POLITICAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2492, 30 June 1888, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

(BY TIiLICG HAPJI —OWN COItItIisrONDUXT.) Wsi.MMi ton, Friday. THE E.ST I MAT KS. Thkiik is a rumour afloat that a determined attempt will be made to stonewall the estimates, in order to force Ministers to briny down the Public Work-; .Statement. The Government will strongly resist, this as they allege that the remodelling <>f the I'ublic Works expenditure which has lately been agreed on, will take some little time yet to complete, and that the Statement cannot possibly '.ie ready for a week or two. rhtrexcHM KXT EXTRAORDIXARY. The Retrenchment Committee in its selfimposed task of applying the pruning knife to the public expenditure in absolutely pitiless in its desire for economy, and the most alarming reductions are threatened by those gentlemen to the extent of £100,000 at least. I i lear that several of the more experienced members of the Mouse put in an appearance at one or two meetings of this committee, but they quickly discovered that there was no systematic procedure ..f any kind, and they refused to countenance the tiling any farther. An amusing instance has been related to me as a specimen of the slipshod manner in which the letrcnchmcut Committee are pursuing their labours. A certain Government department in Wellington happened to bo under the notice of the Committee, and it was coolly proposed and carried straight away that the officer conducting the Department shall be abolished as being wholly unnecessary. The Commistee also propose [ understand amongst a host of other reductions, to dispense with the Sergeant-at-Arms, the Hill Clerk, Reader, etc. The intention is that the head messenger is to perform thedulies of Serge»nt-at-Arms, in addition to hisolh.ir work, while the duties of the other officer-; purposed to be dispensed with, are to be tacked 011 to various clerks attached to the Parliamentary buildings. THE LICKXStXG QUIvSTIOX. Mr Fulton's action last night in insisting on his amendment to Major Steward's Hill, providing for women voting at licensing committee elections, is to-day generally condemned, even by his own side of the llouse, and it is freely stated that the ami'iidment was moved with no other object than that of killing the Hill. The member for Taeiri strongly denied last night that he wished to destroy the meagre, but he was appealed to more than once by Major Steward to let the Hill go through without the new clause, in which case Major Steward promised to support Mr fulton in another Hill giving the licensing franchise to women. A great deal is to tie said in favorr of the proposal in Major Steward's [fill to hold the elections uvery three year.-; instead of yearly as at present, and one great, argument that has been urged in its favour, is that by triennial elections no less than £14,000 would be saved to the country. The temperance party in the House, however, strongly object to the triennial system, on the ground that if the elections were held at such long intervals, there would be less chance of getting a reduction in the number of licensed houses. D Hl' ART AIE XT A L 11141) UCTIO XS. It is rumoured that the L'ublic Works Estimates will show large reductions in salaries. Amongst others it, is saiil that Mr Hlackett, Ivigineer-in-Chief, is to be reduced from t'IOOU to t'Boo, and that Mr Hlair's salary is also to be reduced by £100. Several other redue.t ions are contemplated. MiDEAXI) RAILWAY. I understand that letters have been received from Sir >T. Vogel, stating that there will be no difficulty whatever in raising the money for the eonsliuction of the Midland Railway. Advices have also been received, however, to the etl'eet that the company would almost certainly have abandoned the contract, if the last concession asked for merely to allow them to take the line over hill instead of the most costly way of tunnelling had not been agreed to.