POLITICAL NOTES,

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 46, 18 November 1907, Page 8

POLITICAL NOTES,

THE ESTIMATES.' TOURIST VOTE DISCUSSED. Tho Houso settled down to tlio Public Works Estimates on Friday night, after tho Premier's supper in Bellamy's. Tho earlier votes (Railways and Public Buildings) took some time to pass, and the Tourist Department voto also occupied an hour beforo being allowed to proceed. After that, however, the pages wcro turned ovor more rapidly, and by 2.45 a.m. the last sum had been agreed to. The details of the various votes have already been printed. In discussing tho Tourist vote, Mr. Massey said that, including tourists' roads, the total amount proposed to be expended this year was £93,571. The time had arrived when the Minister ought to be told to go slow, that tho country conld not afford it. Sir Joseph Ward devoted considerable time to showing that over £40,000 of the amount was being spent at Rotorua on uecessarv works, and £20,000 of the sum was for the new baths there. Mr. Massey replied that he had referred to the magnitude of tho vote compared with tho sum spent, for instance, on school buildings m tho back-blocks. Tho Premier retorted that a large portion of tho Rotorua vote would not be recurring. The Government owned Rotorua, and must spend'to provide for the requirements of th> people. Mr. Poland complained that tho Tourist voto was not boing expended evenly aver the colony. Ho also said that tho expenditure during the last five years from the Public \\ orks ' and ■ Consolidated Funds had been £243,603, and this he considered was too great. The. health resorts wero being run too much in favour of tho tourist visitor, and hot sufficiently in tho interests of indigent New Zealandcrs.

A\ hile on the same vote, Mr. W. H. Fiold speaking on. behalf of Wellington residents,' asked that something should be done to facilitate access to portions of the Tararua Ranges, especially Mount Hector, a splendid peak about twelve miles from Otaki as the crow flies. ,c Wh T i!V lisoussin S the Public Buildings voto, Mri Fisher asked tho Minister (The Hon. j! M Gowan) for a statement as to whether the title of part of the land held under the original title of tho Ministerial residence in Molesworth Street had been alienated irom the Crown, and, if so, by what authority. He complained that early in tho session's return relating to the matter asked for and ordered had not been supplied. He now asked the Minister if ho would promise to supply the return. .The-Ministersaid-if the House had ordered tho rotum it would be supplied; put, in answer to a further question, he said ho could not say when—ho knew nothing about the matter.

END OF THE SESSION. An effort is being made to bring the session to a close on Thursday or Friday. Tho Bills shown on • tho Order Paper of tho House, apart from local Bills, are forty in number, and 22 of theso are C-iovernmcnt measures. Among them are tho Meikle Acquittal Bill, and tho v Harbour Boards Bill, both of which, the Ministers have stated, will bo.postponed until next session. There remain twenty Bills which the Government may or may not try to pass before the prorogation. The most important and contentious of. thoso are the Public Service Superannuation Bill, and Native Land Settlement Bill (which have yet to pass their second reading), tho Arbitration Act Amendment Bill, and Railways Department Classification Bill (which aro awaiting committal), and the Gnrnirig and Lotteries Bill, which was reported from the Select Conimitteo on Friday and has not yet been debated by the' Honso. The Govornment has, so far, shown no disposition.to. postpone any of these measures, though it must bo admitted that earlier in the session tho five which have boon mentioned above, to say nothing of tho other fifteen, might have kept tho House busy for several weeks.

It is freely stated in, the lobbies that if tho. Government attempts to pass the Native Land Bill this session its task will'be a particularly difficult 'one, in view of tho strong feeling that this measure should receive more deliberate attention than is possible now. The Gaminp; and Lotteries Bill is also expected to causo -trouble, and the newspapers of tho last few ;days have contained ample warrant for saying the same thing of the Railways' Department Classification Bill. And besides all these measures,'there is tho Maori " Washing-Up" Bill, which is now in the hands of the Native Affairs Committee, and which will perhaps not go through tho House without a hitch. There are also tho Supplementary Estimates to be dealt with. It is expected that there will bj a further ''slaughter of tho innocents," amounting this time to a massacre of quite respectable proportions. The Legislative Council, apart from tho Bills coming to it from tho House; has only the Bill on its Order Paper. This important measure (which proposes to abolish District-Courts and reorganise tho Court of Appeal) has dropped- out of the public view for several weeks. During this interval it has been submitted to the Judges and the Law Societies. It was mentioned again in tho Council on Friday, whon the second reading was made an order of the day for to-morrow. LOCAL BILLS. The House of Representatives will meet this morning at. ton o'clock. Local Bills are to ho taken. There are seventeen of thorn on tho Order Paper, and, if the list is completed before I p.m., an adjournment will bo niado till 2.30, whon ordinary business will be proceeded with.