POLITICAL NOTES.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 322, 9 July 1889, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

THE LATEST FROM THE HOUSE. [iROM OUB OWN COBriBSrONDKNT.J Wellington, het night. The delivery of the Public Works Statement is expected to-morrow afternoon. Colonel Trimble ha* declined the office of Sergeant at Arms The Post says the political situation at tha • £ resent time is a very curious one. Tha linistry is weak, it has -no party behind it, and has no principle within it. The only thing which distinguishes ite members from any other fortuitous conglomeration of political atoms is that they are in office, and ni rther combination, a* the Ministry cannot carry anything, and this being so, it is pos■<b'y a good thing that it really ha* no policy. If it had one, and tried to give I: effect, th* hour* of its existence would ba numbered in brief, While however it is almpiy content to bring down a lot of incongruous proposal*, and throw them on the floor of the Houw, there is little danger of it* being turned out. Instead of leading the House, it ia content on every question, to count noses, and accept the opinion of the majority. It ha* no following upon which it oan rely, even if it* life were threatened, and if it i* allowed to retain office, it is only because no one Is particularly anxious to turn it out. The Premier, Sir John Hall, and Mr Saunders are to make exhaustive speeches for the Government on the Represeutaaiou Bill.

The question of extending the franchise to women will again be raised this session. Sir John Hall will move, on the motion for the committal of the Registration of Electors Bill, the following resolution :—" That it ba an instruction to the Committee to make provision tor the (extension cf the Parliamentary franchise to women."

Sydney Taiwhanga declares that if the Eight Hours Bill had been introduced next session, just before the general election took place, not a single mem her would dare oppose it. Mr Joyce says that there are white slaves in th* public service, in Canterbury specially, on the railways, where men work’ twelve, fourteen, and even sixteen hours a day. Mr Dick Reeves says that 3 greater eurse does not ex ! at on the Statcta Book in New Z aland than the Licensing Act, and wouffi like to see the old system of granting license* reverted to. Major Steward's Triennial Licensing BiRf‘ which proviles for the triennitl inateaa of annual eleoti.nts cf Licensing Commtiteee, met with almost unanimous support, a id the second reading was carried on the voice’. Thera wa> the usual fight over the Eight Hours’ Bill, which has be-n introduced this year by Mr Taylor. The measure obtains no operative clause, aud defines eight hours as a day’s work and forty eight hour* ns a week'* work, It vra* supported by Messrs Fish, Moss, Tai whangs, Joyce, O'C onor, and Cadman, and was opposed by Messrs Kerr (who moved that it be read a second time that day six months), Buxton, Sir J. Hall, Downie Stewart, Verrail, Marchant, Fulton, and Turnbull. The general opinion of the opponents of the measure was that the eight hours system was already sufficiently recognised ia the colony for ordinary labor. The second reading was affirmed amid cheers, by 87 to 23, and its committal fixed for the 18th instant. The Slaughter Houses Aet is to bs emended thia session in tbs direction of allowing settlers to slaughter one bead of large or four head of small ca".ta pr-r month. The officers commanding corps in various parts of ths colony have written to the Defence Department approving cf regulations providing for the abolition of battalion drills, The following now bil's have been introduced and read a first time:—Notice of Aotion Abolition Bill (Stewart), Dog Registration Amendmant (Dincan), Bush Firing (Marchant), Bible in Schools 1889 (Tauner), Nalaon Foreshore Reserves (Harknevs). • The prospects cf the passige of tha Otago Central Railway* Bill tl.is erg-jon are considerably brighter th.ro in previous years, and there i* little doubt that it will run suoeoesfully through ths House. Mr John McKenzie, one of the most uncompromising opponents of earlier schemed, avowed hie support to the present Bill. The Premier opened the debate on the motion for the s‘cood reading, stating that on the tion of the line to Ewehurti there would a very considerable return 10. tfie spent, while some iJ.OJJ antlers banefitad, Mr Billauoe in ettpp .rting Bill, thought the propose ! method of raising the wherewithal chiefly from the land fund of the district infinitely preferable to last year's measure. Tho debate was adjourned till this week. In order to meet the unemployed difficulty at Auckland the Government have voted £5OO to be spent by the Waitemata County Oouneil. Litigants will bail with satisfac'ion tha introduction ot Mr Downie Stevart's Notice of Action Abolition Bid. The object of the bill is shortly to prevent technical d. fences being raised to defeat a just cln n. It provides that the absence ot or any defect in a notice of aotion shall not be def moo to the action, but shall only be a ground for depriving the plaintiff of costs to the extent the Judge or Magistrate may in hie discretion think properMr Rhodes is indignant because the Ctnlerbury police are supplied with horses from the North Island, and wants the mat er scan to. Major Steward says tho extra cost of unnecessary talking in the House is absurdly exaggerated. Ide explains that moat of the fixed expenses, like honorarium, are for tha whole session, He has moved for a return to show this.