POLITICAL NEWS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2055, 8 September 1885, Page 2

POLITICAL NEWS.

[in riI.K.KU'H.—M'K'IVf, COItUFsI'OVUKNT ] The Railway Job and the Govern ment. Wh.uv.ion, K.itmday. Vnoihku caucus lia-> been held of the mem beis interested in the passing of the East and Wet Coast Railway, but as Usual gieit leticcnee has been nbseiveti a- to whit tvinjured It has leaked out th.it a most distinctdeclai itn>n was made at the meeting, that if the Government did not bung down the tHO.OOO vote as a Ministeual question, the p.uty "ill be pie pned to assist any attempt which may be made to turn it out, even at this late peitod of the m^moii. t undei stand the (Joveinnient will absolutely lefuse to com ply with the demands of this section of itsuppoiters and the issue i.- awaited with gie.it niteiest. j

Stonewalling the EstimatesThe Intimates lel.iting to the Mines ]V paitment were stonewalled foi tuo or thiee hours this morning by a few Opposition membcts led by C ipt. Sutter. The mem her for (Mad-tone has :i-pmal antipithy to all \otes connected with t!ie goldhdrfThe item 17000 for the Kuni.u i ShuL'e Ch uinel, winch is in addition to t'2ooo foi the smi" wins. \vhn.h app'Mis ori the Public Woiks K-funites, cspeci illy loused tlie little captain this morning, lie had pteu misly l)i>en induced to withdraw the motion tliat fiSOO foi the W.uni'U Kuinai.v watei lace be struck out, in consequence of tlie -tiong opposition if the goldhelds mem beis who weie pieseut in full foice e\en at foui o'clock in the morning. He then made a fmthei cllmt to get the l.iigm .imount leduced by t") .is .1 suit of protest against the w hole thing, lint he w is again l)e iten. In th«> meintime he had a lively time of it with the mem beis representing the goldhelds. Mr Bevan, the member foi Hokitik.i who speaks with asmgul >rly loud, tin npetI ike voice, w.is \piy MMigh on the memoir for (Jl.idst<-ne. He said he did not know whethei Cipt. Slitter was a captain in the amiy oi navy oi of a coal baige, but this much be did know, th it lie had one ti.nt in his character and that w .is his ingi atltude, fur he owed his present position to the niiiier.s whom he was denouncing. The Chairman had occasion to call Mr Be\an tumdei more than once, while the goldfield-, votes were before the Committee. The discussion altogether w.is of a pietty aumuted ohai.tctei, md i> certiin to be resumed when the othei \ote for tint costly uiifleitiking, the Kumara sludg< channel, comes ufi .itr mi The House eventmlly lose at 1 l."»a in.

Canterbury and the Railway. \Vi i iim.ion", Monday. Anothet ireetingof Canterbuiy inembeis w is held this morning on the Kast and West Coast Hallway question. Jt was an nounccd at the -neeting that Ministeis had absolutely icfused to make the lailvvay a [i uty question, .md the statement was re e-ived with gieat dissatisfaction. The Ministeiiaheplv was eonvexed thiougli Mi Walkei, one of the (Joy eminent whips, who w.is also one of those who Mgned the u juest for making it a Ministerial (pies I 1I 1 .ii The reply was to the effect th.it the (io\eiiiment wne still loyal in then desiie foi the constitution of the i.iilvv.iy, but they weie not inclined to dep.nt fioui the pos'itiou they had taken tip when the Pub he Woiks' Statement was dehveied, nunelv, tint the i.ulway would not be in ide a Miui-.teii.il question. The it'[ily fmthei stated that Ministeis weie pie pued to meet the consequences of then deteuninatioii to take the i.ulway vote on ano paitv issue. I undeistood Sir Julius Vogel and Mr Uiehaidsou were sliongly in f.t\ our of m iking it a Ministei ml question, but the Piemier distinctly refused to agiee with his colleagues, as he cousideicd the (luvtininent had ifoiiti quite f n enough. It was in conseq i.Mice of this tint the Tie.iMiiei and Mmi-tei foi Public Works weie overruled by the rest of the Cabinet.

Ths School Age. The difficulty with tegaul to the mini mum school ape in the School Klectloli Bill I) is been got o\ei by the Iv gisl.itive Conn cil ha\ing agieed to the .striking out of clause -M, the one mtcoduced liv the Council, i.iising the minimum school age to 7 yens. The bill now bet omes law .w passed by the lowei Hi»we, -axing that the clause ie-,pL.ilmg the cumulative vote h stiuck out.

Mr Ballance's Bill. The evidence in the Native Lands Dis position Bill is now concluded, and the committee will probably bum' up then iepoit tomoiiow. 1 uiideist.ind amend inents have been pioposed, one by Mi Btllance, another by Sir (I. (Jiey, .md auothei by Wi Peie, the effect »l which will be. to entuely alter the Bill The committee will piohably repot t tint hiilheient time is not at then disposal to consider the various amendments this session, in which case nothing inoic will be heard of the bill at piesent.

The Estimates. The Piemiei gave an assurance to Majoi Ukinsiut to night tint the Public Woiks Kstimates will piobibly be discussed to nmriow night.

Railway Reform. The petition in favour of Mr V.ule's scheiuo of i.nlw.iy lefoiiu ha.- not yet been repoited upon by tlie Public Petitions Committee but the iepoit will be piobably maile within the next few days. Mi Whyte has decided th it on tlie whole it is bettei that tho usual coininittec sh mid coiisidei these petitions, rather than a. committee consisting mainly of cvMint.stei>, who might be i lejudiced aginist the scheme. Meanwhile Mr \Vh\te is endeavoniingif possible to have any dep.vitnient.d iepoits which have been made upon the scheme published. With this \iew he a-.ked a question in the House on Friday, and in putting it -•iidth.it, cntnely ap.ut horn the meiitsof the scheme itself, any such scheme which had attracted so much public notice ,i- to induce the neaily seven thousand settlers all over the colony, Jaigely consisting of lepiesentative men, to go to great trouble and expense to lay the matter before the legi-la-tute was entitled to f'lll and e.uefnl constdciiition. Mr Whyte also said that in the interests of the dep.utmeut itself a repmt upon the scheme Miould be oideied to be made by some one competent to do so, as if one side of any question uero constantly .idvoc.ited, and the other side nevot heaid men's minds become excited and indignant, and gieat haini was d<nie which could not eisily be undone. Mr Kichaidson's answei to the question was vague, and geneially to the elfect that repoits h\d been made fioni time to time foi v.uious Ministeis .is the question eiopped up, but they weie puvate lopoit-, intendeil only foi tlie guidanct of Ministeis. Ho also x.nd that Mr Vade's scheme had changed so much fioni time to tune, that it wa~\ not easy to make any geuei.tl iepoit upon it. It was also \iilerj by the Speakei that no such repoit could be put on the table as lequeated by Mr Whyte, except by motion of tin) House. To attempt this any time since- the petitions leached Wellington would have been useless, ai the motion could never have come np on tlie oiricr panel. On leceivintr this nn-ntih-factoiy reply Mi Whyte tiled to have the question discussed by the House by mo\ing tl c adjournment of the House and speaking to it, but was mled out of oi del in doing so Ho thorcfoio .iftoi words gave notice of a question for to moirow asking the Mtnistei duect if ho would have a iepoit undo

foi publication. What the answer may be I (Imi't know, but it pinhalily will bo indi'fiinte. It thoiefoio lemaui-i for the Petitions Committee to hettle wh.it treatment tho question i* to iccim\c tins year. ()u tln> I hjjal) i)iol)ilily bj able to inform you in a few day-. Meanwhile Mr Whyte does not intiMid to leave smy unturned to have the matter fully \enti latcd.