POLITICAL NOTES.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 179, 7 August 1888, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

[from our own correspondent.] Wellington, yesterday. Sir George Grey has presented a petition from the residents of Auckland in favor of the continuance of the village settlements in that part of the colony. The Premier has indicated that the policy of the Government with regard to the defaulting Harbor Boards will be to raise the rates of harbor dues and put in receivers until the amounts in arrear are made good. Thus the Post, which shares the Wellington antipathy to the 'Frisdo service: —Noses have been very carefully counted over the San Francisco mail service, and it is believed there will be a decisive majority against the renewal of the contract. The Auckland members, finding their ease a hopeless one, are now actively engaged lobbying against the Direct mail service. The Defence Minister was urged by Mr Hutchison, when the Defence Estimates were under consideration, to raise the volunteers' and cadets’ capitation to a sufficient sum to encourage volunteering. The Hon Mr Fergus said the Government had the matter under consideration at the present time, and he hoped to be able to bring down proposals naxt session, when he would be happy to give the volunteers such monetary aid as the colony could afford. Mr Samuel reminded the Minister that retrenchment was now the watchword of the colony, and Mr Bruce protested against the defence expenditure as being entirely unnecessary. Sir Jonn Hall argued that in the interests of freedom, as the colonies were the most vulnerable parts of the Empire, and were now drawn by the swift steam services to comparative nearness to the formidable naval powers, the expenditure was justifiable. The matter was discussed in a desultory way, very wide differences of opinion being shown. It is said that one effect of the late no-con-fidence motion is to strengthen the tendency of the freetrade party to adhere to the Government. The object of the Harbors Act Amendment Bill, which was circulated lately, is evidently to meet the financial difficulties in which several Harbor Boards in this colony have been landed. It proposes to suspend the power of the Thames, Waitara, New Plymouth, and Patea Boards, to fix and collect harbor dues, and to empower the Governor-in-Council to fix them and arrange for their collection. The moneys are to be paid by the collectors, at stated periods, into the harbor funds of the respective districts, and the costs of collection must not exceed £2 10s per cent. The borrowing powers of the New Plymouth and Patea Harbor Boards are also extended, the former being authorised to raise money on the security of its land revenue for the payment of interest ou loans. With regard to the Native policy Bills, ths Premier denies that any compromise has been arrived at with the native members, but states that he and ths Native Minister had been in communication with those gentlemen with the view of agreeing to amendments which will be suitable to them and aleo to the House.