PARLIAMENTARY SKETCHES

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2729, 20 October 1887, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY SKETCHES

Our Wellington Watchman.

Wellington kept calm on the occasion of tho opening of Parliament last week, -The exoitement was no means tumultuous, Our miniature army was as usual on hand, and the Garrison band jerked out a funeral dirge or so. Tbe bi£ g im8 i l°&ded damaged gunpowdor, made a noise as tho Governor quitted his resideuoe, and some more noise when ho quitted tho Parliamentary buildings—and that was about all. Mr Vincent Pyke, as your readers will have learnt, asked the price of tho salutfs, and the new Defenoe Minister, in a devil-me-care manner, replied that had the gunpowder used been good the cost thereof would have been 29s 2d—he was very particular about tho odd 2d—but as the powder was bad the Government could not see why tbey should not blow it off in this manner—which was ringing a royal salute pretty low dowu.

His Excellency's" Speech from the Throne" was about as tame as they make them. Added to this Her Majesty's representative had a bad cold, and is not what you might term a thrilling speaker even wheu not suffering from the prevailing influenza, Amid tho usual platitudes and truisims retrenchment stood out plain and distinct—whether it will appear anywhere else save in the speech remains to be seen. -

When the ceremonial was over, and the House got to business, a number of notices of motion were given—notably one by Mr Macarthur to the effect that he would ask leave to introduce a Bill to amend the Hospital and Charitable Institutions Act. I fear a large majority of the Bills, introduced this session will be /Amendment Bills, but it must be conceded that no Act requires amendment more that the Act referred to by Mr Macarthur's notice of motion, Mr Bruce also moved in

the direction of a much needed reform by asking the Minister of Public Works whether he would arrange to give Railway employees the Saturday' half-holiday. The late Government posed largely as the working man's friend, but their practical sympathy with the working man was of painfully ' mo.dest ■ proportions. Seddon, of Kumara, who, by the way, is evidently qualifying for the Opposition chucker« out, gave, notice of a Bill to reduce'the duty on gold, and Mr ..Taipuft threat-. eiietl that abortion,- the Native-Itonds Administration Act. • Then MajorAtkinson, in, a manner that, compared to his previous manner, wa9 balmy and bland, informed the House, that he would have to ask lor an Imprest supply, or, in other words, for a little money on account to carry on with, and thus, tamely, we separated.

Thursday, October 13, I suppose we may now consider tliat the session has properly commenced, although thero js still a lack of animation in the proceedings, Among other -notices,- Mr W. P. Beeves gave notice of his intontion to ask the Minister of Education whother ho was still of opinion that children under sevou years of a»e should not bo permitted to attood State Schools. After which Mr Reeves turned rather pale, curled his rudimentary moustache in a warliko and Napoleonic manner, and sat down with the air of one who'd"gone and done it"—and knew it.

Mr W. P. Beeve3 deserves a word of veracious chronicle. He is a young not to say a raw person is W. P. Reeves, and he is a young, and I may add a raw member of the House of Bepresentotives. Mr W. P. Beeves was, I believe, educated at Christ's College School, Christchurch, where he evidently imbibed a corlain amount of "tone." Ho aftorwards became connected with the Lyttleton Times. Ho should not perhaps bo blamed for that—it was his misfortune not his fault, Oil the Lyttelton Times be acquired tho stupendous cheek of the Pressman. Aijain wo nlust not condemn W, P. Beeves for stupendous cheek is alike the birthright and atoak-in-trade of tho Pressman. But W, P. Beeves lias evidently also imbibed an exaggerated idea of his own genius and importance, This ia his miafortuno, it is also-his fault. Ho has come to Parliament with the idea of setting the affairs of the Nation right, and sitting upon the heads of older members, Fatal, iatal delusion ! Sweot Youth 1 tho country does not desire to be set right by dear little lads hardly out of their pinnies, and if tliou attcmptest to poioe tfaine etberial form upon tho carpet, of that hoary' sinner, the old member, tboa will get hurt. Ido not wish to be harsh with young Master Reeves, but modesty, of which he retains no vestige, is un adorable quality in a youth who has scarcely lost his penchant for peppermint lollies. That Mr' Reeves' first essay iu the House should have been a personal and useless attack upon the | Minister for Education, shows his lamentably bad taste, and the necessity for giving him a friendly gentle caution, which is here given accordingly.

Apropos of young Master W. P. Eoeves, of the Lyttelton Times, tho fiat has gono forth that all communications from tho Opposition are to be filtered to the Press, and the filter is to bo Master Reeves, Well, a filter has useful properties; it retains mud, dirt and animaloula), and gives away clear water. Tho Lyttelton Tirneß is welcouio to tho sediment—and used to it. As far as 1 am concerned, it does not appear to me that an utterly divided Opposition is likely to do much worthy of record.

On Thursday last Mr Carrol gave notice i.f a tnction having for its object the equalization of tho European and Native races, The exact drift of Mr j Carroll's motion I do not fathom, but, judging from appearances, 1 should magine that this gentleman thoroughly comprehonded what he was about. Mr Carroll, though ut Native member, is not a full-blooded Maori, but in physique, intelligence, and power of expression, he would be a oredit to any Legislative Assembly in the world. He speaks English with a purity of accent and refreshing clearness of intonation which is in marked contrast to the sloppy phraseology and slaughtered H'a of some of our whiter legislators. If admixture of Maori and European blood produces wauy specimens like Mr Carroll, tho sooner young New Zealand pairs with tho dusky aborigine maiden, tho hotter. Mr Carroll's command of English, which is shared by othor Maori members, raises the question as to the necessity of interpreters, Surely, i[ a Native member cau talk English there U no earthly reason why he should not be permitted to express himself in that language in the House. lam saying no word against the interpreters, but any speech must Buffer in translation, aud certainly tho process handicaps tho Maori by utterly wearying his auditors, although many of tho Maoviee are, as we all know, bora orators,

The afternoon sitting was remarkable only for the number of Bills introduced, and for tho suoory manner in which Sir Juliuß Vogel—who now feels there can bo no alliance botweon him and Major Atkinson—attacked the Premier. In tho evening. Mr A, Graliam moved, and Mr A, T, McGregor seconded the address in reply, ttnd there was nothing extraordinary about either gentleman or his speech, Mr McGregor spoke strongly in favor of retrenchment, but hoped no one would suifer by it. This is a favorite line with some Members,, who appear to ignore the fact that any retrenchment must inevitably injure someone. No doubt, there are any number of useless clerks now employed in Government Buildings who have,been placed there by Ministerial' patrons, 'and doubtless also, it will hurt these gentlemen to havo go-out into, the open.labor market, and take what they will fetch there -which is probably what they are worth—but that is no reason why the great body of New

Zealand taxpayers should upon to support the families THeonneciions of ex-Miniaters.

During the delivery of the spp.eohes referring to the Address, the Parliamentary air was full of electricity, Bnd, hardly had the secondet excluded, when Sir Julius TdgdSEtt. leapt into the tfordy- fray'.- f woid .leapt metaphorically 7 , for the ex-Colo nisifTreasurer as usrfal kept, his seat; ■His'manner, ;Slipptvs3ed : apoplex y-ah'd unsuppreaa fid •virulence and rancour, as he proceeded prr. d'iliyer; that now fanous-or infumo.iis—apeech, which Has, in my humble-opinioß, .destroyed for ever bis chances of again becoming a power in the.Houso. It has been my sad lot to hear many speeches delivered in many assemblies, but honestly I cannot just now call to mind quitu so pitiable an exhibition of weakness, malice,, and failing mental power... The leading notejof the whole was; gross an^ 1 unmitigated vusgarity, and I am sure I do not err when 1-nay. that the prevailing spirit on both sides of the House was one of profound pity that so capable a man as Sir Julius once was should have so deterjijttted. Mr Ballarice, who has utterly split with Sir Julins, spoke in considerably better taste, but-for one thing- he was too astute lo miss the chance of giving members ail • opportunity lo compare his manner with that of his former chief. After the adjournment Kumara Seddon took up the running on the Opposition side; At the early part of last session 1 expressed and felt some ad miration ! for Mr Seddon. Ere the session was over I discovered that Mr Seddon was too ready a speaker. There was and is too much Seddon. He is always in evidence, and always noisy and hectoring in tone. Berldoii would have inade a good Chinese gong or a suited Cheap Jack. As ; a legislator he is brassy and oppressive, One could relish Seddon now and,again—similarly one could i'elisb. rawonions, but not as an article of cousistent diet. Seudon should attend a '.deaf-and dumb school for a few yeurs,.6ay for fifty years, aud then appear as an Sflro.R, We should then be in the ..cold and silyifc totnb, and Seddon would not weary us. At present he does.

There is little more to add. We all know that the Premier asked for on Friday and obtained an adjournment until Friday .tlin 28th iust., in order to hatch a policy,. Minister are now locked up in their several rooms in Government ' Buildings each guarded by a scutry- who feeds him through a straw inserted in the key-bolo-busy hatching; VR.I.P.