PARLIAMENTARY NOTES. [BY TELEGRAPH.-SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2199, 12 August 1886, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES. [BY TELEGRAPH.-SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]

(BY.TKJjEGiJAPH. COMtESrONDKNT.] h j Flogging up the Straight, ,*\ i . i Wkllinoton, Tuesday. 'Ai/nt6tthn the end of the session* ia- so rapidly' approaching, there were no less than 27 motions nn the Order Paper to-day, iv larger, number than at ;my time during the Bea&ion. The replies to question* and the usual preliminary remarks introducing them, occupied nearly the whole afternoon, to the, exclusion of the orders of the day. 'A lengthy discussion arose, on a question ; put by Sir Geo. Grey, relating to the unemployed in Auckland, and this opportunity was eagerly seized by Mr Seddon, who made a long-winded speech on a variety of subjects, his object evidently being, by a little stonewa^ing, to keep the Itapresentati<iUj iliill from' coming, on , this afler'ndon. At any rate ' the Pie mier eventually rose, and said he hoped before next session some rule would be introduced which would prevent memfßeYs "from" moving these endless adjournments of the House in order to indulge in unless talk, a remark which brought Mr Moss to his feet with the indignant rejoinder that the Premier should not characterise the efforts of members who were endeavouring to meet the unemployed difficulty as useless talk. The Premier continued his remarks, and certainly scored a point when he asked members }l Sir Geo. Grey, Mi* Macandrew and Moss showed any practicable way out of the difficulty} As for the unemployed question, he said there were more unemployed in the City of Sydney alone than in the whole of New Zealand, and the Governm»jn,t could not do more for the relief of those ' out of work than they were doing; except they increased the rate of wages*, aud they could not do that, Sir Robert Stout said, without injury to private individuals. The question was finully talked out at the dinner adjournment.

The Lords Amiable. The great question of ■ pri\ ilege which threatened'to arise between the two Houses has been settled by the Legislative Council agreeing to pass the Government Loans to Local Bodies Bill as sent up from the Lower House by a message from the Govenor. The Lords have also agreed to the schedule to the Loan Bill, which was generally regarded as likely to cause some friction between the two chambers.

The Representation Bill. The fate of the Representation Bill is still uncertin. It is quite ptobably that it will not be reached till late to-night, as several other important Bills are before it on the Order Paper, including the Settled Land Bill and the Special Powers and Contracts Bill* I undei stand that a section of the Southern members is anxious to postpone it till next session, in the hope th.tt the new goldfield at Hampden, near Oamaru, will tuiu out so well as to induce a largo rn.->h, which would to some extent equalise the population between the two £sl Hid, no th.it the North Island would not be oniitlrd to more members than the South. 1 hear, on the other hand, that the diipp'irtuis of the Repiesentation Bill are in a majority of eight, and they express th'Jiu-ehes confident of c.irr)ing it if the Government will stick to the Bill. Milliters themselves, however, are divided over it, the only two memhci.-t of the Government in favour of pa.s>imr it this year beiticr the Premier and Mr T.»le, while Sir J. Vo^el and <Mr L'unach are understood tv ba decidedly opposed to, if.

Alluvial Gold. I hear th.it the su.n of £3000 is to be put on the Sii|'pK wiii'3Mt,ary Estimates for the purpose of dredging liver bads for gold deposits.

The Waimea Railway. It is reported in the Lobbies that an effort will be made to h.ive the District Railways Purchasing Extension Bill recommitted, in order to re-in^t.ite the t'SOOO, which the committee struck off the £35,000 cash payment proposed to be made on account <>l the purchase of the Waimea Plains Railu ay. There is no doubt that this would be very strongly opposed by the Hou.se, and would have little chance of aucoess.

The Representation BillWednesday. The debate on the second reading of the Representation Bill collapsed rather suddenly this afternoon, as it was expected that several other members wished to spjak on the question. When the Speaker called for the voice.* and had taken them, Mr Montgomery rose to speak on the Bill, a habit, b} r the way, which is peculiar to the member for Akaroa, as he rrequentlyri^e-s juot when everybody expects that the, debate is concluded. He slightly o\ei stepped the mark this afternoon, as the Speaker ruled that he should have risen before the voices wore given. Mr Seddoti ttied to get up a discussion on the question that the Bill be committed nextday, but the Speaker in led that it was moroly a formal motion and there could be no fuitiier discussion until the motion for committal \va» actually put. It was then a r.ithet curious spectacle to see the Government whijjs energetically whipping up votes against the Bill brought in by their own chief, but the fact of both whips being South Island men explain-, their attitude. Ministers also walked into different Lobbies on the Bill, but its .supporters managed to carry the nntion for committal to-moriow by a majority of nine. It is reported to-night, however, that already two North Lsland Members who have hitherto supported the bill have yielded to the pressure brought to bear on them and gone over to the other side. It is further reported that even the Premier is not quite wo .steadfast in his desire to carry the Bill as he was a few day.* ago, owing to the atitude of thi-> colleagues on it aud also to the fear that he might be playincr into the hinds of the Opposition. A large section of 'the North Island members informed Sir 11. Stout, through Major Atkinson, that they aie willing to remain in Wellington to force the bill through if the Premiet is pteparedto stand by it. The stonewalling i» expected to commence to moirow, and it is very difficult to say what the result will be at such a late stage ot the session. The North Island lm-iubei 1"., however, are as deteimtned to force the bill, as the South Island and West Coast in 'uil>_jrs are to block it.

Ministerial Expenses. It appears from a return of Ministeral travelling allowances ami rxju'iisus laid on the table of the House tint the total expense during the year was, £132.'} travelling allowance-, and £707, travelling expenses. The individual amounts under r.ioh head were as follows :—Hon. Sir K. Stout, £107 and £101; Hon. Sir J. Vogel, £307 and £10 ; Hon. K. Richardson, £138 and £101; Hon., W. J. M. Larnach, £321) and £279; Honl J. B.Ulance, £200 and £100 ; Hon. J. A. Tole, £107 and £139; Hon. P. A. Buckley, £35 and £50. The travelling allowance ot attendants amounted to £459, and travelling expenses to £252.

Railway Purchases. The Public Accounts Committee brought up their report to-day on'the question of the Government purchasing the and four other branch railways. The report is that, in the opinion of the committee, consideration of the proposals might bedela3red till next session without any injury to the public service.

Government Money-lending. Amongst other clauses passed in the Special Powers and Contracts Bill last night was one authorising the sum of £5000 to be lent by the Government to the Wellington Girls' High School for the erection of a suitable building. This clause will be strongly opposed in the Legislative Council, and a determined effort made to strike it out.

"Old Kaintuck" lis'ea at Red Dog, near i You Bet, in Nevada county, California. ' He it was that the foreign tourist asked what the aauaal crop of Kentucky was, and replied, " I can't say stranger ; hut I know it's enough to make all the whisky we watit, besides what is wasted for bvead." A Contemporary says :— "A. Cornish farmer told us that his rattle were so gentle and kind that they followed him all over the farm, and in passing 1 a, haystack they 'would often call him, upon which he oblitfintrly gave each one a look of hay." The traits referred to are not uncommon among domestic animals. We were vwting a family last week in the county refeired to, and having occasion to cro^s a field where an ox was grazing ho followed us to the gate with an eager expression, and lifting the gato off ita hinges he took after us full speed. No doubt he would have called when wo 'passed a hay.staclc ; but the folks were waiting dinner for us and we couldn't stop. So we left our coal tail and a portion of our p;mta on the gentle creature's horns, and wont into the house.— American Paper.