POLITICAL NEWS. [BY TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL, CORRESPONDENT.]

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1903, 16 September 1884, Page 2

POLITICAL NEWS. [BY TELEGRAPH.— SPECIAL, CORRESPONDENT.]

The Law Practitioners Bill. Wellington, Saturday. Sir George Grey's Law Practitioners Bill, which occupied the attention of the House for several nours on Wednesday night is a singulsuly illfated measure and has again been rejected, although only by the smnll majority of one. Tliq bill which is simply intended to facilitate the admission of persons to practice in courts nf law has been already several times before the House in previous sessions, and as on each occasion Sir Gecnge hah dilated at great length on its advantage ; his speech last night, however, was by no wean* one of his happiest efforts. On the contrary it was decidedly weak for a gentleman of Sir George's well-known oratorical powers, ami fell very flat on the House. To do him justice, it must be added that he was suffering fiom a very troublesome cough, which may to some extent have accounted for the absence of his usual vigour in moving the second reading of the bill. The same bill last year, it may be remembered, came to grief after actually passing the third reading, but on the motion '* That tinbill do now pass," it was thrown out on the casting vote of the Speaker who gave his reason for \otnig against it clearly and logically. In a previous session the bill passed the House by a narrow majority but was thrown out by the Oonncil, while last night neaily all the legal talent in the House was an dyed against it, the only two lawyers who votdl for it bring the Minister of Justice (Mi Tole) and Mr BuckUnd. Sir Geoige (he\, in replying, was really if not quite »|> to les old fomi and be roundly denounced tlic " Crew of lawyers" who had cnde.i voted to sti angle this bill. The House howcvci was not prepared to swallow his aigumcnU and disposed of the bill for the session .it 13. a.m. by a majority of one on a majority of one against the second reading.

The Post and Telegraph Department. The annual report of the Post Oflice and Telegraph Department for the year 18\>'.\ has just been presented to Parliament. The report . states that although theie «a> not the general expansion of business which was recorded foi 1882, the operations f< r the pa.«t year were otherwise s,tti*f<ictoi \ . The telegraph business teceivud a temporal y cheek from the tiade depletion winch prevailed indifferent paits of the colony. The transmitted messages n.creased by only 29,211 in number for the year, against an increase of 131,417 in 1882. While the condition of ti.ule affected the telegraph its influence was not felt by the Post Offiej the additional number of letters, etc., dealt with, and the increase of postal icveniie collected within the colon y Mere about equal to the increase of former yeai-. Tli. receipts fiom postages from foreign pintoffices was £3,078 lls lid less than the sum brought to charge undo this head foi lt>B"2 This is an explanation of the incioase of revenue, being less than the increase, of last year. The combined postal and telegraph revmiue for the last financial yeai was £2(59,184 7s -id, an iuciefise of £4,549 9s 'id. The postal leceipts mci eased £4,081 14» 10d, while the ie\enue fiom the telegiaplne branch fell off £134 f>s Bd. The expenditme for postal and telogiaphic services was £252,007 14s iK, again.st £2.14,547 lO.s lOd, expended tlie pie viou?) yeai a decreabe of £2449 1."5s (id, the balance of jevemie o; or expeuditmo f<n this year was £17,!)80 12s 7d, the total number of money oideis iti^ued at Hamilton dming the year 1883, was 9(39, amounting to £2,725 9s sd, and the number paid was 1013 amounting to £1,873 13s isd, the number of dep ».sits in the Hamilton Sa\ ings Bank foi the year was 450, amounting to £3,304 18s 2d, and the withdrawalfor the «arne penod amounted to £2,821 10s Bd, the total cash levenue derixed from pief-s messages in the Hamilton Telegraph Office for ISS3, was £4.w 3s 7d, and fioin Go\einment messages £lsS 14s Gd, making a total of £(>l3 18s Id, the total cost of maintenance of the station for the bame period being £248 12& 2d. WkllingtoN, Monday Night.

The Financial Statement. Tlieio arc all soits of lumouis afloat us to the nature, of the Financial Statement which Sir Julius Vogel is to bring down tomorrow night. I heai Ministeis themselves anticipate that it will be of such a gratifying character as to prevent the possibility of a successful attack being made on it by their opponents. They consider that the Public Works Statement will probably create more opposition than the budget itself. It is said on the other hand that the Statement is to be a big tiling in the way of surprises, wln'e otheis hint myftteiious'ly that there will be no loan proposals at all this se-sion, but that Sir Julius Vogel's fertile biain has discovered some grand scheme for rebtoiing the deficit, and at the same time for carrying on railways and other public works merely by a clever manipulation of the Sinking Find chaiges, and by vaiious other souices fiom which he hopes to obtain revenue without addintr to the bin den of tho taxpayer. It may be remembered that during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the Atkinson- Wakefield Mmi->tiy, Major Atkinson twitted Sir Julius Vogel with ha\ing stated in one of his. speeches that he could effect a saving of £250,000 a-ynav in the Public Sen ice, but the Majoi added that this idea wast.) lemain locked in Sii Juhu' own bieast, unless he (Sn Julius) was to be put on the Tieasuiy benches If Sir Julius really did make the statement attubuted to linn, he i» now in a position to give practical effect to hi* \iews in that respect. At any 1 ate his budget is looked forward to with the keenest inteiest by membeis on all sides, as e\en the most piomiuent supporters of the Ministiy confess they ha\e no idea of the pioposals about to be brought down.

The Ministerial Residences. The members of the Atkinson-Bryce <4overnmont are still in possession of the ministerial residences, the piebent ministers not having taken them over. Mr Mitchels.m, who lias occupied the Premiei's iesi deuce since the letnement from the Ministry of Sir Frederick WhiUker, offered a few days ago to vacate, in older thtau Mr Stout might take possession, but the Pi emier was "wise in his generation,"' and said he should not do so for ji fortnight longer, in other woids, until he ascertained what his pu»«.pects of remaining in office for the recess mo likely to be.

The Trunk Railway. The North Island Trunk Railway Committee ih puahing on its work in a systematic mannei, and meets daily for the purpose of taking evidence as to the most desirable route. Several witnesses have been examined already, and upwards of 40 altogether,hiuo been bummoned to give evidence. -. The Minister for Public Woiks is chairman of the committee.