POLITICAL NOTES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4522, 13 September 1893, Page 3

POLITICAL NOTES.

The first business is co-operative.. The House goes off on cooperative principles at the outset. Good old Mr Wright, of Ashburton, starts the wild game which wipes off feet of the Order paper, He politely puts his question about the return of co-oper-ative vjp, and he backs it with au insinuation not in keeping with his staid, respectable countenanoo, that the Government is packing up a majority for iiself in various constituencies.

The Preraior is horrified, But at first he chaffs good old Ashburton, Ashburton baa been stuffed into believing that the rolls ere being stuffed ; tho Premier knew of a trap laid for this poor Ashburton before he visited some of these works, and he fell into it.

ABhbarton strenuously objects, and j the Premier insists. After which the Premier repels the insinuation of AAburton with scorn, Bather than pack constituencies, in that way he Would be honest—

A mighty roar of laughter interrupts him; for some time he surveys the shaking House with much peiploxity, at last he sees the joke and goes off into a guffaw with the rest. . ' Honest and retire from politics,' he says, when the laughter is over. Ashmnlon, dissatisfied with his answer, moves th 9 adjournment, and gives bis opinion of the co-operative system so-called, and of Borne of the men employed thereon. The Premier follows him with much spirit, and at sorao length, Sir itfbert 3tout Bays a few grave

words about this loss of time, and heaves a sigh m be reisrs to tbe remedy bo has long ago pointed out. —Let us amend the standing orders. • Waitotara comeß down hard on the Co-operative system with bis usual clear, incisive phrases, Artificial rate of wages he insinuates, and he reads in sspport a petition from a former road inspector, dismissed for not having kept up the wages of the work laths high Government standard. Mr Taylor attacks Ashburtonfor speaking' disparagingly of the co< operative men. Asbbuvton makes, many eatoations of what he said, and of what he did not say.- 'Twn't put w <"^ 9 mto m y mouth.' Tlio Opposition, Mr Taylor thinks,musthavefallen low to employ the hon. gentleman to waste time lor them. Mr Taylor gives us his imitation of»magistrate leeturinga conviction in the dock, and is greeted with laughter on one sido and crios of' order' on the other. Hanukau thinks that the Government must have fallen very low to . employ Mr Taylor to defend them, flc declares that Mr Taylor does nothing but curry favour with the ' W and needy; but the country •Jj, 'i And out very soon who are their 'l fiends. ,7 ty'illis speaks up for the system, „m;'' v-au zreots his closing period Sp A'wonilly accuses the MrEanohav fa tho Government of stt keeptheMffay afternoon hd order to. e m - w flg 8.11 from coming oft,' £ may well b / h .f ed - fl ,f the high He declares that, itsorne i. te 6 m wageß aw to continue, tub > will break doWtr? He m *\\t, Premier impressively to that en\ • The Premier arts as one who hear*

not, neither does be care. Bit John Holl gravely riaiculea tlie i3ea of getting any information frDm those benches on ibia subjoot, so long as those gentlemtUJ occupy then. Nothing can be dragged out of tie Government. He compliment* m Earoßhaw—sets the Peninsula up on bis feet, as it were, and. pats himon the back. •No ene'better .qualified to speak on the etrigeci, sir. lbe . Iremift caimot do better than tm '■■: "bis advice/ ; fleadds these are relief ~: >works; and the: wages ;oo: tnem muat ■ : : ' .not be greater than elstwhere.. you toflooktee.^

tive system with soporous thoroughness and not a Httlo vehemonoci The wages havoiahiß ilistrict drawn men fcway from the mines, He, too, gives the Peninsula a cheery pat us ho passes. Mr Hoijg makes a moving appeal for the co-operaiive labourers; impaasioned ho is iu tone, and poetical in language. These poor fellows way not be so highly educated as some of tkoir detractors oppoaite, but their hearts bleed as easily And as copiously for misfortune. If they exceed occasionally, what wonder ? Enduring hardship iu isolation on a diet of ment and damper, what wonder that on reaching civilisation thoy occaaioQuliy suciuuib to other influences, Mr Hogg appeals to his hon. friends in the mime oi humanity to show some consideration for their fellow men. Ho quotes the lines about 'man's humanity to man,' his stentorian tones are interrupted by Clutha, who wuggishly cries out' Can't hear.' He retorts,' I'll let you bar preseutly.' Wo have not yet heard whether the signal men on the Riumtiki summit were disturbed by any. sudden noise during ihe atternoon, but we live in hopes,

Mr returns to the poet and man's inhumanity. He urges his lion, friends not to throw his equally bon, clients into the waste papur basket He sustains that appeal with details of the former careers of his clients, Soldiers who have bled tor the country in war, miners who have enriched the resourcesof 'he. country in peace,tnen of stithvavt frames and vaiious service -why do tkev now have to sell their labour to the Government? Because the contractors won't have them, and they have uothin» hut thuit labour to sell.

Mr Guinness reaches for the Penin. anln with one band bent on punishment, while with the other he drags the Buller-Nelson road to the front, | and goes off at n tangent from the cooperative system. This onghtfora

thousand reasons to be a colonial work, as the Hokitika road is. Captain Eussell soothes Mr Earnshaw and Wfc go off at a tangent for the sake of the Taupo-Napier voad, He sticks lo co-operation, and is not complimentary to that system. Mr Buchanan and Mr Bruce give details of high wages, and execrate the Bystero. Mr Shera says two words about something else. Mr O'Oonor wants details from the enemies of the system. Mr Earn sbaiv points to the returns, Mr E. M. Smith cries out' what a cliango in tho honourable gentleman opposite!' He contrasts their attitude toward Mr Earnshaw now with their attitude] toward him when he was on the i Government aide. When lie wantedthe screw put on to that graduated tax, he was a dangerous man, sir. But as ho had declared against the Government he ib a white-headed boy. From Mr Earnßhaw, Mr Smith goes off to our great natural resources and displays them before he sits down,

After bira Ashbnrton replies, justifying himself, detailing very interesting esperieocea of his as the contractor for (be first ChristchurchHokitika road over Arthur's Pass, and does not forget to rub more salt into tho co-opetrttivQ system. When he has done it. is fire o'clock. Half an hour for questions, at d then dinner. After the meal, the Public Revenues Bill goes through committee beset by financiers of great promise and is succeed by the Land arid Income Tax Bill, which holds till the early hours of the morning before it is reported from eommittee,-N,Z, Times,