POLITICAL NEWS. [BY TELEGRAPH.-SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2035, 23 July 1885, Page 2

POLITICAL NEWS. [BY TELEGRAPH.-SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]

Rumoured Want of Confidence Motion. \Vkm,iv(.io.v, Wednesday. It is reported to-day that Major Atkinson intends moving a direct \ote of no-confi-dence in the (»o\ eminent, owing to their proposals for the construction of the E.i«>t and West Coast Railway. I have made* enquiries in the mattei, .md find there n is nothing m it. The rumour probably arose in consequence of a sort of mform.il meeting of Opposition members having been held this morning to cnusiderwh.it nielli's should be adopted .is the most effectual ni.inner of piote-^titig against yesterday's proceedings. As I line im>io thin once infouned you, Majoi Atkinson is too well aw.ire of the feeling of the countiy being against him to ha\e any desite foi office at the piesent tune, but '•till he is detiM mined to do his utmost to pi event the East and West Coast Railway being nndcitaken on such teimi as those proposed I undeistand, also, that scwial Auckland mem bers have evpiesscd themselves to the effect that they would lathei forego the con stmction of the Nor'h [sland Tiunk Railway than buppoit the proposals.

The Colonial Press. In the courso of the Education Statement last night, Mr Stout said that the value of the book* imported into the colony last year, was t'llo.l.lfi, which was oxclusiv c of magazine^, nowspaper.s, etc., and books coming by post. The number of newspapers published in the colony was 4'J daily, and 91 weekly, bi-weekly, and tn-weekly, besides 32 others, making a total of 172, or one newitpaper to every 3201 of the population. Mr Stout added that in England and Whlcw, the number of newspapers was 1,912 or ono to every 13,829; in Ireland, there were 152 newspapers, or one to every 32,58'); in Scotland, 184 newspaper* or one to every 21,013 ; and in the United States, 10,771 newspapers or one to every 4,G3(> of the population.

Mr Dargaville's Defection. Mr Dargaville to day wrote to the Premier, formerly wilhdiawing his suppoit from the Government, owing to his inability to endorse their financial proposals, especially those in leferenceto the East and West Coast Railway.

A Long Sitting ! Another good joke was peipetrated last night while the Indtistiial Schools Amendment Bill was undei discussion. The Premier having moved in the usual way that the Speaker leave the chair, in order that the House might go into committee on the bill, Mr Guinness, the member for Greymouth, rose and said quite innocently, " Sir, I move that you do leave the chair this day six months." The Speaker looked aghast at the proposition, mid the House laughed immoderately, till Mr Guineis, observing his niistake, said he meant to move that the bill be committed that day siv months. Singularly enough, a similar mistako occurred to-night when the Seamen's Representation Bill was. bcfoie the Hon«e. Mr Allwiight moved that the Speaker leavo tho chair this day three months, and looked round appaiently quite at a loss to account foi the burst of l.uighler his motion had occasioned.

The McKenzies. The McKon/ie episode, an account of which I sent you on S.ituiday, came boforc the House again to night The member for Moeiaki (Mi John MeKen/ie), who had |ii->t letunied finm tlio South, made a pcison.il explanation, in winch he absolutely denied the truth of the statements atti United to him by his namesake, Mi Scobie Macken/ie, and he denied that the latter had icon him off by the steamer on Friday. He said he was willing t > accept an apology if rendered to him. Mi Sobio Mackenzie said ho really regretted if any statements he hid undo had injured the hon. gentleman, but the incident had taught him a lesion, which was that being a Scotchman lie was not happy in making a joke, and the member for Moci.iki b»mg also a Scotchman was not cipable of undrustandmg one when it was made. The House laughed good humouiedly, and the matter diopped.

The Government losing Strength The |>rp-.put Ministry seem-! mi determined on political sucide by tin 1 m.uuici m which they .ue cauying on the bunnies-, of the country, that it is not mh pi lsingtheir wannest stippoitei* .ue ntteily ili^orusted with th»m Kson the Post, which was .1 stiong (Toveinincnt piop .it the beginning of the session now condemns Mmisteis in unmistakable toun . It s.iys tonight, lefening to the Kast find West Coast Railway piopo-al, "It is absoluti'ly uiipiHsibk 1 not to admin 1 the consummate skill and ability with which Sir Julius Vogel yesheid.iy submitted to r.uliament one of the most utterly disreputable proposals which an> Uovernment ever ventmed to place befoie the L n giv l.ituie of this colony. The statement which he made regarding the lesult of the, negotiations conducted by the Can-terbury-Kelson deputation in England had evidently been prepared with the greatest caro, and was ho worded as not only to \eil the true nature of tho proposal, but to enlist support from vaiioin quartet*. Uy a judicious mixture of threats and promispH tho Homo was cautiously and cunningly led on to appro\e of the construction of the railway in tho first place, and then to endow it with land worth a million and a quarter. The public mind hating bjen familiarised with the idea that the line is a necessary one, the gnai.intee of interest to the extent of tf17,000 for a peiiod of 2IJ yeais is now asked for. This is the pi ice which Sii Julius Vo;»i»l i, willing to pay for the CantiM bm y and Nehon vote to enable the Uowinment to iet.uu office. We say at once that the baigain would be a t unions one to the colony. The pi ice is altogether too high. A few transactions of this kind, and Now Zealand yon Id no longer Vie a place in which any sensible man who could raise the means of leaving it would caie to lemain."' The niticlo concludes :—": — " We shall most anxiously watch the debate which lsjto tike place on Friday evening leg.uding the whole mattei. If the Ministry leally mean to force the proposals made yesterday they will forfeit all claim to the confidence of the colony, and it will be impossible any longer to regard the interest-* of Kew Zealand as being safe in their hands."

Plurality of Votes Bill There was some little excitement to-night over the passing of the Plurality of Votes Bill. Bcfoiethe dinner adjournment the thiid loading was earned by a considerable majoiity, but \otci woie industriously whipped up against the bill in the two limns intervening, the result being that tho division on the pacing of the measure was a tie. The .Speaker of com so, accoiding to custom, gave his vote with the "noes, so as not to alter the pie->ent l.iw, and the bill was theiefoie 1 ejected.