlaud 24-14 £7550 While Auckland, for which the money was raised, received ... ;£33Si There are no thermal springs or torrents leaping from ledge to ledge in these districts worth going across the street to look at, but there are the votes of Messrs Mills. Graham, R. McKenzie, O'Regan and Guinness to be nursed. Then, again, out of the Lands Improvement Account Mr Seddon's constituents got a slice of £1250 and a further sum of £S7SS under the head of roads and bridges, his three neighbours having £'4965 divided among them. Out of this last-named vote the whole of Otago got £750. Then another sum crops up anions; co-operative contracts of £3073, all in Mr Scddon's electorate, all those being expended by the Lands and Survey Department, Corning to the Mines Department, it is impossible to tell what has been spent owing to the confused manner in which the return is made up. On wage 520, the Department is stated to have spent £-'50,720 on roads on goldfields, and on page 223 and 221, particulars are given of about 120 roads and bridges, the cost of which is set down at £40,610. In one place water races cost £3927 for the year, in another £40,234. Little wonder is it that the Auditor-Generel refused to pass the accounts of this Department at the end of last quarler. As for the benefits derived from the extravagant expenditure in the Westland Electorate, it is only necessary to point out that while more than half the votes are spout there, and Otago and Southland only appear to have had £750 from the Thermal Springs Vote and nothing suown elsewhere, although when the Public Works Statement comes down there may be, the product of gold was—for the past year, Westland £109,114 or 10-7 per cent, against Otago £358,636 or 35 - 3 per cent, of the total product of the colony, besides which over 200 men have been kept at work on the Midland Railway.