NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 320, 6 October 1908, Page 9

NEWS AND NOTES.

ALTERATION OF TIME. The Extension of Commerce'-Committee,' reporting on the Alteration of '.Time Bill, stated that,- after examining • Mr;'. Hudson, it considered that the Bill'involved a 1 question of importance to the' coufitry; .and in view of the approaching end-of the session,'it should bo held over for future consideration. In speaking on this matter, Mr. Izard said ho hoped that next year.-they''would have the opportunity of talcing-'fevidence of expert gentlemen oil the subject"" Mr.' G, V. Hudson, of the Postal*' Department, ho said, had been the orginatpif ,; of the schemes in New Zealand, a paper-' 1 of- hisY-'written in 189-5 having been published in- ! tho'Trans*' actions of the i\'ow Zealand-Institute: 110 "understood that objection to tllo -Bill-came from the newspapers, since it-Was".feared -that,' unless Australia amalgamate'-in'this 'proposal, the morning cables from Europe would not be able to be printed.,jßy;tho "operation of the Bill 180 hours of dflyligbfo'that-wero l at present slept away jii'suriiuierrwdtil'd-; bo. saved. , •- : • MUSICIANS BILL.;-" Tho Education Comn]iUop'".i'.eco)nmp)ld'ed". that tho Musicians' Bill -bo allowed .to .pro.-, ceed as amended. Several!' alterationS.rhavcbeen made. The NelSoii'''.Professional Musicians' Association h'a_s r "beoiv;;'dil^ed. > 'to ' tho incorporated "making Wellington the of; tlie'-"society/ has been struck out, and.'Mio'Afollowing added: "Tho society shall iit : have a registered office in tho City _ of Wellingtoh\'.', and notico of tho thereof' and of any change in the situation'-. slialFbe'given' by the council to the . and shall be registered by-him.'?;;-, I'V-liny 1: default- under this sect ion - fi" fin 6-not''''exceed-' ing Is. per member of the'council for" every day of default-is leviable.'"! An''"important" " clauso has also been added,' rendering} it' law-' ful for the council to m'nko" ; 'ari : angemoiits with tho N. Z. University to .'conduct 1; or an.v of tho examinations' byT regulation of the council ; v ' and' '.'rtudering' it optional for the council to recogniSo aiiy. of tlic universities' examinations ■" for <• degree of Bachelor of Music; "In the scliedulo a new district of Palmerst6n'North lias been created, which includes surrounding counties. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE SALE BILL. It is proposed, in the Agi'-jeultural -Produco Sale and Importation Bill, „to take rest-riotivo measures to prevent tho di66ominatiou of tlio ■'

seeijs of California!!' thistle' in chaff' and oal4. Yesterday. Mr. Okey (Taranaki) asked ■ the for Agriculture what had hap- " pened to the Bill "(which had passed the ".House). Eight hundred sacks of oats, ho 'said, had recently-been landed at a West ■Roast port full of California!! thistle seed. ' -There was need for the Bill. The Minister explained that the Bill had gone in the constitutional, way. to the Upper House, and • befen referred to the Agricultural Stock Cora- ' luittoo."' 'He. understood that, as the recommendation of : the c'ommittce, the Bill waa not;being proceeded with. The speaker, re- , " •'plying to Mr. OUey, said it was usual in »suph a case, to move to set up a committee ~Jo ''search and ascertain what had been dona ..with the Bill." Mr. Okey proceeded to. move ■that this be done,-:'but the Prime Minister -said it was unusual for such a step to ba .talcen/,' since the .measure was a. Government ' Bill: It was. usual for the member to do the Minister the courtesy of. informing him ; beforehand of his intention to move th« , .motion. The-Speaker pointed out'to. Mr. ; ()key that tho usual course, since this was , ju Government Bill,would be to • ask the .'Government to set up a committee to search.;,. . .Mr; Okey accordingly gavo notico to do this. ;• REGISTRATION.OF BIRTHS AND " DEATHS. 'As the result of motions by the Hons. ; Captain Baillio and Dr. 1 Collins, the Legis- '.' . lativo Council recently appointed a committee J-. ' ;.to "o into the subject-of registration of b.ij'ths and deaths. The committee .yesterdaysubmitted the evidenco it-had taken, but . piado _no' recommendation except that the . inquiry should' bo continued next session.- . ."Among the - witnesses wero a number of V " dbitors, and they were practically unanimous ". .in':tho' opinion that' thero was scarcely any. . rijk of premature burial, under the existing . law, but they thought every reputed corpse . should be. examined by a medical man. They . " 'also' thought' this period for notification of deaths in ' the country districts should bo reduced. -. They also favoured a reduction " of the' period ■ for notification . of births. ; ' More than one medical man pointed out that - a^person'.might die'of infectious disease, and ■'registration'not taking place for 21 days, the „' ' "bouse might be occupicd before being disin- - ■■fbfeteel'.;.- The: Registrar-General (Mr. E. J. ■Von DadelsKen) stated'"'that' people frequently ■ failed'to'notify hirths and deaths within the ; required periods,. and he was not in favour ; "of shortening the periods. ■ ' , ' . ' The. Education Committee reported to the 'House yesterday that, .haying, again given consideration to tho petition of Thomds Walker, formerly engaged at the Weraroa . training, farm, tlioy could .only repeat their 'former statement that they had no recom- . .mendatiqn.to make,. . , . ,"I relied on the fact that this Bill waa ,fc? ;'be permissive," : said the Hon. 0. Samuel,, speaking. of the Public Bodies' ■ Leases Bill; .'"and feeling sufre'that no leas- '. ; jngf a'Uthbrity; would be so unreasonable a,' ;,to.adopt,it,'..l gavo up trying to amend it." i A return was laid on tho table of tht House,yesterday showing the privileges anc ; encouragements given to volunteers Undei •existing; regulations: t '. „It is .-J\lr; Izard's desire to know whethei .'in.'respect'ortlid D 3 list the Minister foi • Railways is departing from' the established - precedent in not dating rises from their duo . date, aiid, if so, why? "PARLIAMENTARY BUILDINGS. > '•'•■ STATEMENT BY THE PREMIER. 1 The PRIME MINISTER (Sir J. G. Ward) '' moved: -'-'That the-report, of the Parliament, ary Buildings- Committee be agreed to." The report, which has been published, recom- -' mended that the new; Parliament Houses, in-cluding-a now library'building, should bo erected- on tho Government Houso site, and that'the Molesworth'Street site, including , those", portions' of ' the old Parliamentary | Buildings'' not destroyed by fire, should bo- r utilised for • Departmental buildings and offices, and tlm'old parliamentary lawn tennis ' ..ground' aiS 'a site for a building for tho - 'Museum, - the Lambtbn Quay block to ba 'eventually cut up and leased. After reading tlie' the Prime Minister said the esti- • 'iiiaWof 'tho"'cost of erecting Parliamentary ' on the Government House site was 1 ;£lso;ooo,and of the' Departmental Buildings sito £264j000. Tlie" estimated space for new . ™' Departmehtar buildings on -the Molesworth •' .Street'site? was .205,000ft.,-and the'immediata . expenditure for Departments that required fire-proof accommodation was £20,000. .The Rough Plans. -'" ■Hg 'wished,,to. sa.v, .in' regard to strictures upon, the' Public Works Department's sketch . - ' .piprations of proposed new buildings, that ' 1 tliey. were done 'agaiiist time. Ho read a I letter, from the. Government architect stating that; tho' 'reproductions were done by the . i lithographic artist of,the Government Print- ; nig fork's, from roughpencil sketches, which were' made -in aii hour or two for the purposebf estimating' and computing space. This ;also applied, said tho Primo Minister, to the • • . sketch ( .elevation for a hew vice-regal resi-- . denco.... '.He did not think they should be ■ .'in too.'great a hurry About a now Parliamentary Building, as the present accommodation; was'.fairly comfortable. Competitive Designs to be Invited. ,/ Tho Government . would propose that com- . pet'itivo: designs should ;bo . invited from architects,.in New Zealand. ...(Hear, hear.) . The competition should bo open to tho Government, architect also,and-a decision should not'bo .taken until'nest session. This would • ' not involve! loss, of time, as the plans would , vtak'o, six. months or more to'prepare. The • ".'limit' of . cost" proposed would b? £150,000, ... and there would be alternative designs for '■'. . brick,". ferro-cqncrcte, stone, and wood.. Tho- - making- provision for housing the Depart- . . m'eiiis . would bo a gradual process, t They . '.wbuld.begin'.witli a three-story block on the " Molesworth . Street site, costing . £20,000. \ , There iVa's the very strongest objection to adding to tho existing wooden building on . L'ahibton Quay. If the amount to be spent .on [Parliamentary' Buildings was limited to ' £190,000,' and the cost of a Government House-to • £25,000, they would be doing what" : was-right and necessary.