POLITICAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2645, 25 June 1889, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

(HY TELKttIIAI'W.—OWN COr.IIK.SI'OXI)KNT.) Whm.ixc; i'ox, Monday, RULES OF PROCEDURE

MiN'ISTKHS have been in consultation with the Speaker (if the House several times lately, concerning the best mode of introducing the new talus i;f procedure, wliieh were systematically " burked " last session by the Opposition. The .Standing Orders provide that no alterati.in can 1)R mado in those orders unless two-thirds (■[ the House are present, so

that the Government were quite powerless even to bring them on for discuss],.n laet year owing to tlm aelion of tbosi opposed to any alteration in the. ml.* of procedure t.. got over this fiillicuity. It was fir.-t intended to bring thorn down this session as ordinary notice of motion which, if carried, would have to be renewed every session instead of being added to Iho permanent Standing Orders. Bmia objection, however, has been taken to this course as establishing a dangerous pieeedent, and on die recommendation of Sir Maurice ORorke, the new rides will now probably b'i submitted simply as an am ;ndnniit to the Standing Orders. Their fate is very uncertain, as many members strongly object to anything in the shape of limiting t he power of speech, however, urgently a moditied form of closure might be required. THK HAUK SYSTEM. From what I can gather, the adoption of the Mare system of election, which is provided for under the new Electoral Bill, has not the ghost of a chance of being agreed to by the House. Some members have been urging on the Government that the principle might very well be experimented oil in the Upper llniiae before bringing it into force in the more popular branch of the; Legislature, but Ministers would not agree; to such a course. The Klectoral Hill, 1. understand, is not to be made a Ministerial measure, s<; that members will be able to tiv.al it from a non-party point of view. GOC NTRY "RKI.MIKSKNTATIVKS. A large meeting of ni'-inburs representing country di-tricls was held this morning, twenty-six being present, and many others accounted for, to discus the provisions of Hie new Electoral Hill as regards c nintry constituencies. Mr Seymour, member for Wiiirau, was in tin: chair, and it was finally ('ncid.'d that a committee, coiiM-tiiii; of Messrs Iruic*, Seymour and Macarthur, sliould interview the Government before th<>. ijill was introduced to urgu the de-ira-biliiyof an inert: iso of the quota in favour of country districts, and to report to a future meeting" Mr Seymour has undertaken to prepare a Bill, increasing what is called the "nominal addition/' to lia made in calI'.nlatintc Ihe quota of ek-c'.i mis in country districts frem IS per cent, (which is the limoinl proposed by the Government) to 3:i percent. Objection is taken by seiei-al members to such' a lar«e increase, as they contend that ii :'.') p-.tr cont. were asked for they would stand a much better chance of o'.,tai;iii>g it than if they demand 'S.i per cent. Those members, howtver, were, ininwriiy at to-day's mi'."ting, and the Bill will shortly be introduced as a separate measure. nUIi.VL DISTRICTS. A strong agitation is on foot am ingst the country members interested in the increate of tl)' , . quota to classify puch towns ;ts Napier. NV.lson, luvorcargill and Wanu'aiiui iis "country districts" under the new Hill. Their idea is lo declare the four large centres of population onlv in " town districts" under the Jiill, which is calculated to remove any opposition which might h> nlftsred from repi-e::eiitatives of the smaller towns. Thi) country members profess to be quite strong unongh now to carry their nroposals. Tll.lO !«' ISIIEII C() 1 lliKSl'l )X 1) KN CK. Considerable dillereuce of opinion exwts amongst members as to the propriety of laying the correspondence, relative lo Mr b'isher's retirement from the Ministry, on the table cf the House, and some of the more experienced members regard it as highly improper that Minister's dirty linen should be washed in this manner. I am iufor.ned that some of the hitters arc of ». particularly sultry character, and a few of Mr Fisher's friends have been endeavouring to disuaik". him from prising for their production. It is not unlikely jmw lh it the opinion of tho House will be taken a.-; to whelher the papers should be laid on the table or not. PRIVATK SCHOOLS BILL. Mr Vincent I'yke has convened a meetin cr of memb.n-s to diseuss a measure, which he forni'-'riy introduced as the Roman Catholic Schools Bill, aad which is intended to render assistance to other sclio >!s than those which now benefit by the Education Act.