REPLIES TO QUESTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 251, 16 July 1908, Page 9

REPLIES TO QUESTIONS.

chlorodYne. ' Yesterday the following Ministerial replies were given, to. questions asked during tho past week I regret to say," said the Minister in reply to Mr. , Wilford, "that-there is un-i doubtodjy a large amount of chlorodyno consumed unnecessarily, and'groat harm has resulted. I hope to introduce: at' an early date a Poisons Bill for the ■ consideration of honourable members. By including it in the first schedule of that Bill the person, buying and the person selling chlorodyno would havo to observe the same precautions as are necessary in the'case of other poisons included in that schedule. It has to bo borno in mind that the' medicine, when used properly, has well-authenticated good qualities. I might add that pill}''one caso (a female),-in which tho cause of : insanity'was given aa cliloro-.dyne-drinking, has boon committed to a mental hospital since January 1 last. A female patient out on probation, who was known, to bo addicted to ■ this habit,' was returned to the mental hospital during tho same period." ' TELEPHONES. Mr. Barber, in advocating a telephone oxcliahgo at Newtown, said •• that if such an exchange wero established, ho could guarantee; 100 additional; subscribers,: owing to tho reduced cost of 'connections. Tlid want , of such an exphango was hamperingbusiness in. South Wellington. Apparently ."Wellington received less consideration than Kaikora Northj' for tho Minister had,informed the mombor for • Hawse's -Bay ' that' a' tolephono exchange would be opened at that-place as soon as 13 subscribers had'signed tho 'necessary applications. • : ■■ THE ENCLISH MAIL. The aggravation that Wellington business people :su-rfered last week from having tho Southern portion of tho British mail (iifward) miss tho connection at Auckland'by an hour was mentioned by Mr. Aitken yesterday. The' Postmaster-General replied that tho mails ex tho Orient steamer generally arrived • at :Sydney only a short time beforo '.tho departure of .tho-steamer, for Auckland. It, did •'iriot, therefore, appear to' bo practicable to ensure', an: earlier arrival at Auckland by starting tlio 'steamer from Sydney, earlior. As;regards this particular caso, tho steamer Jloana . arrived in Auckland Harbour at 4 p.m.. on Sunday, July 5,' and tho steamor Ngapuhi'left Onehunga at 3.45 p.m. Tito nianajgerof'tho Northern Steamship Company ■ivas'asked whether,ho would; hold'tho steamor • for; tho' Southern portion of tlio -English' •mails,' but ho declined,, owing to th'o fact that' the wea'thei* was far' too -dirty-.'to. pe'r•mit" of ..the steamor being, -kept with'safety.. Had tho'Ngapuhi 'beon.'"dot'ajiied,'"sho could . nbt'/havo'left Onohiinga beforo 7. p.ni.; and . tho weather'was so .'bad . that it was thought, very', unlikely 'that sho would be. able-to'' got out ; before daylight. ■ 'WAGES OF biNING-CAR EMPLOYEES. A; question was asked'tho Minister for Railways by Mr; Arnold as to'tlio wages; paid; railway dining-car employee's.' "This mat-' ter has -previously been brought' under- notice," said tho Minister, "and inquiries'niado go to show that employees on tlio diningcars are favourably situated, wheii compared with" men in similar employment outsido the Department.The men's hours of duty do not exceed • sixty per week, and it is hot necessary'for them to work tho whole timo they are on. duty. - Compared with tho award tinder which private, employees in a'similar capacity work,-; their hours of work are not longer, but in some cases shorter; tlio men are supplied with one uniform suit per annum,' and in addition aro given annual leav'o on pay. .When called upon to perfonnoxtra duty'they are .paid extra for their work. The wages' paid by tho . Department arq; Waiters, '355. to 455.- per week; cooks' assistants,. 355. to'4os. per week;'-cooks, ,555. to 60s: per week.' These rates are exclusive. of meals, and when tho men aye'..away'from home thoy. are either provided with sleeping' accommodation or paid an allowance to' cover their expenses.' :Tho question of placing these employees on the Classification' List'will receive consideration.". ' ; " RAILWAY TABLETS. ■ 'With" a view -to enabling tho exchanging of railway tablets to be dono with safety, said tho Minister for Railways yesterday to Mr. Massey-, specific instructions were issued somo time ago directing that tlio speed of trains carrying tho tablet should. bo, limited when passing stations at which tho automatic tablet exchangers bad not been fittedj and' ifthis instruction wero complied with no risk was run' in, exchanging tablets. So; far as was known, the instruction was-rigidly adhered, to, as no report had been received concerning any breach of it. Full directions had, moreover, been given as to tho proper method of holding tho tablets when exchanging, and theso, if complied with, would likewiso lessen,any slight-risk.-that may be run. The work of installing automatic tablet exchangers had been in hand for somo timo past. Tho' apparatus was already fixed at a large number of stations on lines served by fast trains.,- "Ultimately the wholo of ', tho linos would bo equipped with the-apparatus. < -TRAINING OF NURiSES. .'. Mr. Massey yesterday urged that the.midwifery' lectures, now being given under tho Public Healtli Department, would' bo' of very little practical valuo until'they wero followed by examinations, and those who passed wero registered as - nurses. Tho Minister . (Mr. Fowlds). replied that this would not bo .advisable; because practical, experience was necessary. Any institution providing.'such training would' be recognised by tho Government, and women .who wero trained thero and who attended'the ,I'eetures .would bo registered. Mr. Massey-explained that his . point .had special reforenco to midwives who had already been practising for somo time. -Tho Minister replied that-the Department could not recognise a training,- concerning which it. had noknowlodgo or .power of supervision. Mr. Massey then suggested that a doctor's certificate might bo accepted. ,Mr. Hogg-was informed, that tho Government were not- aware of any rumours of an intention to increase tho Government firo'insurance .rates. Tho Government had been advised that tho rates at present charged were, howover, : probably too low to meet the risks run, but the matter had not yet been considered. Mr. Poland asked tlio Premier yesterday, whether provision; was being, made by the Government Entertainment Commissioners appointed in .connection with' the American fleot for tlio expenditure of at least 75 per cent, of the Government money in'entertaining'the .men and non-commissioned officers of the fleet, as theso formed by far the greater part of the force? "Tho question of tho entertainment of the men and lion-commis'-siohed officers of tho American licet," repliod tho Premier, "has not been overlooked,

but what proportion of the expenditure can bo devoted to this section of the fleet it is not possiblo to say at present." Mr. Barclay asked tho Premier, whether his attention had been called to tho anomalous naturo of tho scalo of duties payable undei tho Deceased Persons' Estates Duties Act, whereby an estate valued at £20,000 pays duty at the samo rate as an estato valued at £500,000, and wherein' other very serious anomalies ariso, and whether ho - does not tbmk the timo had , arrived when thero should bo a revival of this scale? "The scalo referred to," said tho Premier, "is 0110 fixed by statute. Thero is no present intention 011 tho part of tho .Government to introduce legislation to alter tho existing law." _ was regretted, said tho Minister for .Railways yesterday, that tho frco carriage or salt oil tho railways for farm use and tho destruction of Californian thistles could not bo approved. . All apprentices in the several branches of tho Government Printing Office, said the Minister -yesterday, are indentured under the Government Apprentices Act, 1875, for a period of six years. 1 Mr. was informed yesterday that the issue of return tickets at single fares to farmers and others travelling to the nearest market on fixed days could not be recommended. ■ Mr. Poolo asked tho Minister for Justice, in tho event of the Meildo-Acquittal Bill passing and compensation being, voted, what steps ho intended to take, if any, respecting the alleged perjury before tho Commission, Tho reply was that it had not been tho practico 111 the ordinary Courts to tako proceedings for perjury against a ,witness who, in the courso of cross-examination, had made statements contrary to fact but had afterwards corrected his evidence. It was. considered only fair that tho'Meiklo case,, as reported upon by the • Royal Commission, should be first dealt with. This matter would then receive 'tho consideration of tho Government. . ' It has been arranged that an officor' of tho Agricultural Department shall procccd to tho Cook Islands, and remain thero sufficiently long to enable him to furnish a full report as to tho fruit trade.of tho Islands and the best methods of inspection and control. |' . ■ Reply to Mr. Izard: Several cases of in,decent, exposuro in .tho .Botanical Gardens have been repotted during tho current year, and four offenders have been arrested. Since, the -last arrest in May 110 complaints have been received. Tho Botanical Gardens have for a long-time past received special attention, and this supervision is being continued. Inquiries aro now being made regarding the advisability of importing owls arid other birds of prey for the destruction of the small bird post. ; Inquiries are, now being made for. further supplies of angora goats, and every endeavour is to bo made to meet the wants of the ■settlors. " In the course of discussion on'questions; Mr. Field, said that the chief reason why there was no volunteer corps between Johnsonvillo aiid Palmerston North was the abscneo of a rifle range. ' A sito foi' a range at Otnki had for somo timo been undcr'offcr, and tho Government should look to the futuro having regard to tho defects, of the Trentham range in tho matter of tho prevailing winds. .. ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES. READJUSTMENT UNLIKELY. . . ' '" DR.' CHAPPLE'S PROPOSAL. the; attempt that is' being' made by' Dr. .Chappie, 'thc%ev,dy-elcct'ed member for Tuapeka,'to revive the question of tho reapportionment ..of tho representation of tho two. islands-is not likely,, so, far as can bo .gath-ered,-t-o meet with much support. This at least'-was tlfb imnressioiKgained by a -repreBoiitativG'of Tire Dominion, after a conversation with a number of South Island members. One of the members said, "Wo, aro going to have' somo very largo .and scattered districts in tho-South Island, it is true, but-what wo now hav6 to faco i&' only what tho'North-Is-land had to submit t-o. in tho .past. I rernehiber tho timo when the South Island had a dozen more members than tho North Island, and as tho North Island is so rapidly growing iii .population, it is entitled to .tho increase of members that it i» now securing. Then it may bo also pointed out that maiiy South Island peoplo arti now- residing in tho North Island, and it i's their representation that is being-provided for by tho increase'in tho Northern seats." Another member expressed similar views, and said that lie, was adverse to any increase of members. '.'There aro too many already," 110 said, "and although I conic from tho South Island, I could not support any proposal that would necessitate an increase. . "Whilst the system 'of representation is on a population basis, tho North Island must gaiin in regard to members," was a Canterbury, member's way', of putting it.. "If it is proposed to alter tho basis, well, then, wo would have, to alter tho Electoral Act, and, so far as I know, that is not proposed." ! Another 'member contented himself with pointing out the impracticable naturo of tho proposal to allow tho South Island to return its present number of members and to givo threo moro to the North Island. "It would mean a complete re-adjustment of boundaries and the reprinting of all the rolls, and it would bo quito impossible to do that beforo the date of the next elections." The matter is considered to be dead. ; The members of tho House who liavo been privately, discussing banking reform will wait, upon Sir Joseph Ward this morning to suggest certain alterations in regard to the Bank of New Zealand.