The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1884. PARLIAMENTARY PROGRESS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1799, 27 September 1884, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1884. PARLIAMENTARY PROGRESS.

The New Zealand Parliament is settling down to steady routine work. If the Ministerial bench is not all that could be wished for, a strong opposition is controlling and guiding it, and there is but little, fear of any extravagant proposals being carried or any legislation of a revolutionary character being passed, There has, during the past fortnight, been some unnecessarily acrimonious passages between Sir Julius Vogel and Major Atkinson, the former being the principal aggressor. The tone of debate has been lowered thereby, but apparently better counsels are prevailing, and a greater amount of tolerance is bping displayed on either side, The Financial Statement has passed muster, and if the Public Works Statement presents no special difficulties, the work of the session will practically be completed. At any rate, within the noxt four weeks, we may expect to see members released from their Parliamentary duties, and enabled to attend to their sheep shearing and other, avocations, The House will not sit patiently when the wool season sets in, and by the end of October we may rely upon Parliament being prorogued. Tho real test of the success of the new Ministry will be their work during the recess, It will be then that Sir Julius Vogel will have to carry out his loan inscription scheme; it will be then that Mr Balance will have an opportunity of displaying his capability for dealing with the native question; it will be then that some new system or re-adjustment of the existing system of local self government will have to be devised; and it will be then that Mr Richabdson will have his chance of putting the railways of the colony on a better footing. As far as this district is concerned, the stoppage of railway construction will probably affect Masterton trade very unfavorably. We are glad, however,

to learn that a satisfactory provision is likely to be made by the Government for the maintenance of the Poity-Mile Bush road, and that money is now available under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act to repair tho damages caused by the late floods. The worst blow which Masterton is likely to feel is the stoppage of the railway at Kopuaranga, It is but just to say that tho Atkinson Ministry would have kept faith with the settlers in the Forty-Mile Bush and continued the line from Masterton to Woodville, and that the change of Ministry is in this respect, detrimental to this district. If, however, the Stout-Vogel Ministry give us a good system of local selfgovernment, we will forgive them this particular spoliation. > It is not one for which they were .anxious; they are simply too weak to resist the demands of Napier and Wellington members, who are interested in the West Ocast line.