ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 643, 21 October 1909, Page 9

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS.

TELEPHONE EXCHANGE FOR NEWTOWN. : ■ AN INTERESTING STATEMENT. ' • •• Answers to a first -instalment of'over a hun'dre.,l questions lyoro' given in tho House yesterday. The Prime. Minuter ■ stated'-that ah opportunity woijld be, afforded later lor discussion. . ' X reply Given by . tho Prime' Minister to Mr. .Wright,- ■ ii.P,, states, that it was - formerly promised; that favourable consideration, would t>o_ given to opening an , exehaiige. at Newtown When a new exchange including . : a - now switchboard' (not, however, yet' erected) was in operation at, Wellington Central. That now, iwitohbflard' would provide, for,'receiving tho ..ccessary junction wires coflneoting with other possible city exchanges. Tho present Wellington switchboard has not got the accommodation for suoh wires, but Htwtown might have a, branch exchango now or in a 1 short bmo under the existing regulatioiis-viz., that JNewtown exchange subscribers have free communication between themselves,; but pay a fee' for-every call to Wellington : exchange,! -and similarly'tho Wellington exchange subscribers would pay a fee, to communicato .with a Nowtown exchange subscriber. Even .when- the prosent Wellington exchange has the .new equipment above refetred to, and- if' Newtown had also an exchange, it, would be necessary to establish a- measured rate, :and this might prove more expensive and. not so efficient as tho present .system of. direct wires on 1 a-flat rato based on the length of line used. It-is not', considered that. Wellington is yet a larzo chough city for more than one exchange, but probably, the time is coming when it- may -bo necessary to declare a city area for exchange purposes with sub-exchanges. " Such sub-ex-changes would be established:on a basis of Some minimum number of subscribers • calculated to pay the cost, of working, including lines, maintenance, and • attendance. At present no part of the existing Wellington. City three .miles from the present exchange '.'would have, for ..instance,'' a' sufficient number' of subscribers to.'payfor a continuous night-and. , day and .Sunday-service., Wherithat titto does come, however,: :a measured ..rate tariff'- will be i necessary.,. .The, rate'now. for."a private'rosidonoe connection ; three..;miles 'from , the' exchange is £9 per annum for' an 'unmeasured service. ■ This cannot bo considered high, and if ,a party lino used:by,.say, two persons/'th< cost for tho 6amfl distance would be X? each.. PROMOTION OF TEACHERS. . . | ; .' " BOARDS AND COMMITTEES. . "Ono of the most important means of securing a succcssion of good teachers," said Mr Fowlds, " is to make a ladder of promotioi from tho lower to the hi t -her ranks of the profession. It is, I take it, almost impossibl< to have such a ladder unless the boards which havo to do with considerable bodies o( teachers, have in a large number of cases thV right to transfer those who . merit promotion The alternative suggested, (that boards ahouli submit at least jour names to commit tow would practically leave the pow.er, in the hands oi-committees, each of which his, gon orally; speaking, to do only with a particulai school. Promotion would be, in such an event what it has oftou been: in tho past—largelj a matter of chanco. In any 1 case m which th< board proposes to transfer a, teacher or sondi to tho . committoo' the name of ono teochei only, tho committoo,still has' an opportunity, o expressing an opinion or making a rccommon dation'with respect' to, tho Appointment, anc tho board is bound to take 6ucu an opinion o: recommendation, .'if' duly..received,; into con sideration" befoio making tho, appointment Not. only would the board's power of carryini

out a woll-consiJcred system of promotion be seriously; impaired by the proposed amendment, but in many cases it would, be highly improper for the board to put more than, say, odo oiv two .names on the approved list, for it often happens that one or two of'tho applicants possess qualifications far better than any of the others. The solution of tho longstanding difficulty' afforded by the Act of last • session, is nodoabt, still on. its trial; but on the method seoms to bo working well, and there i 6 no present intention, there'foro, of changing it In any case, the new systepi should havo a fair trial." ; ' LAND AND .AGRICULTURE. -I District valuers, saiys Mr. Buddo, have been repeatedly 'instructed to make a liberal allowance for all improvements on land. This mutator: has for .years ;been the subicct.of tho most o&rnest consideration. , The present basis as provided in the Act is, in the opinion of ex-" ports, the most equitable. At all events, no other'; basis of dealing with the value of improvements has been submitted which would prove' as satisfactory. as the present • method; ■ It is not intended to~ introduce legislation this session dealing : generally with local authorities,. ■ Mr. Okey asked the Minister for Agriculture -whether he would amend tho Butter Export Act by placing, tho responsibility upon' the manufacturer by .instructing the graders not to allow, batter containing over 16 per oeht. of moisture being shipped. The reply was, there is at present'no poWer to do as suggested; ,tho law merely, provides for fining tho oxporter. The matter of amending the Dairy Industry Act this session, in tho direction of enabling the Department to prevent tho export' of butter containing over 16 per cent, of moisture,'is, however,''under consideration. ' •:"'■■■ Tho Department's sole object in the butter moisture prosecutions (states a Ministerial reply) was to impress npon all concerned that the export of such butter, being against tho interests" of the whole of tho Dominion's output, could not be permitted to oontinuo.' In respect' to the Auckland caso. it was repre-' to the Government by the Crown solicitor • that- the defendant .Company agreed to pload : guilty, and subsequently asked that tho caso-bo withdrawn; as sufficient publicity had been given and the object of the Aot attained; the-company agreeing to pay expenses. '- - - ; - .:- THE CIVIL SERVICE. . ■ 111 reply ,to Sir.' Hanaa,' who asked whether tho Govenunent' will, inaugurate periodical testa-, or departmental examinations in the Civil Service, the Prime Minister 6tated- that the whole position of the, various branches of the Civil Service was receiving very careful consideration, - with a view to futther improvements. - wswer to a question put by Mr. Malcolm, M.P., the Prime Minister stated last night that to put members in possession of a return sought concerning retrenchment before tho .debate on the Budget took place, would mean the employment of a special staff to . prepare .the information, and this ho did not think' was warranted, as full information; regarding retrenchment would be placed before tho Houso. in due. course. POSTAL' MATTERS. It is announced .that the question of building a post office on the present railway:land at is. '."being .locked into." . lhe question of erecting a new post office in Street is to be considered when the iblio Works Estimates are prepared. ni»i r T y Was T - E.. Taylor's proposal to 60 modify the constitution and extend the powers of. the Post Office Savings Bank Dopartment as. to oonvert it into a Doihinion bank, exercising the sol© right of issuing the papor currency required by the savings bank and private booking institutions. The Prime Minister stated that. the proposal had often felc 10 ' but ia P ractico was not • The Mstid business at Brooklyn, is stated to: be still,comparatively small, and the Government is not likely to erect a'post office for Eometxmo, tocomo. . ' MOTORMAN BARTON'S ACTION. ' .for .Wellington Central (stated thin&'fw -?r'f Works) is mistaken in' thinking that Motorman Barton's action against ,^t?r N t v fa ' lcd r becal,se , tho State m not liable for the. negligence of its employees,: the Cj«rf-fa S efite J de<sri«S: vtij 'i v State coal motor lorry could not •bo a g u ! ) ' ic work' within the'meaning of Mr Bwfn! rt ; In , caies ? nc h ns 'hat SLS • •A® lnjnre<l Workman's first remedy. is against his employer,,which,, in this instance, was the ,'Wellington' City. Council under-, the Workers' Compensation-for: Accidonta Act, and there was.no reason, so far ns Lfri aw ? rc ' why Mr; Bartorrshould not km taken the provisions -ofthatRAILWAY DEMANDS ' A concession is made "by ; tho Kailwiiv Do:' '?•' respc , ct to delegates- travelling to attend- meetings of religious' bodiesahd friendlv societies. It is not tho'practice of SS« eoncessions to -such..bodies- as. T r '?rm r <' c ? ul ! cl19 • (stated-; ft* Hon. ■ temliiVfh yesterday), nor.:to. persons' at-: .tending; the. various -conferences promoted bv The V rX US fn r OnS f/! r0^ llo «' Dominion; J.ho. rates, for travelling in New Zealand- are •i u' Y w ?! •to-forin no bar whatever'-to' Sffi'® of the Community nf th.fi 11 ?® - any ' J^rn ?y s thnt the necessities th« US i neS rr rCqi l iro ' Ti 16 "tension of the presontj/facilities,to everybody promoting of ™vt™ nC<? , j ould i is volvo 11 considerable loss Bravo a bus' c rTl^ thf tariff deparl ' lr ° from ,ra . 3 t^en' off. the, mail train north 6f Wanganui . (stated the Hon. - J.' A. 1 Millar) owing . to:. the f tdlihg-oif of ■ business rasulting .from the 'diversion, of traffic from v?; , yin mV th , llno , to the, North.'lsland nf w . . haulage of the car ..north of Wanganui frequently involved tho. running «#/; if eo ?v Motive.at ;aii exponso that «as altogether disproportionate to the revenue' denved from the car, or tho revenue accruing therefrom.. The Minister is unable; to Comply $ ' em ' tate its runnins n orth ? 0 i ; * orn ™p? t Superannuation Fund A°t .provides that the Stato'shall guar-'' f. n S?..W- sufficiency, of the' fund .to meet ell (stated the Hon. J. A. iMillar) that the State.guaranty insures.; the> fund being sound financially.The accumulated fund at the. present, time amounts., to ..£157,000. There is, therefore, no ncoessity.,for financial assistance to the fund at the present moment. . No provision' is '.made in the railways f.ctoun.ts .for. any. depreciation or sinking fund to repay, loan-moneys, stated tho Minister in reply to Mr. James. Allen. So far, however,, as depreciation, is concernedi the amount spent , in t] \°. u P koc P of the-lines, ijf£ S'®-f,» find appliances connected there* :• enn olps ; tno r wholo of the lines and ,ap« pliapces to Be. maintained in a con* mtion r; as efficient,.as they aw when, handed over to the. Working Railways Department, .but enables, .tho condition to bo materially ' improved., . This improvement has been .jjoinjr on forbears .-past,, and the lines are to-day.'in a better condition than at any other period of •the. railway of the Dominion. . OTHER' MATTERS. .Government intend - takinff &'% ?,ou;to °7C?t: the. Flour-milling S ii tho ; associated, bakers from systematically exploiting the public by fixing arbit. rary prices^for- flour aqd bread,"'was a qucehon asked by ( by,;Mr. T.B.Taylor,M.P. Thereplyisthat:. This patter is receiving consideratron, imd. proposals connected therewith will'be submitted to the House, tehich will bo in tha cureotion.^,of -giving- municipalities • greater than they possess at present." ' ■, i^i® a .hject of-connecting the Chatham Island : Now Zealand by wireless telegraph hns-. beou -brought winder my. notioo on previous-; occasions'(said Sir Joseph Ward,-in,-an-' fiwer- to . a. question); but since then consider abJe.advances have b«n made in the art;- The latest system, called the Lepel, promises a'Con- . 'ho , cost., of staVo®, Wltll Other advantages, and can bo used for Wiroless- men wireless stations l :u New Zealand, Chatham Islands will begone of the places that'will re-' ceive consideration.V. • . Tho Primo Minister is favourable to suitable recognrtwn- being made of tho servioos rendered to_;Now by Edward Gibbon sidled «ud the matter wi.ll.be duly conA Bill has been prepared to give. boarding- " 8 oTer leers' goods Tho request to- 1 allow tramway employees railway oonoessions at a time when tho members of the general community are payinsr oi'di. nnry_fares, stated Mr. Millar,, in tantamount to iwkmg that one section of the community should reoeivo preferential treatment as against another. Such:a coureo would inevitably lead to serious discontent and doinands for reduction m-farea which would seriously affeot the rovenuo of- the Departmsnt. living regard to all tho circUmatanccs and tho difficulties that would undoubtedly occur in connection with the" matter, I regret to eay I cannot comply with tho request..; ■' ' .. It was stated -that'.if a goldfidd was discovered at Akatarawo, the Government would doubtless placo, an amount on tho Estimates for .its owciojaoat