POLITICAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume 2656, Issue 2656, 20 July 1889, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

(BY TKI.KGIIAL'H. —OWN COIUUCSL'ONDKST.) Ww.UNfiTON, Friday. MINISTERIAL LAND POLICY. The very lengthened that took place this afternoon over a question put bj Mr Duncan, member for Waitaki, playec directly into the hands of the town members, who are so strongly opposing th( Representation Bill. Their chief desires u to delay that measure for an mdehniti period, and but for the debate referred t<

the. Bill would have been reached at an early stage of to-day's proceedings, ihe discussion arose through Mr Duncans question respecting: the granting of a lease of the Otakaike run in the Oamaru district to Messrs Campbell and Sons, but the debate that followed resolved itself mote into an all-round attack on the land administration than of the particu'ar questi n which initiated it. Mr Balhxnce, amongst others, spoke with some warmth against Alt Richardson's land policy, and said that the Minister's chief desire seemed to be to get rid of the land as quickly as possible without any regard to the wants of small settlers. 'He also asserted that the last Grown Lands report was full of errors and utterly misleading. This statement brought out the Minister for Lands and he said he should require more proof than Air Ballance's mere assertion before he admitted the figures furnished by the Lands Department were incorrect, bir Hurry Atkinson also scored heavily when he said that the present Government had certainly not lavished large sums of money on village settlements like Mr Ballauce had done, and the retort evidently told with those members of the llouso who remembered how severely Mr Ballance was taken to task when a member of the Stont-Vogel Government, for having spent £liO,ooo unauthorised by Parliament on his pet vil age settlement scheme. The Premier further staled that the returns proved there has been nwre genuine land .settlement during the last year of the colony's history. THE REPRESENTATION BILL. It is expected that the stonewall on this Bill will not assume any definite shape till the Bill gets into committee, when a whole host of frivolous amendments are to be proposed with the object ot killing it, if possible. Mr Barron has not the slightest home of carrying his amendment that the present Act which reduces the number of members should not be disturbed till the constituencies are consulted, bub the advocates of a reduced House greatly fear that a proposal to restore the number of members to 05 would stand a good chance ot being agreed to by the town members as a punishment to the country districts for their demand for an increased quota,

THE vacant portfolio. This matter is about to be brought to Ministers' notice by Mr J. C. Brown who intends asking the Premier if it is the intention of the Government to fill up the vacancy in the Cabinet caused the ietirement of the Minister of Education, and, if so. will the Government take into consideration the desirability of having a Minister of Agriculture. THE EX-GOVERNOR'S PORTRAIT. Mr W. P. Reeves gave notice of a question this afternoon which caused some amusement to Ministers. The question was, by whose authority a paiutina in oil, stated to be a representation of sir \\ . l>. Jervois, K.C.M.G., had been suspended in the central ro«>m of the library.

THE GENERAL ELECTION. I hear on good authority that the Premier intends to stand for Wellington City at the next general election. If the city electorates are not amalgamated Sir Harry Atkinson will probably oppose Dr. Newman, and the general feeling here is ho would be puccessfnl in the contest.