POLITICAL NOTES

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3165, 6 October 1892, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES

(lIY TELEGRAPH — SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Wellington, Last Night.

THE ELECTORAL BILL. Therb is very little chance now of an agreement being arrived at between the two Houses over the Electoral Bill. Tho managers for the House informed the Conference this morning that they declined to accept the compromise offered by the Council that the electoral rights to women should not apply to tho women iu the large town", and that, contingent on this oemg accepted, they would abandon the proposal to divide the city electorates. This practically means that the Bill will bo killed. According to lobby rumour, the reason the Government declined to accept the compromise is that they dread the passing of woman suffrage, which they fear would operate against the interest of their party at the next election. An angry discussion arose in the House this afternoon when the Acting-Premier (Mr Seddon) moved that the House again disagrees with the Council's amendments. Mr Rolloston, who is an opponent of female franchise, still wishes the Bill to pass into law. He said that as there was apparently little hope of a compromise being arrived at, Mr Seddon might gracefully resign from the committee and allow another Minister to take his place. Mr Buckland warmly slated he was present at the Conference, and that the Acting-Premier simply stonewalled the Bill and quite overshadowed the other members ot the Conference in order to prevent any agreement being come to. It was Mr Buckland's opinion that no compromise could possibly be made whilst Mr Seddon remained a member of the conference as he would not yield a single point to tho Council. He spoke so strongly against Mr .Seddon's action that he was called to order. CLOSE OF THE SESSION. Ministers are anxious to close the session this week, but there is every appearance that the prorogation will not take place before Monday or Tuesday next. A CURIOUS PETITION. Tho petition of Major John Liddle, late of the Scot's Grey's, states he left the army for the purpose of settling in New Zealand and was partly induced to do so by the Parihaka incident which seemed to give promise of employment in the military forces in the colony, otherwise ho might have served eight years longer in the Imperial forces. The petitioner who brought £3600 with him to the colony has been settled in the Manawatu district for 10 years, and having selected poor land has lost K2ooo in seven years. Eor this reason he asks for 400 acres of 1 ind for services rendered during the Crimean war, and says that had he not been unfortunate he would not have petitioned the House. LOCAL BODIES SUBSIDIES. Tho Public Petitions Committee has reported on 3IS petitions from Local Bodies against the withdrawal of subsidies and referred them to the consideration of the Government.