POLITICAL NEWS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2043, 11 August 1885, Page 2

POLITICAL NEWS.

[B\ TELEfiRAPH.—SPKCIVL CORRESPONDENT.] The Ministerial Position. WhM iv.rov, .Saturday. Thk no-confidence motion which has been pending for the List feu il,i^, is " hung up ' for tho present, hut it is still myi-termiHy hinted that a motion will be biought in .it tho piopei tini», wlunevei tli it may lv\ In tho meantime Majoi Atk'iison is off to Tiranaki, Mr Seohie McKon/io, a |)i >minent member of tlif Middle Patty, h i-, left for Ot.igo, and Mi Mitchelson Ins lven unwell fin tho 1 ist day or two. Rumom sus tho icil ic.ison foi M ijoi Atkinson's d'M>utme is to show his di-pli'.isino at the acti >n about to bo taken by the Middle Patty. If this icport is concct, it is scaicoly tho piopcr position foi thf le.idei of tho Opp >- sition to tike up at such an impoitint stage of the session. Of com 10, it is no uncommon oceuiience for a member to absent himself for a week on pnv.ito busi ness while the House is in session, but at the piescnt juncture it is rather inoppoituue foi the leader of the Opposition to ho away. Somo important business is expected to h" brought d >wn next week, including the L-ieil Bodies Hill, the Estimates, and probably the Public Works Statement, .ill of which will elicit langthy debates and p issibly some uulookod for dcv elopment. The chances are, though, that if Ministeis tide over the next week nr two they will retain theii *eats for this session, unless something at present unforeseen occurs to cause another revulsion of fooling against them. At the same tune it is very questionable whether they possess a bare majority of tho House. The utmost the Opposition give to Ministers is 40 votes, and as Major Atkinson can command about 33, there are some 21 more or 10-s doubtful The latter include the (Irey section and the Middle Pirty. AUojet'ijr the position is almost as complicated as it was a month ago, and it is repeatedly asseited that if a no-confidence vote wore pioposed by any member except Major Atkinson, and perhaps Mr Montgomeiy, it would easily be can led.

Land Open for Settlement. It appears from letui'ii-i lud b'fore Parliiment, that the rpi nitity of land nailablo foi settlement 111 tho colony is estim ited nt 2,2ol,7<ioacies, diuded as follows : -Auckland, 410.000 acies, Taianaki, 120,000 aeios; ilawke's B ly, 100,000 acres; Wellington, 800,000 aues; Nelson, 41,750 acies; Mulboiough, 100,000 acies ; Cmteibuiy, 180,000 acies ; Otago, K(>0,000 acres ; and Southland, 140,000 acies.

The Property-Tax. The Post thinks the signs of the times undoubtedly point to the probability of the Piopeity-Tax being raised to a pjiiny. Tho Colonial Treasurer last night intimated the likelihood of £ of a penny being 1111 posed, but when he comes to rev lew tho manner in which the House has dealt with the general financial pioposals of tho Mmi»tiy, and recognises tlio fact th it his estimates of revenue in several important blanches are not likely to l>e leahsed, the extia eighth will develope into an extia fouilh piobably.

Railway Jobs. Wkm.ivciov, Monday. The latest lobby gossip icspetting the East and West Coast Railway, is a piopo-al by which a distuct bill will be biought down authousing the constitution of the Otago Central Line, aKo a line fiom Auckland to the Bay of Islands, and the East and West Coast Railway. The lepoit is that the colony is not to bo liable except to extent of giving the local bodies in those distncts "iO per cent of tlu 1 md lequned as an endowment, and the di^tiicts mteie»ted aie to be allowed to l.ite themselves foi the lLinannng half of the enst of constiuction. If tlieio i.s any foundation foi the liunour, u means, of c 'iiise t!ie opposition to the Eeast and \V;m C >a>t lihj is to bj disiiiined by 111 ikin^f tie sjhomo one of geneial appliotmn, but the ostimited o^t of s icli a pripnls is ab mt 410,000,000. Anotliei mm mi afl ..it to d i.y was that the Cant"ibiny stippoitois of tlie Ministiy have mad» a (K'lmnd 011 th ;in that the East and West Coist Itadway shall be immediately piocoeded with as a colonid |)iiblic woik, and tint the (}o\eminent .should put a \ote of £.'.10,009 on this year's supplemental y I'stmiates foi it. It is lepoited that a lepiesonlative of tin firm of Meiggs and Co. is actually oil his way out to the colony on the sfcn»ugth of the him obtaining the contract for the constmction of the ladway. The lopoit has caused some sensation hoie as showing the extent to which the (iovemment had committed the colony over the l.ulway business before it came under the notice of the House at all.

The EstimatesMinisteis intend bunging down the Esti mates to tnoiiow night accoiding to promise. It ih understood that an effort will be made to put them through at one sitting, lint tho chances arc that severil nights will bo occupied over then di->cus-

Canterbury and the Railway. The Cm tin bury iiieniluis are -itill actively pioiuohng the i.ulu.iy scheme A meeting vv as held to day, .it which about 20 nieni-b-i-, wet c present, but the ie--u!t h.is been ki % pt strictly a seciet. A dinnei w.is held .it H.'ll.unyV on Situiday nijfht, .it which the Cinteibury inemhci.s only wi re i rj'-ent. Tne object of the g.itlieiin^ h.is not tr.m->-piu'd, but A nu-inlicr f.ioettotwly ob^eisi-d th t it w.is foi the |mip(i>e of tumbling their ten-) over the defeat of their pieciou-i l.ulw .iy.

The Oamaiu Band. Tlio O.i.nuru Gams in Bind, which is the hist in the Held for Uu; Exhibition kind contest, is 'jiv.itmg finite :i little bcn-i ition in music circles hore, owing to the p\cjllciico of iN music. The band performed .it the Exhibition on tt.iturdly night, which wa-, almost .^ crowdod in on tlio opening d.iy, tlieir being •ilxmt 4,000 j»oi»pla |)rv.'ient. An ovcullent was iiiMtfiunuiij icmkluioc! and the band •icquittrd themselves u t>ll in the test piucj a fioui '" Ll-.L 1 -. Hngi % not-> " which wan pl.ivAd ".itsiglit ' .md u.ia of coiu^u o.ih 'it t.i" cluef >>t,inil.ii(K of then ni'Mitfl. Die linineiHe .itulit'iiC'* was nio^t eiitlni-i istic in >ts ippieci iti<ui of t'm in. l-.1c.il tie it .vtti>r«le<l. 'Ihe goiiT.il (ipminn i& that nothing to e'lu.d it m lv ><•>< Innd playing has yet ben heai ■' in Wellington. The kind j»nvi' in nppn irort rt on the hwn of (inven<nent Housu this mornincr, .it m liicS Hi- I\i.»'lt-icy the Go\ eminent Lul\ Jurvois .in la i mi nl> rof ladies .iniJ inenihiTsof imHi Holies weie piosent Tlio cimduct'ir, Mi <-Jeo. J<i;ips, furni'Ml} intMiibei foi Oii'iiin, w.is w.u'iily cotnpliinpiiti'd on tin 1 cllit lent --tit of the kind. Si'\ei.il otht i li ikK huvt entered for the Limtest, tie ini/e, I un4ci-.tand, b.'ing £100.

Senatorial Amenities A l.ith'r undignihed depute occmred ye--ttMdiy in tin 1 lobbies between two niembeis of the Uppei House. It arose in consequence of one of the couneillois in question hn\ ing invited the Oamaru band up to Bellamy's after the con. elusion of the peiforniance at tho exhibition on Satmday night. The band on being lequested to play cnntiibuted seveial selections, including' a number of Scotch an», much to the enjoyment of a large number of meinbeis of both chambers who weie present. Tho piocpodings, howevei, weio not enjoyed by one of the Legislative Council vetei.uis, who tegaided them as a sort of desecration of the r.uliament building*. 1 undei stand the gentleman leffiied to e\piessed his displeaMiie in the hist instance to the managci of Bellamy's establishment, who in turn infoinied the councillor who had invited tho band to paitake of Ins hospitality. The lesult was that on the cmincillois meeting yesterday some high woids eiiMied between them, which thie.itened to assume .1 moie hcnons aspect \\en> it not for the intoiwntion of some othi'i niombeii who witnessed the oeoimence. L \TFIt. I lu\o just iisct'ituiiu'd that .it the niot'tj in^ of tho (Jautt'i bui v, XcKon and Westland niiMiibeis this 1110111111^,', a lesolutlon was unanimously passed, calling on the (io\ eminent to bung down piopos.ds for the consti notion of the Hast and West Coast Railway out of loan, in the same 111 iimci as other iailwa\s. The meeting gne Mnnstois till this afternoon tn considei the result arrived at. Since then the (loveininent ha\e agreed to the lequest, and have agreed also to commence the line at thiee diffeient points dutiii^ the I)ipsont 3 ear. Tin ee other member^ of the (<o\ eminent paity, Messis Montgoineiy, Bauon .md Suttei, communicated with Ministeis to-day to the ettect that they ranuot continue to suppoit them any longei. This l<\i\os tho (Toseinmont in an absolute minority. The nunour as to a no confidence motion is revived to-night. 1 hear Mr Bryco was requested to bring tho motion forward at toinpht's meeting. The idea liah been mooted that Mr Montgomery should take tho initiative, but nothing hivs boen as yet

decided, although events would appear to I>* l.tpidly leading up to wine .ictmu being 1 taken. The piomiiu undo by the (iownnnient and tin* ciucu-. held to-'J.iy is expocted to complicate) niittiM-, and m.iy possibly determine the Opposition to take no definite notion affunst the <Jovenuni>nt at all tlm session, bit it h \eiy unlikely, judging fi.nnth" t o 'iip3i of the Home at prosent.

Mii>\i(.nr. .Strong cffoitaaro bjinar nude to ni^'ifc to md ico Mi ( )i 111 iiitl ti ni')\e anithui confidence motion, but hs h.ia not as yot consented. It is piobalilo lio, would do if lin were assured of tlio sii])j)>it of Mijor Atkinson, who is -»till 1.1 T.n inaki. Tlic inij<u\ ]>utj t> <in\i'iu-, as hf ]iiuis>]f is tint h> should not tike ofhee this year.