NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 668, 19 November 1909, Page 5

NEWS AND NOTES.

DISMISSAL OF HANDS AT ADDINGTON. 1 ■ Attention was directed by Mr. Witty yesterdajrto the fact that thel-Minister for.RaiU ways had stated in reply to a question put .by him. that there is no present intention of ?«tt;.PB off the whole;of the casual hands at Addington. He said, that there appeared to hare been Jar too -niany dismissals in view of the" large amount, of work ahead. Everybody knew that there had been a shortage of trucks for.years, and if repair hands were to be dismissed the position would be worse this year when there promised to be a record harvest. It seemed unfair to dismiss casual-hands wtto had had some years' service, and then a week or two later for the Department to take on a lot of, young single.men. He trusted that .whore possible casual hands who had pTe. .viously been in the service would be reinstated,

■'•;■' MEALS ON SOUTHERN- LINES. . .'/ .-_■;■ The'quality of the meals served oiithe dinthe ■ South Island' railways was npuu, referred to by Mr. Anderson, M.P. for Mataura, yesterday. He said that breakfast, dinner, and tea were'not as they shonld'be, but he was not in a position to comment on the afternoon tea. It was his opinion that the' meals could , be,greatly improved without extra: cost.. /Replying, to his question on the subject,, the Minister for Railways had mentioned that tho cars did not pay. He would like to ask. Mr. Millar how '■ he could expect them.to.pay so long as.travellers were treated as at present. Good plain food was all that was .'.necessary, but it. should be. served in a cleanly manner. Visitors from other parts had frequently been heard to complain both as to the quality of the food and the dirt in the carriages. What was more,, he had heard it stated that at,times the meat and fish were .not so wholesome as they ought to be. The meals on the South Island lines should at once be brought up to the level of those served on the North Island lines. , ' •

.ANOMALY, IN AUCTIONEERS ACT. ' Reference was made -by- Mr. Witty' yesterday to. an\ intimation by. the Government that it cpuld-not undertake to introdnce legislation thissession whereby auctioneers would be compelled to.take the bid of .any person who was. willing to;.pay,cash._-The : member;for Riccorton as.serted that in Canterbury.certain auctioneers would.not-accept bids for fruit unless the bid- ' ders belonged to the fruit ring. He contended that.auctionfeers.shoiild'.take theihighest bid for cash-in every instance. Under the: present system/the people were prevented from obtaining cheap fruit. Oftentimes fruit went to waste through bids.being refused.because the bidders were ,not.in> the.ring. ...■■■ '-' 'jf-'.-"' ' -.;'- '■ ■■'''-' - ''■'■' : .'■ .. '..' .'. ■ THE FARMERS., . •:M)i9^a.tisfaction was expressed by Mr. G. M. yesterday' , with the' reply '.given .to his'.qu&ftonas, to .whether the Minister for Agriculture': would take '■ into consideration the advisability of.granting _a .bonus for the pror duction of'calcium' nitrate in New Zealand. •The. Hon. T: Mackenzie had declared.that if ■such'-'a factory were established the bulk of the output would', have: to'.be exported. Mr. .Thomson! pointed out that ..nitrogenous manure .was.-.not .necessary'■. in connection with . new .edil'in New-Zealand,.but -.it-was'of the/ greatest. ly.alueT whenV 'connection with the older •■ worked soils and ■;■ the';' lighter soils , in-':!th©; North'..'lsland. Within'' recent years.-. great: progress...had. , : been made in the gases of the atmosphere; "■■ Chile at present exported four million.-tons', of. calcium nitrate' /every' year. -'Three of the largest , syndicates .using: the process in. Europe,,Wd' informed him ■'that -they .'were prepared"to establish manufactories in-Now. Zealand' if , enoourage-.meat'-were.given them by-'the Government. With the .wa/ter powor'available in this conntry !the manufacture of the, manure could be undertaken profitably here'. He did not know-that-it would.'.be. a bad thing .'if New Zealand .could .establish, an export, trade in. connection .with -.'it. ■ There, was ..an enormous' futnVe be,'fore:,ijuch• a'.ma'nufacflture .'in' New Zealand. .

:'■;.; ".. 'A.PATHETIC CASE.; ;. : , ■.'■'■ A; Very painful'case, in,: connection with .a claim.-for .relief from Dunedin occupied the attention of tho'.House .for pver. an. hour yesterday;, afternoon. . A man named Muirhead, an employee'of the/Diinedin Corporation, met with! 'anraccident'in its service. -The full extent of his injuries was ■ not : at first realised, though they included the loss of an eye, and ho agreed to- accept £52 as full compensation: Subse-: quently. the man lost the sight of his other eye, and.also lost his.reason. M He had been in-, sured-by the corporation in the Government office;^his wife, petitioned Parliament for further relief. Mr. .Craigie, : chairman of the committee whifch .dealt with petition, 'said that all. th(3 members of the comraitteo. were in 6ympathy; with , the request, but it was felt that Parliament coald'notdo anything'in tho mat- ! ter. Mr. Thomson (Dunedin North) and other members ■emphasised the pathetic features of the case,, and it was •pointed'out that if Muirhead.'had .been killed outright his .wife, who. was ,in very | poor. circupnstances, /would have been'entitled to much greater compensation. Mr. Massey urged. that. Parliament should be guide'd by equiiy, rather than by .'strict legality, in all. such cases. Other speakers thought that a. dangerous precedent would be created if the petition:was. granted. Several members suggested, that the Dunedin Corporation.had shown callousness in the case, though it was admitted that the-corporation had acted legally.. Finally the report was.referred back to'the. committee'by a; unanimous vote. ... ':.'■

;"SIR".WIUIAM MASSEY-A SUGGESTION. Tins tie "Inglewiod Record" in the course of. its,remarks on.the Government's land ptoposals:—"The. object ■ for which! Mr. Massey has.fought.inoessantly'has been yielded to the fullest without reservation, without a struggle, without question. Well, may,' the Dominion, repeat-: the -, memorable: words of- Lord Baglan to General Scarlett, after the' notable charge liith'- Ms' heavy'dragoons when -he, 'dispatched his oide-de-carape: to: the General, 1 saying: 'Tell. him I said, .'.'Well done, Scarlett! .'a message that ■ afterwards gave the General the prefix Sir and the affix of K.C.B. for all time. A similar prefix-and affix to the name of llr. ■Massey would'be but.a , very- poor-return foi the grand result he has achieved for the people of; this Dominion." . ' . ■ >■ .

•. / INDEPENDENT LABOUR PARTY, i, C ■A' large number of» members of the Houso are - being circularised by the Dominion Executive: of the Trades, and Labour' Councils in connection with the proposed formation of an Independent Labour party. Members' are asked to answer the following-questions:— ' , : ....(1) Are.you in favour of an Independent' Labour party , , in the present House : of • Representatives ?•■;' • '..-' ' : ' - !: ." ' : ■•• ; (2) if so are you willing .to make an effort to .form-such: a-partr-?,. ''■ : (3) And under what conditions?': .. : ' The. platform of the proposed party,. which is said to be in process of formation, is embodied in the Trades and' Labour Council's report for the: present year. ;;■' ,PROPOSED:oVaKI;COUNTYv ; ;' Several petitions 'asking; that a new. county, to-be'called/the" Otaki County/be formed, were presented' by.Mr;.,-Luke; , M:P.',-yesterday. Altogether. ■•the ; ,petitions i bore'over 500 signatures.

. ". 'SEQUEL TOrPROSECUTION; ,'; Arthur -. Frederick:-;, Wimsett, -formerly- of WellingtonVand' now., of .Nelson,' postal clerk, who'.was/aequittsd'-withdut' , ' a.'.stain on his character': on a": charge of' participation in the Wellington, Post Office, burglaries, is. petitioning j Parliament, -'through-; Mr, Graham, "M.P., 'for J relief ..in. .regard, .to -the. expenses of. his defence..,- The.petitioner 'states that at. the 'hearing of ; the . charges, -.in. 'the .Magistrate's' •Court,''.'the "hearing , was supported by the Crown .-Proseoutor, and- a . cunningly-devised tale' ( was. told by one .Hemingway, who .had confessed -to'having many crimes."

.'WHATIS NOT IN THE.BUDGET. Speaking ■ on' ! the.- Budget -.proposals, , Mr! Fisher' said 'he; regretted-; to see ': how .little had been.' done; byithe Government for ,tho preponderating: class-in' the Dominion—the artisan class. The;last:census;had shown that the two largest: sections' of the community were the industrial workers, 124,1100, and the primary S'rodiicers,'. 118,000. Nine: per cent, of the inustrial are employers, 18 per cent, of the-primary producers are employers. The pro-: portion of unemployed was lower amongst the agriculturists than :in any other section.of tho: community. Whilst, all city members were glad.to see the State providing cheap money lor''.the'settlers,, yet'the timo had come when that section of ■ the!community least able to help • themselves should be considered. : The total , amount of advances authorised to settlers has.reached..£9,2o6,92s. . The -amount advanced Inst.year alone .was J81,202,995. Thirty men' who owned Iproperty worth ; : .£125,000 hacl borrowed from the .State.': Was it tho.function of the-State tohelp meniwho were well able to help,'themselves,, whilstl'others desorving. of assistance had to go empty handed? Against tho advanced to: settlers'last .year, .the Advances to Workers Department only lent out 4307,495, The average''advance to settlers on. freehold: was .Soil, to workers X 276. : It; wns quite, true-that the settler did not enjoy the benefits of,the.city, bnt on the other hand.he, wM'abt wbjeoted.to'the ttmptatloiu. of :&e

city. The city people realised'the.advantages of the country settler. They/;did-.not dosire to deprive them of any of.those advantages, but rather.that more people shpiild help to share them. The artisan, however '.".ompctent, howover regular his employment, had-, practically no chance whatever of earning a competency, and it was time the conditions of thiscjass were more closely studied and remedial legislation brought down. It was absurd to-state in thn Budget that our national wealth had increased to. 600 millions, when the industrial..classes were- no t better, off financially .'than .'.ten'; years ago; , -■'-" : - ''y.'.:-' : :;'.;. ..* ..;■;''''Vfl.. . ; :/';£ : ''r': ■. ".■ ,

■■■ DISADVANTAGES OF"A/SUMMER : J 1 ■" : >~:.. :; ■: ; .SESSI0N.;:; ; ; ;v : y-'-i. : fi-^ '■'■ sWith the advent jof.. warm .'weather,''the physical/.inconveniences ■ of ; .a : ?summer?'session are becoming, apparent,:"Thei, ventilation of the. Legislative Chamber is far .from/satisfactory, and, in-the. early part of; the evenings, when the accommodation-: : :for:.. visitors: is crowded, the atmosphere is .extremely, oppressive. Last, evening the number of,-people in the Chamber at one time was 25i. : A member who counted the heads stated that.the overcrowding was such as would not be permitted by the Labour Department .to. exist ; in any •factory. .. What the experience will be in February if the House is-.then:''Sitting:'may'.well be*, imagined.--. , .'- '■ ■■"". : ' '■■'■'■■"•'■'.l'-r-:'::'.^/'-''..'

■ ANDMOtIONS, :; yt :. ■ Mr. T..-E.. Taylor intends to ask -the Prime Minister: (lj What is the present; -position of ' the :. allegations., .made •■ in October, 1908, that certain • members, of , the Ohinemuri Licensing Committee : had been bribed.by a firm of brewers in Auckland; and (2) what inquiry does" the Government propose to make in the matter? : ' ; ■. -. !Mr. Hanan has given notice to ask the Prime Minister whether it is a fact that, after , the books of accounts, balance-sheets,-etc., belonging to .some local bodies and societies have b;on examined and certified to as correct by certain Government auditors, false, entries, muddled bookkeeping, and in some cases fraudulent misappropriations of moneys on the .part, of some oihcials have been discovered; and, if so, what explanation is offered or recommendations, made by the Auditor-General in order to ■improve" the -s-ystem of audit inspection herein and secure detection of the condition in. which books and accounts belonging to such bodies or societies are kept. : Mr. Hanan'intends to move—That there be laid before the House a Teturn showing what lines of railways in' the Dominion are (1) not. returning ; at least 3 per cent.'on ; ,the cost:of construction; (2) the deficiency between..the aotual earnings, of such lines.and a 3 per cent, return; and (3) the unprofitable railway services that have-been discontinued by him. v |; Mr. Poole intimated his intention'.of. asking, 'the . Prime Minister whether, , in. view of tiepresent mail service agreement—Wellington 'to Tahiti—terminating at an.early date, the ernment intend, to renew .it, or, as : an alternative,, arrange for a steamer to meet the Vancouver . mails • at; Suva - and return to • Auck'land.-- ■' :'■ ■ -.:.••■■ •'■■ .-• ■ ■-■■'■ ' ./■-.

■■'.- 'TOBACCO CULTURE. "' .-,/.• .Tobacco -. was grown • successfully; as far .as weight was concerned,'' many " years ago . m , - Auckland, and within the last three years good crops have' been: produced at' the -Waerenga Experiment Farm. In the.opinion,of.those engaged' in the tobacco« manufacturing industry, the quality of the'leaf. was ; suitable for- plug" tobacco. A higher grade of leaf was experimentally grown under frames ..of, light cloth (Hessian or scrim). • There appears,however, to be 'a disinclination on the part of farmers.to follow the tobacco indnstry, preferring to devote, their lands to other pur-, poses' yielding a greater certainty of profit. The Government-is-advised that much labour is required in attending tp the cultivation of the tobacco plant, gathering and curing the leaf, and it is therefore considered doubtful if tobacco' can be grown with ■ profit. ' , :

;,; ARGENTINE EXHIBITION. ;.; .The only representations that have: been made to. the Government for assistance in connection with the sending 'of ■ exhibits' to the Argentine Agricultural Exhibition next year were , in connection with live-stock, and this being considered a matter really for private enterprise the . Government could not see'.its ■wayi'to grant assistance: Regarding exhibits of raw products and manufactured goods, -Mf, any definite proposals are submitted they -will be carefully considered. , "-. : •

:.■-. ; PROPHECY. ; • ; ; In the. course of his speech on Tuesday eveniig Mr. Massey quoted a striking statement of Anthony Trollops, made 35 years ago, and sug- , geated by. the , circumstances of; New Zealand. "Then again it comes to this," wrote Trollope, "that a large part, of the population in;:! a new country finds so great a benefit from the immediate expenditure of the. monoy—labourers who get the Government wages and of course' 1 vote,, and tradesman who .cater for the. labourers, and of course vote, that the patriotic Minister,, anxious only. for his: country's good, { finds that the country will be 'robbed of- his 'services unless he maintains this popular fund ] of influence. In such circumstances a Minister is apt, I will not say to. become unscrupulous,'.but to allow a-great latitude to nis scruples. • And then there is also 1 the danger from which nations, as well as colonies,-have suffered, of - there , arising some- Caglio6tro 'in politics, , some conjurer in statecraft, who shall be clever enough to talk: steady men off , their legs by fine phrases and to dazzle the world around him by new inventions in the management of affairs/Such men can invest , demo-' cratic measures with tendencies purely . conserVitive, can run into debt upon, theories of the strictest economy, and commingle' patriotic ■principles with cosmopolitan practices in \a manner; very charming to weak minds. ■'', A statesman of this class is of necessity unscrupulous, and .to a young community may be ruinous. It is his hope to leap to great success by untried experiments, and being willing himself to run the risk of extermination if-he he does not hesitate - (;o bind his country 'to: his own charioi wheels'; as' ho rushes into 'infinite space. SucK a Minister in a colony, he get the-power of the purse into his hands, will- throw his millions about without any reference .to the vnlne of the property acquired; he will learn the charm of spending, with profusion, and will almost teach himself to" measure the prosperity of the community which is subject to'him by the amount-whioh.it owes.": \ ; ' :'' ■■■ ■■■•■■

_Mr. Mnssey said he would like to ask whether Mr. Trollope was not , a true' prophet and whether or not there .was not a Cagliostro in this country." ,; , . -.

. QUESTIONS. ti, M n ; - T- T - ayl ° r has B iTen noti ce to ask the Prime Minister-"Whether, in: view of the alleged frequent and apparently improper interference with the course 'of justice"by Brand juries, and the fact that persons conltiMng such junes are largely drawn from only, one class in the community, he willbring in lerislation at an early date abolishing grand'juries as .being class institutions : antagonistic to every right of a democracy?": ~ - ' . Mr. Arnold is asking the Government- whether they will session bring in an amendment td the.Libel Act; withthe view o f-giving' the.press of.this Dominion the same immunity irom prosecution as is enjoyed by the:press of England; and if not, why not; ' ' . •' ■ [ Duncan (Wairau) irill ask the Prime Minister .whether,an.view of the new arranßemenfa entered into between the Admiralty and the New Zealand Government in'respect to naval, matters, with the , resultant-necessity for ,selectmg;in the near future a ■centrally-situated • and otherwise suitable harbour as a naval base' take steps : to urge upon the Adnuralty• the fact■ that- Queen Charlotte Sound possesses all ■ the. essential: requirements for a , naval.base in the highest degree.■■. Mr..Fisher is asking.- the'; Prime ' Minister whether he will bring down , legislation-"" this session, which: will, in the, interests of-.the public, empow.er-judges:or magistrates to deprive persons of the privilege of driving motorcars or 'riding motor-bicycles in cases' w-hore' it is clear that such personS.area menace" to the public: and- should ■. effectually ,be prevented from endangering the lives of the peoples -.. ' Mr. Ross has given notice to ask the Government whether they will- arrange for the. closer settlement of Native lands in-the vicinity'of Porangahau. The leases of-several large <areas of these lands fall in very and -as the land is of itshould be carrying a •■, very much larger population (Mr. Boss states) and producing a greater proportion of the products of'tho soil of the-Dominion'than it is at present. .-, ■ ~,■:' ; : '

•; /; jottings. ; ■■•■■; - Jessie Anne Henderson is , petitioning" : the House .for. an allowance in viawi of the. services of her late, husband, Detective Henderson. ■ . ■. .■ ■-.-.. ...' V ;■" ;'. The Public Petitions A to t Committee reported . yesterday in favour of the petition of C. M. Hansen, of Wellington, being referred to the Lands Committee. •■■■;.'■■ ■ ; •■: "No recommendations to make" is the report of the Public Petitifins M to Z Committee with reference to the petition of James Eoger, of-Khandallah; who prayed" for redress:for --alleged wrongful dismissal from the position of .deputy official assignee at Timaru; ia.-Jn1y, ; 1892. -.. ';. - • .' . ■ .; -The Hospital: and ':'.. Charitable Institutions' BjU and State, Guaranteed Advances Bill wiU to Imtlwt. dfiolt Tlth in. th? Sonu W(j. .