NEWS AND NOTE

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 9, 5 October 1907, Page 8

NEWS AND NOTE

Tho revenue from University Endowments for 1906, according to a return laid on tho table of the House of Representatives, was as follows: — Auckland Uuivorsity,£s24 7s. 2d.; Victoria College, £54; Canterbury College, £5065 4s. Id.; Otago University, £5903 os. 3d. The Hon. R, Guinness wants the following particulars submittal to Parliament names of all females employed in tho several Government departments,-tho department in which thoy are now omployed, length of service, whether thoy havo passed the Senior or Junior Civil Service ex■aminatou, and salary proposed to bo paid for the current financial' year. Sir. Joseph Ward , has given notice to movo: —"That on and after Monday, tho 7th instant, and for tho remainder of tho session, this House do meet on Monday, at 7!30 p.m.; for tho transaction of Government busU ness only.", ".Owing to the difficulty in obtain- . ing a supply of New Zealand screened hard coal sufficient to maintain the reserve stocks of locomotivo coal at the_ various depots in ■ the Dominion,", said tho .Minister of Mines in reply to Mr. Barber, "it was found. necessary to purchase a considerable quantity of Newcastle coal during the past. year. . The ;har- , hours of the West Coast, from'which supplies of New Zealand hard coal are obtained, being bar harbours, aro during certain periods of tho year ; difficult to work owing to bad. weather, and it is therefore essential' that the Railway Department should keep in reservo a supply of coal sufficient to enable the railways . of. the Dominion to bo satisfactorily worked for several weeks when unforeseen circumstances may result in coal supplies ordered not -being supplied. Tho - necessity. for ordering . Newcastle coal arose from tho fact that the local mines were quite unable to meet the domands of tho Department for coal, and the difficulty was accentuated by a period of bad weather interfering very much with shipping traffic. The reserve stocks of coal., at' all the railway depots "are now ample to meet _ requirements, and, provided the deliveries'of New Zealand coal keep up at'tho same rates as at present, 1 do.not anticipate that it will bo necessary to purchase further .supplies of,' Newcastle coal. As already indicated, Newcastle-coal is purchased only when absolutely necessary. and essential for the proper., carrying-on of' tho business of tho Department." ■ Tho Hon. Sir W. J. Steward proposes to ask tho Minister of Justice whether he will submit a Bill to abolish the grand jury system. Mr. T. Mackenzie proposes to go further, and ask whether the Minister will .abolish tho common jury " because of tho difficulty of obtaining verdicts against tho guilty, and, further, by reason of the fact that guilty criminals prefer a jury, whereas innocent persons rely with confidence on a judge; in other words, tho guilty always invariably rely on acquittal by a jury, whereas a judgo would punish them as they deserve?" Tho M to Z Petitions Committee reported yesterday ,upon tho petitions of C. L. O'Mcara, of Pahiatua ;M. Morrison, of Caversham; and M. A. Smith, of New Plymouth'; widows of former members of Parliament, who asked for a compassionato allowance. . Tho petitions were referred to tho Government for consideration. Just before tho dinner adjournment there-wa3 a brief discussion on the subject in the House. Mr. Lauronson and some others spoko of the expense monitors.: were put to iu getting into the House and afterwards, and urged that £300 a year was not at all an adequate payment for the work done, and tho expenses incurred. Mr. .M'Lachlan, howdver, put tho other side of tho question. How many members of this House had three hundred a year before they came into it," ho asked. "Very few," ho replied, "this was the biggest windfall thoy ever had. .They wero never in as ail'luont circumstances as thoy were now. They never had and never would have threo hundred a year had it not been for tho. Fates putting them into Parliament as representing something." It was recalled, during the debate, that allowances had been made in the ease of former deceased. Ministers of the Crown, and Mr. Hogg wanted to know why there should bo such a great gulf botween tho widows of Ministci'G and the widows of members. Tlio Premier expressed sympathy, and spoke of a proposal that had been'made to logislate so that momuors of Parliament should bo on a similar footing to civil servants in this matter. Without committing himself in any vi-.y, however, he would promise to look carefully into the petitions and report lato'r to Parliament.