POLITICAL NOTES

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2482, 7 June 1888, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES

(BY TKLKOHAI'H—OWN COHRKSCONIjENT.) Wellington, Wednesday. THE CUSTOMS' DUTIES BILL. CONTRARY to general expectation, the Premier this afternoon made only a few remarks when introducing thin Bill, and naked the House to give the Government tiie benefit of any suggestions which would tend to lessen the proposed taxation. The other speakers who followed Sir H. Atkinson were nearly all free-trade supporters of the Government; but the ablest speech made was Mr Menteath's, member for Te Aro, who, judging from the bitterness of his attack, is very unlikely to return to the Ministerial ranks. He strongly attacked the Government for adopting n protection policy, and he told that there were other men in the House who could produce a policy which would be a credit to the country, a sentiment which was received with laughter and cries of " hear, hear," from some members of the Government. Mr Menteath quickly turned on his late chief, and said he heard decisive laughter from the Ministerial benches, but the Government would not laugh much longer. Mr Menteath's speech was loudly cheered by tho Freetrade secessonists when lie resumed his seat, but the Government and members on the Opposition benches, preserved a stride silence. The debate is likely to last considerable time.

MISTAKEN TACTICS. Considerable comment has taken place to-day over the course adopted by Ministers on the resoluti-.n proposed by Mr Ormond, and it is freely stated that a grave mistake in tactics was committed by the Government in such a manner, and to prevent the resolutions being considered seriatim. The position taken up by Mr Ormond was a perfectly fair one, and there was no other course open to him but that of moving that his resolutions be taken as a whole which lie did, moreover, by direction of tho Speaker. _ As the matter now stands, however, it is quite open for any member to move the same resolutions again separately, thoso of the member for Napier having been rejecled as a whole. THE HARK SYSTEM. Tho Electoral Bill appears to have been lost sight of altogether since the Financial Statement was delivered, and there is a rumour afloat that Ministers intend to abandon the measure till next session. It is agreed on all sides that the Hare system of election, which is the main feature of the Bill, has not a ghost of a chance of being agreed to, but some members consider that the Bill might very well be passed without the introduction of such a Radical Reform as is contained in that system. As the Bill provides for a most complete purging of the electoral roll, it is urgently necessary that something should be done in this direction during the present session. NO SURRENDER! Tho Free-trade party are to-day more dissatisfied than ever, owing to tho rejection of Mr Ormond's resolutions, and tho member for Napier has in consequence been urged by a section of that party to take some more decisive action against the Government. Mr Ormond has refused to adopt any such course, but he is determined to vote against tho protective part of tha tariff, and tho imposition of any unnecessary taxation on the people. The voting on the tarilf proposals is likely to be of a decidedly mixed character ; the Freetraders will oppose all the purely protective items, such as duty on machinery, but will probably support the tea duty, and the Opposition, on tho other hand, will vote against the tea duty, while strongly supporting the protective part of the tarilf. The feeling is growing stronger that many of the proposed changes are very oppressive in character, and it is predicted that when the full force of them are felt by the peoplo generally, they will eventually lead to the downfall of the present Government.