POLITICAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2680, 14 September 1889, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

(BY TEI.KGHAI'It.—OWN' COHItHsrOSDKST). WKIXiNOTON. Friday. REMOVAL OF RUST lUCT CONS. TliiißK was a rather heated discussion in the House this afternoon over the clause in the Native Land Court Amendment Bill, which removes restriction from native lands. Sir <4. Grey strongly opposed the clause, and directed the attentii m of tho committee to a block of land at Maungataut.\ri, and ncquired by Sir James Ferguson, a forinnr (iovernorof New Zealand. In reply to Si/ George's questions, tho Native Minister said a Crown (irant had been issued with respect to tho block, upon which .Sir George vigorously protested against such a course being pursued by a person in the 'position of an ex-Governor of the colony, and ho moved alternate motions for reporting progress, and that the Chairman leave the chair, in order that some mdte information should be given about this transaction. The Premier said if Sir George allowed the Bill to go through as the session was so advanced, he would give all possible information on the subject to-mor row, but this failed to satisfy Sir George who continued his opposition assisted by Mr Taylor, although divisions in each case were largely against him. Mr Ballance also warmly insisted 011 information being supplied before any further progiesa was made with the Bill, and he accused the Premier of drawing a herring across then scent as lie always did in matters of this kind. The Premier then rose, and angrily stated that if the leader of the Opposition addressed him in those terms he should refuse to give any information on the subject at all. He added that after several years' experience of Sir George Grey ho had come t> the conclusion it was' hopeless to attempt to disabuse the mind of that lion, gentleman on mattors of t.liis kind. AH he could say at present was that Sir .Tatnes Ferguson had acted strictly in accordance with tho law in all he had done and there was nothing whatever irregular 111 the Mr Tumbull supported Sir George Grey in his demand for the production of a'l the papers connected with the matter and lie made some reference to Sir .Lames Ferguson truckling in nati/o lands. The Premier interrupted Mr Turnbirtl by asking if it was Mr Ballance who had informed him that Sir .Tam°s had trafficed in native land, but the member for Timaru refused to reply to (ho que-tion. Tho obstruction still went on, Sir G. Grey staling that he should continue the Opposition till he got the information he asked for, and the Premier replying he should c.rtainly refuse to give it under these circumstances. After about two hours being wasted on the discussion the Premier challenged the obstructionists to throw out tho clauso altogether, and s.ii 1 the Government cared nothing about it, but Sir George refused to accept this, and the discussion went on till the dinner adjournment. THIS OCEAN MAIL SKIiYICB. The Opposition were quite taken by surprise last night over the division on the San Francisco service, as they expected tho result would have been much closer. John T.irvnox'S petition. The Public Petition's Committee to-day reported on the petition of John Lundon, }f P.insonby, who alleged that in April, LSMr, ho advanced a sum of money to pay the crew of the s.s. Oroti, then under charter to tho Government for the transl)oit of village sottlois, and that tho money has not been repaid to him. The Committee report, that tho petition has been laid before them so late in tho session that there is not time for them to obtain sufficient evi. dence to enable them to form any opinion on the claim put forward. PARLIAMENT. Tho Post to-night refers to the game of political "Tit-for-tat" that lias been going on this session, particularly the obstruction to the Ngakawau and Westport Railway Extension Bill, simply because the Otago Central Bill was rejected. It says it has never known a more striking paltry instance of a dog-in-the-manger policy than is exhibited in the opposition to the Ngakawau Bill. It is not contended.that the line is not urgently required, that it will not pay, or that the money has been borrowed for it; the sole position taken up is, "you shall not have a railway because 1 did not get the one I wanted." How can a country progress or prpspei\whenits Legislature is actuated by motives'of this kind '! If the Government had any-spirit they would insist on the Ngakawau Bill passing, despite Mr Pish and other obstructionists, even if they had to prolong the session another week. SI U HARRY AND SIR GEORGE. Another lively passage-at-arms was witnessed to-night between the Premier and Sir 0. Grey. The Bill under discussion was the Nalive Land Court Act Amendment Bill. Sir I Jeorge spoke in strong terms of the Premier's action in withdrawing the, information he had asked for in the afi oi-noon and said a cruel wrong would be inflicted on tho colony by passing the Bill without [jutting the House in possession o! that information. Sir Harry Atkinson, at length, appealed to the Committee to go on with the business of the country and not to listen to such speeches as that just, delivered by the member for Auckland .Central. They had all hoard that speech more than once before. Sir G. Grey at the end of every session always discovered some terrible iniquity, which was about to be perpetrated by tho Government, but the lion, 'gentleman, who was a memberof the Native Affairs Committee, refused to attend at that committee, or assist in any way in putting the Nativeßills in a workable form. Mr Fisher afterwaris rose and attacked his former chief in quite a ferocious manner, warning the Piemier, whom he persistently referred to as the member for Egmont, that if he wished the session to close peacefully he should not make such scolding speeches as the ine he had just addressed to the member for Auckland Central. THE HOBNAILED BOOTS. Sydney Taiwangn caused great fun in tho House before the supper adjournment by asking tho leader of tho Opposition to state whether or not the Native Land Court Bill was an honest Bill. He said the reason why lie asked Mr Ballance was because he wis afraid of the Premier's whip and his "Hob boot nails." Being interrupted bv a roar of laughter at the comical slip, Sydney made a further reference to Sir Hurry's " boot nails," and then delivered a long oration in his own peculiar jargon against the Bill under discussion. Mr Ballance replied to the question put to him by stating they wore trying to make the Bill an honest one, and he hoped to have the assistance of the native members in doing so. Sydney was not altogether satisfied with the reply, and gave it as his opinion the Dill was "no good " for either Maori or European. AN INCORRECT STATEMENT. . Mit Fish called the attention of'the Minister for Justice to a grave charge that appeared in the Post, and asked if there was any truth in the paragraph referred to the effect that certain staff officers had been supplied with the uniforms suited to their rank of correct staff pattern, and obtained from I'ingland at a cost to the colony of £000. Mr Fergus said ho was obliged to the member for Dnnedin South for giving him this opportunity of refuting the charge, and he desired to state that the report was about as co'rect as the statement that had, on several occasions, appeared in the Financial News about the financial condition of the colony. There was very little truth in the statement. Tho Minister explained that when it was the painful duty of the Government to dispense with the services of several officers in tho defence force, those gentleman had just provided themselves with new uniforms, at a cost of £180. They made application to the Government to have some consideration given them on this account, and they thought it only a fair and reasonable request. He agreed to refund the £18(5 and tho uniforms were taken over by the Government. The uniforms came into store and £31 was paid on part of them. The Government (in account of redactions which had been made in the defence force had to appoint gentlemen to do the work of officers who were experienced, and as these gentlemen had extra duties cast on them and received no increase in pay, the Government thought it was only right they should have proper uniforms. Colonel Hume was one of these and he received the greater portion of a uniform for which ho paid £30 Is Od : two other officers were similarly treated, the uniforms given out amounting in all to 6SI 10s Od. The rest of the uniforms were now in store and if the officers were similarly situated he would consider their claims perfectly just. In conclusion he said that since he had been in offico he had never ordered a shilling's worth of uniforms.