[BY TELEGRAPH.-SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2045, 15 August 1885, Page 2

[BY TELEGRAPH.-SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]

The Supplementary Statement. Wkm i\f.roN, Thursday. Thk Ministry have certainly not strengthened their position by last night's Supple mentary Statement. On tho contrary, it is regarded as utterly misleading and fallacious. Tho Wellington I'ress is qnito unanimous in its condemnation. Evon the Poit, which is one of tho very few papers that has a good word to say of Ministers, writes to night in very strong terms of the Litest Budget brought down by Sir J. Vogel. It s.iys th.it the Statement will neither enhance the Col. TreasuieiV reputation .is a financier nor improve tho p»itinn of Minister*. It also ways that the opportunity which the occ.ision offered for bringing down some bold well-devised hcheinc for restoring the financial equilibrium and re-est.iblishing the Government in public confidence was not taken advantage of. Instead of the difficulties of the position being fairly faced and grappled with, there was some juggling with figureH and a kind of financial tlimible-rig by which the pea w.is deftly transferred from under one thimble to under another. In the unwise reduction in the defence expendituie, in the unjust infliction on the civil servants, and then a miserable h.ilf-hearted proposal to raise an extra £47,000 by way of meeting a deficiency which the Treasurer admitted to exceed £l. r)0,000,r )0,000, and which a good m.my other people think will reach a quarter of a million.

The Opposition. Major Atkinson returned from Taranaki this atternoon. A meeting of the Opposition will take place either to-night or tomorrow morning to consider the situation and decide on some definite plan of action.

The Opposition Tactics. Wh,UNc,ton, Friday. A preliminary meeting of the Opposition was held this morning for the puipose of considering tho politic.il position and tin* advisablenoss of taking some action of a decided character against the (Jo \ eminent. The meeting wad fairly iepre>entitive of the Opposition as a whole, and included ne.uly all the loading men of the party. It was elicited during the proceedings that .")0 101 l tlile votes can bo obtained on .1 imconfidence motion, and those piesont ox-pie->sed themselves quite satisfied with the n'g iti.ittons tli.it have been going on. Notvv lth-t.mding th.it the Government sup poiteis have been putting it about that the meeting wasioally a fiasco owing to the differences of opinion existing amongst the leadei sof the pai ty. A fiuther meeting is .inanged for to-moiiow morning, when some definite plan will be adopted. It is still considoml that Mr Oiniond will bo chosen to move the no-confidence motion, winch will piobably bo fixed for Monday night. Sir (!eo. (Jioy has c\preshcd his intention of throwing per->i>n,il fieluifr^ .i-mclo, <uirt will .i-.s-1-t to the utmost of his power in displacing the Government from office, as lie rcg.udi them as utterly unfit to have chnrge of the affairs of the colony. A foar is entertained, however, that even if a dnect vote of no-oonfidence is carried, Sir J. Vogcl will not resign. It is pointed out that no Ministry has ever suffeied more humiliating defeats than the piesent one, and "-till stuck to office. There is no doubt though, tint if such unconstitutional tactics are adopted, some of the more determined spirits amongst the Opposition would block all business till the Ministij send in their lesignation.

Breach of Privilege. Rumours of a breach of privilego case, which might invohetho le-ign.ition of liis seat of Mr Seddon, the membei for Kumara, lias been in en dilation duiing the last day or two. The matter was prought up this afternoon by C.tpt. Sutter, the meml>er for < Jladstone, and was to the effect that Mr Seddon held a contract under Government for the construction of the celebiated Kuin.ua .sludge channel, which has all eady cost the colony about £22,00°, The atT.nr occupied nearly the whole of the afternoon, and it was eventually refeued to ,\ select committee to enquire .is to whether the bond which Mi Seddon admits ha\ ing signed to pie\ent any damage occulting through the construction of the sludge channel comes undei the pio\i»ions of the Disqualification Act.

The Licensing Laws. I hear that a deputation of members in favour of univci-..il suffiago under the Licensing Act is about to wait upon the Government t<> request it to pi online to next session intioduce a bill framed on tho lines of tin; cl.iu-.es canied in Committee last night on Major Stew aid's bill for confernng the light to vote, in licensing matters on all [iciaons of either se*.

The Policy Bills. Sir J. Vogel is now e\idently desirous that a wrong nnpii'^ion of Ins policy bills ■•hinilil not get alno.id. In mo\ing the District K.nlwaya I'm chasing Hill to-night, Jio took the unu-ti.il coiime of explaining the n.itute of tho bill, and --aid he proposed to lefer it to the Public Account Committee for the purpose of h.i\ ing the various contr icts proposed ti i 1)0 undertaken iind cv ainned by that conn i tit 1 .