PARLIAMENTARY.

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1589, 19 August 1885, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

I — + — This Day. The situation as cbscriWed in my i • ' latest teleguuns !;ist night still contin- | ues. A reply his been received fr<>m ! Major Atkinson that h»* is on his way j back and will be hpre to-morrow. Great regret is expressed that he will not be bark in time to be present at (he delivery of Sir Julius Voxel's snpplomemary budget to-ivght. The ' opinion is fi-oe.ly expressed that the Miris'iy will he out before, the end of the week It is no>v quite certain that if the Government bring down the plan sliiidowotl forth '»y Sir Julius j Yogel alloeUing new railways into ! separate districts with local liability ; ' or iiiar.a^euiont, a no confidence vote i < v.i!l bn tabled immediately by Mr s Mr Onmvid. It is also asset ted that < , i lils step will be taken if Ministers i propose a vote for the East and West Coast railway on the estimates as is 1 nnderstood to have been promised l»y Sir Julius Yogel to tV Cmterlun-y 1 members, and, even apart from these two possibilities, there is yreat hk^li- • hood of to-night's statement I'drnisliing atuiudanb ground of attack. It is liolievt-d on al! hands that a ctisis is at ia-st imminent. Wlun -the House a«scin'-led tliis evening there was a larjje atten'taiice in the galleries in anticipation of the ; Colouial Tresisurer's supplementary ; iinuicial statement. To the general ! disgust, however, the recommittal of the Hospitals and Charitable Instituj tions Bill was resumed where it left off, but the few remaining clauses ! were speedily got through, and before half past seven the House was moved ; into Committee of Supply and then : Bir J. Vogol delivered the supplemen ! tary budget which had been promised. •Jt was listened to in doad silence, excepting that there was a genei-.il i laugh and an expressi >n of dissent when he proposed to put on only another eighth of a penny ou the ■ property tax. Cries aro*e all round of j " make it a penny." The statement i \v:is by no means favorably received. I I have heard it characterised as weak. I j cowardly, and misleading. Somt, of | tho methods adopted for getting owr the fiuanci-il difficulty are (1) denying the magnitude of the deficit ; (2) kite flying; (.3) the extra half farthing of property tax. On all hauds there ure expressions of dissatisfaction at the manner in which the Government are dispo- to face the situation. This feeling found utterance in the debate which followed the statement, but after a rather acrimonious discussion it was agreed to go on with the estimates instead of waiting, as proposed, for Major Atkinson's return to have the proposals fully criticised. llt am to night that Major Atkinson cannot arrive to-morrow morning as was expected last evening, but he will in all probability reach Wellington by to morrow i.iglit. An immediate consultation among the Opposition leaders will be held, when the course to be taken as to a want of confidence motion will be decided upon. The present anticipation is that Mr Ormond will move one. It is quite certain that either of the proposals rumored to be peuding relative to the East aud West Coast railway will be the signal for a vigorous attack on the Ministry. The opinion is expressed by some of the leading Oppositionists that the Ministry will be out within a week, but everything is stiil quito uncertain. Some disappointment is expressed that no mention was made of the East j and West Coast railway question i;; j the statement to-night.

Parliament lias !>e«-n in session two calendar months to diy, but ti»e estii mates have not Ween iv any way dealt I witb. In order to set all douUs nt re&t as to whether or not the Government were . in possession of full information rr the I Meiggs proposals when the motion for the Bel- ct Committee was l>efore th<* Housr, Mr G. F. Ruhardson has asked that all correspondence since tho siguing of tlie railway contract He laid on the table. In order that the dates may transpire. The Waste Lands Committee thi» morning passed all the new clauses in the Land Bill. A return laid on the table to-day gives the respective antonnts contributed »>y the Provincial districts to the Colonial r«venne from Customs, Stamps land and property tax, beer tax, and territorial revenue for the year ending 31st March 1885. The totals are as follow? .—Auckland £463,162 ; Taran:iki £56.054; Wellington £J6G,226; Hawkes Bay £85,872 ; Nelson £89, 307; Mfirlbnmugh £25,757; Canter»»nry £446.107 ; Westland £50.678 ; Otago £764,(520. Grand total £2,427, 842. Later. A nimor afloat tonight is that there is some douht whether Mr Ormond or Mr Bryce wonM move a no confidence motion, bnt Mr Ormond is deemed tllf* m«»re proJ»a*>le. it is said, however, that a strong section would insist on Mr Bvyce being included in nny ncv Ministry, while others favonr Captain Rnssell being Nation Minister, with Mr Ormond (Planner). Mr Mitchflson (Public Works), Mr Montgomery (Colonial Secretary), Mr Fe.rgn* or Mr i Fulton (LamM, fttir | Mr G. McLeauas coll^ajynes. Y'>jj will, of conrsr,understand that I give this merely as lobby go«sip, which, however, is rather sngifested by certain circumstantial evidence of probability.