Parliamentary Jottings.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 180, 25 July 1901, Page 3

Parliamentary Jottings.

<FEOSr ODB OWN COkBUSPONDESX.) debate on the Addreas-in-Reply was remarkable for three incidents. First, the speech of Captain Russell in which he announced that the Opposition had no longer a leader; second, an attack by Mr G. W. Russell on the Railway administration and on Mr Seddon for hiS rapid development of aristocratic proclivities; and third, a speech by the junior member for Dunedin, iti which be objected to titular distinctions for democratic leaders and to Mr SeddonV attempting to tie New y. V qia«<i to Ihe chariot wheels of Air

Chamberlain and the Conservative

j party in England. 1 1 Concerning the Opposition caucus in which it was determined not to , act as an organised body an amusing story is told. It was explained by the Chairman that it was now proposed to carry on simply a guerilla warfare, each man doing what seemed best —or worst—in his own eyes against the Government. On this announcement, one of the party, with a strong brogue, looking up, exclaimed, “ Phawt-t 1 are we all to be gorillas ?” Captain Russell’s speech was one of the most brilliant and incisive

ever delivered by him. It was short, but full of pungent satire, which was heartily relished by the bulk of the House. More particularly was the following passage amusing, during the delivery of which Mr Seddon and Sir Joseph Yard looked extremely uncomfortable : “May Ibe pardoned fogoing a little further in connection with Conservatism and Liberalism, and say how slender the barrier between Conservative and Liberal in this country is. Sir, I have often asserted, bat 1 scarcely realised —I may say I never hoped, even that the proof of the absolute accuracy of my assertion would come from the Ministerial bench—from

the Ministry who have posed always as the great democratic Ministry of this colony. Sir, five honourable members of this very democratic Ministry have, during a comparatively recent period, accepted titular distinctions. I have pleasure in offering my own personal congratulations to the Hon. Sir Joseph Ward, Kaight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George. During the visit of their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York it has afforded me intenseinterest and very considerable amusement to watch the process of evolution by which those two honmrable gentlemen, Sir Joseph Ward and the Right Hon. Richard lohn Seddon, have evolved —have hacn converted —from socialist douocrats to a very clever imitation J much-bedizened society aristosmfca.”

Mr Russell’s speech on the imortation of railway carriages from America, when they could be built here, and on the Premier’s Windsor suit and lately discovered crest, was interesting, if not very effective. The Minister of Railways smote him hip and to.gh a night or two after, demonstrating clearly that the pressure of work on the railways came with a rush, and it was impossible to turn out the carriag.-s an 1 rolling stock sufficiently quickly to meat the demand, or indeed come anywhere near the demand The fig.tras given by the Minister to show the advance of the New Zea--1 rod railways were certainly rem trkable. In January, 1805, th - total number of men employed on the New Zealand railways was 1703 ; on the 31st of Marco, 1901. ;.!ig number was 77G8- The revenue for 1893-7 on the railways was £1,288,158. In 1900 1 it was £ 1,7^7,238. The concessions made in rates are calculated at £809,239, so that really these is an advance in the four years of over £300,00 >, or something like C 6 per cent, of an increase. In 1896-7, the total number number of passengers carried was 4,439,887- In IuOOT, itrose to 6,243,598, being an increase of no less than 1,804,203! The increase on tonnage carried was 930,760, or nearly a million tons. The increase in live stock was 478,800, the increase in season tickets 89,852, and the increase in the number of parcels, 151,786. The junior member for Dunedin struck a strong anti-jingo note, complaining that the Premier was trying to get New Zealand to indorse in its entirety Mr Chamberlain’s jingoistic policy, and he declared with emphasis that the Liberals and Radicals at Home u.tvrly disapproved of Mr Chamberlain’s conduct and policy as to the origin and progress of the South African war.