The Government Majority. Wellington, Last Night.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1729, 4 August 1883, Page 2

The Government Majority. Wellington, Last Night.

Atti ntion is beini,' dhected to the Government majority. Last yenr their majoiity was six, then it gi<>w to ton, thib session it &t.utcd at Mm the fiist disisiou, and la-.t ni<?lit it had inctcased to 31. If mattei •> go on at this late the Opposition paity "ill -soon consist exclusively of Uio tin tro ieadeis, of whom two would piobahly vote with the Clovcniiuont auc.unst tho third leader. "For the pio*cnt, ' says n lotal paper, '• it is sufficient to Know that the cuiicnt Mini&toiiiil ni.iioi ity is 31, which may be fairly called a ' win kmi; ' one in a Plouse of 0."). It must he confessed that this singular dispiopoi tiou in Ministciial strength is due lalhovto the evtiaonlinaiy Liuk of judgment displayed by the Opposition than to any special excellence in the (Jovunnnent tact, how ever nigenioub this may be."

The Steam Service. It is rumoured that opposition will be ofteiul to the Government proposal that the piovisional agrecm»nt witli the Now Zealand filuppuiii Company l>c i.atifierl hy Pailiaimnfc. One altftjition likely to be urged is tliat.tlic concession accorded to the New Zealand Shipping Company in recognition of their enterprise in starting the dn ect steam service should instead be bliaied between that company and the Shaw .Saville Albios Company-, whoh* h lends ,ue said to be exerting themseh cs aetn ely towards securing the adoption of this plan, while the rival company »& by no means idle. Some members are opposed to any anangemeut being made, holding that the steam must supersede sail whether subsidised or not.

Mr Dargaville makes a Speech, This aftoi noon's piooecding=s were undoubtedly the c\ent of the session, and Mr Dargaville himself the hero of the hour. The speech he made -was a gland ualleiy oiation, and as such it took immeii9"ly with the unthinking. Closely analysed the speech amounted to absolutely nothing. He brought charges «i»aiiihfc men who held respectable positions, at the time the alleged oilences oecuned. Furthermore, his refusal to read from Ifamaid the remarks made by Major Atkinson in opposition to the very thing he complained of showed conclusively that he was bent on making a point, substantial or otherwise. Then, agiin, his admission that the clauses of the PiopeityTnv Act, on which he founded the major part of Ins complaints, were repealed, and that he did not know at the time he made such complaints of the fact showed conclusively that the whole was a mere bubble. The feeling here is that Major Atkinson would be none the worse for .1 check, but on the other hand there are very few who would care about that check being given by such a man as Dargaville. Matters to-night aie bound to be very lively, and aheady the galleries are full to overflowing.