POLITICAL NOTES

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2638, 21 October 1909, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES

A SENSIBLE M.P.

(Special to “Times.”) WELLINGTON, October 20.;; ; H Mr. J. Craigie, the new .member Timaru, made his maiden speech in th(®| House to-day, and set an example members, as well as conveyed a to them. He said he did not address the) House, beyond expressm*! his opinion that the debating of Addressrin-Reply was an absolute of valuable time. Lie then members for their patient hearing, an<S sat down. The remark was with cheers, but the rebuke fell water on a duck’s back, for the ceeding speakers were long-rvinded ant ®j uninteresting. THE TITE-BARXACLE GOVERN- ■ MEXT. N “I don’t believe this Government willH over go out of office.”—Mr. A. L-IB Herdman, in the course of bis Address-®! in-Reply speech. He had, he went. ouH to say, come to that conclusion mature thought. “So long as there a storehouse of billets, so long as liament votes supplies for roads _ bridges, so long as there is an liaustible demand for roads, and so as money can be voted for such poses, and that money can be for tlie purpose of buying votes, andHj so long as you have men' on the eraiment benches prepared to take vantage of this state of things, so longM will the. Government remain in office.”® SECOND BALLOT EXPENSES. H The return of the cost of the second® ballot during the general election that in the majority of cases were perilously near the maximum am-B ount allowed. The majority of - them® sent in vouchers for £4B and to within a few pence of £SO, while® Mr. Graham (Nelson) reached the® maximum. Mr. W. D. =S. aid’s expenses were £4B 3s 3d, Mr. Darton’s (Gisborne) £49. H THE MINISTRY—TWO TROUBLE-® SOME QUESTIONS. H Two questions which are being well® canvassed in the lobbies just now are:® When will the Hon. T. Mackenzie be® elevated to full Ministerial rank? and® Will another Minister be appointed?® From what caa .be gathered it seems® clear that the appointment to the® Ministry of Mr. T. Mackenzie is 3 EOre® point with many members of the Gov-® eminent' party. With regard to the® suggestion that another Minister be appointed, it is fairly generally held® that another appointment could not be® defended. The cost of government, it® is felt, is already too high; and the® cost of another Minister could be bet-® ter spent on public works. Owing to® the reduction of Departments, no fur-® ther appointment would be warranted-® “If,” said one prominent Government® supporter, “only the best men had been.® selected for the position, the number® at present would be found quite ade-® quate.” Summed up by a shrewd_ fol-® lower of the Government, the position,® is that Sir Joseph V ard will not pro-® pose to give Mr. T. Mackenzie full Min—H isterial rank until, at any rate, after® the present session. In regard to the® vacancy in the Ministry, he holds that® Sir Jobeph 'will continue to dangle “the® bait” in front of his supporters m order® to keep them from kicking over the® traces. fl