POLITICAL NEWS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1898, 4 September 1884, Page 2

POLITICAL NEWS.

[by telegraph.— special correspondent.] The New Government. Wellington, Wednesday Nght. The Stout- Vogel Administration is once more in possession of the Treasury beuches, but it would be very difficult to prophesy with any degree of ceitainfcy whether the new Ministry will be able to hold their own till the end of the session. The chances are at present that they will manage to pull through, not because they are in any sense regarded as a strong Ministry, but owing to the fact that the membeis are becoming heartily sick of the everlasting scramble for office which has been going on for the last few weeks, and which has affoided the new members an admirable opportunity of judging of the advantages (or otherwise) of party government. Of course their tenure of office will depend pi inci pally on the nature of the piogiamtne they bubmit to tho House. At the same time, the pie^ent Opposition leadeis will not offer any factious opposition to Ministers till they have had a full opportunity of disclosing their policy and the measures they desire to biing down. Mr Stout in his Ministerial Statement this afternoon, briefly refened to some of those measmes, and said Ministers would take up and cairy on .several of the bills mentioned in the Government speech at the opening of Parliament. The House was haidly prepared, however, for the neat little bit of diplomacy that followed, to the effect that the Government were not disposed to effect any change in the incidence of taxation tins year, a. statement which was listened to with un amu«ed expression by the supporters of the propei ty-tax, of which the present House contains a considerable majority. Mr Stout skipped lightly over another little difficulty by intimating tint the Government did not intend to make any change in the piesent system of local Government this session, but they would piepale a caivfullv considered scheme during the lece^, if they were permitted to do so. winch he hoped would piove acceptable to tho House and the country.

The Cabinet. Tho now Ministry was sworn in this "veiling, and is constituted as follows : — Mr Stout, Pienner and Attorney-General : ftir.T. Voge], Tieasuier, Postinaster-Uencial .md 0 nninissionoi of y t.mip--. ; Mr 11. Richardson, Minister for Public Wmk-. ; Mr 13.ill.nice, N.itne and Defence; Mi Tole, Minister of Justice ; and tlio hon \V. H. Reynolds, without office in tho Upper House. This leave-, two vacant portfolios yet to be filled, both of which .ue, if possible, to bo gi\en to Northern me. nbers so as to pieserve the balance of Noith [sl.uid influence m the Cabinet. Mr Cadman's name has been frequently mentioned as the prolublo man to be chosen for one of the seats, but I understand Hir Julius Vogel has a piefer ence foi Capt. Monis, his Lite colleague of two days' dm ation. Tt \\ is lepoited this aftein ion that Mr P. Buckley had joined the Cabinet and filler! the other v icaut pin tfulio, but the ru nioui is nut yet con h lined. Tlie app'iintm^iit of Mi Reynolds is under stotid t'> be onl y t^nipoi.n ily, and a coin])lete le-.ui.ingeinent-. of poitfohos islikel> to take place shoitly. Tt seems to be liken for gi. inted that Mr Seddon is to b'j offeied a seat in the Cabinet :m Minister of Mines, provided the House sanction* the appointment of the e\tia Mmistei, which the Piemier said todiy they intend -d to piopose for the piuposeof presiding over the Mines Depaitment.

Mr Stout and Sir Julius Vogel. It is cunoiitly iiinioiirert that in consequence of the vaiions diffeiences tb.it e\i^ti>,<\ between Sir Julius Vogel and Mr Stout during the ])i ogress of the foiimng of the C ibmet, Sir Jul'iis thieatened to leivp the paity altogether. This report lias been slightly bume out by Mr >Stont\ i emails this .ifteinnon to the effect that tlieie was no seciet undei standing between Sir Julius Vogel and himself by which Sn Julius was to assinne the Pieiiiiership later on, but that each Minister retained full libeity of action.

Hansard. It appears fiom tlio actual report of the Government Printing Depaitment just piesentfd to Pailiainent th.it mdcg the nmnlipi of fioe copies placed at tin* disposal of members hat» been mci eased th * subscribers to Hansard have gr.idii.illv diminished. In 1881 thcie weie 201 subscribers, in 1882 2<iS, in ISS3 l(!l, and 1881 100, Moinbeis ucie foimeilv supplied with only two free cipie--, the nuinbei homer .ifteiwaids mci eased to eight, then to tweh c, and in July, 1884, to twenty. Even with that number many of the nieinbeis complain that they are unable to supply all demands made upon them by their constituents.

The Chairmanship of CommitteesThere T? a probability that Capt. Morris will bo nominated by the Government as Chan man of Committees, if it is found that they aie able to cany Ins election, but it us not yet definitely settled.

The Volunteers. The animal lepoit of Col. Reader on the Volunteei Force piehented to P.uhament gives the stiength on the 31st December List at :— Oavalrv, 370 ; Naval Artillery, r>3o ; Artillery, 034 ; Garrison Rifles, 1(521 ; Country Coips, 11(58 ; giving a tot.il of 4332, of whom 3394 were efficient. The new regulations, after upwards of a year's tiwl, were repotted to be working in a generally batibfactory manner.