NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 677, 30 November 1909, Page 9

NEWS AND NOTES.

•:'Vj--.'■:;■ :. HUTT RAItWAY;:; | '-: ; Uiiii. AVilford is asking !<|he Minister for Railways', whether he will at once, on tho ground of, economy, and quick "return, consider . the ijuestion of the .-'electrification/ of the railway line }rbm. .Wellington' to. Lower Hutt. : , The regular usa: .of motor . carriages, capable ; of; ' holding 'sevonty persons,/and run on "a/ten;.-minutes' ,'porvice between the' heaviest : trains, would, Mr. Wiliord. believes,/pay haudsomoly,,- whilo'.'- the convenience provided would'help to:relioto tho conge'stion. city, and: help to /populate the. largo: arid rich;;areas "of land" owned, by the-Government..-.;,. ... , ,:.,''. . /'..!/ './■/ / ' PRAISE FOR THE AUCKLAND SCOWS. ' iWhilst outlining tho Shipping, and Seamen's Bill last evening, -tho Houy-J." A'..'Millar-had a.' (food -word to ■ say . for the Auckland-built scows..; "I am free to admit," ho saidi "that IVdo inpt think' that our. Department, can teach sqrao of'tho builders in-Auckland anything in. regard to the building of semve.' If they > keep on building 'theso .vessels/on ; the samo /lines 'as >.'they ■•' have . been, -and thcm,;tho plans 'will/no doubt bo approved. , /We, havo been very cautious about/these scows," ■but we now ; find, that they ; ar,g : . rseaworthy enough to go to Australia."-, "', ;;■■' '■'<■'-;'■:'■■■.- 1 i':VjHqusE^To'-;siT''^N{ ? sATii)iDAYs.;v: .' The; Prime Miiu'ster gave .notice yesterday that'ori next'sitting day ho. would -Wye'that the .Housq sit in' future on Saturdays, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., lpcal : BjHs to - have pre-. cedence, and Government business to bo taken .thereafter.'; - ; ;. :'/'■./■///;/.' ,/"- ;-'■ "-".:.:""-"-.;■,.'-,". \'.}-VI DEFINITION ;OF/MPASSENGER.'' ' ; : I iGadttf- Shibpihg and "f Seamen's Aot ."passenger"- is defined as "any person, carried dn- a , ship, other than'tho master - 6ud crew/iand tho owner and his family and servants.".Tho amending <Bill now"-before . Parliament proposes to amend the: dennition by inserting? tho-words "his. domestic" b6foro the :word-:';:"s«,rVants." In, explanation of the tho Minister .(Mr. Millar).'■.re- 1 marked last night that , ' a certain : HarbourBoard was;taking . ndvnntago of the fact.- that thp-'word ."servants", (which, 1 was intended, to mean only domestic servants) whs not strictly defined: by; claiming that its employees,! being servants, came wthin the/exomption from the regulations .governing- the carriage of .passongers; -This board, he .said, .carried ajlargo humber'.of men.backwards and forwards , on one of.,its vessels,..and: the latter was often,overcrowded, according to the report of the -Detmrbiehfs ;officers.'. On; being:'nskcd "which board'■,ho was '.referring.-to';...the Minister /Said/ "tho Auckland. Harbour Board."./■./;.■!'■• ■.-'. ■'-. ./ ;.-Mr.'Glover: It ie very.seldom 'rou^h. there.' .•.'•; /Mr. Millar: It always ■..-.-require , '- .& rough ' sea: to. creato.; a dangor- to ■ an/ 'overcrowded Ship;" / :■; :i. : /-,'. ' ■',/ 'J' -;,p. / : V•//'':NOT; , A''HYPbc'RITE,/;/;.|'-/;;//; An' 'excited/outburst by Mr. Dillon . (riawko's ■Bay) 'amused the -House- Pearly- this llioruing.'Mr. Hanan;(lnyercargill)..'iVas tho cause.:Spean-•ing-on the'/Land Settlement Financd Bill, ho said :'i"The'ro, is -the.' wool- king for. -Hawko's Bay.'. Ho' , -is' ono of. thd- biggest social' pests in,. Hawke'3' Bay. He'-is- supporting this Bill because it is .'to .the ; interest -of the;'large ownert.".' Mr;: Dillon; -when -ho , -roseX to reply, .to/ this statemeut, was vipiunt, and v almost. in.in his indignation: ■ "I'm no'.hypocrite,'' ho' declared, '■'."and'.thero's 'one thing 1 will , -say.. Is there, one man here 'that'would 'not" liko. "a. thousand acros of "his own to-day Y (Laughter.) Let thoniember for Lyttelton'. say lio ■;„ would 'not be. glad utd'- havo:-them' to-morrow?" ■ (lK)\id laughter.) Mr.'.Dillon repeated that ■he was: no :hyppcrite," and- never ■had ;b6eu'a: hypocrite.. "My■''countehanto and everything will say I am a straight-forward man. /1 : aur no psalm-siriging : individual. (Laughter.) '.I: can t stand , this' sort of no'iisense. Because I -havo a -,'few acres of land say Im a wool king, and represent the wool, kings. How: did I get , that, laud? V-By .hard, .work;and-industry." ;:(Hear,' hear, >'and laughter.):," •■ ~ :. ;.;, ;.:.-, :/"•:; QUESTIONS AND MpTIONS. M ;'f ■ /.Mr.-Oby gave notice yesterday: to- ask the Minister for Agriculture whether.it is'his'.-ih-tpntion.to bring down legislation prohibiting the sale of.chau or seed infested .with noxiousweed: seed. ■:;;,.'(;.■..■. ,•• ■'..;../,;-. y.-i ■■:■■:.. .- ' Mr;. Okey:also. intends'.to. ask the .Governnient whether .they will cause oxperimenta to be made by planting, portions of tho "lands, now. sand dunes.'in different parts of the Dominion with trees suitable for future mente. Mr. Okey stated that "th'e : treeplanting now -being carried on by the Government is mainly ;in ono part of the Dominion. ■■If the Dominion is to benefit by this work in '.the future the plantations should be fairly distributed." : : , : '.".:• -'■/•: -'."■.■'■''}:■■ .:'-. ■.'■/■.'■■■■•■■; ;: ".

Mr. Wilford rxpresscd his intention to move (for tho Hon. Mr. Guinness) that there bo laid beforo tho Houso a return showing the amount which has been paid por diem to each of the miners employed at tho State collieries at Point Elizabeth, Greymouth, actually engaged m howing coal, for the twelve months oniled October 31, 1909; also a return showing the number of; accidents which havo occurred at the State collieries at Point Elizabeth, Greymouth, for tho period of two years ended October 31. 1909.

Mr. Field has intimated his intention to ask the "Minister for Agriculture whether ho will, beforo it is too late, givo his serious attention to tho question of effectually preventing the spread of noxious weeds in the Dominion, the j alarming increase of such weeds being responsible for the material reduction in value of tons of thousands of acres of valuable land, Earticularly hill land, in various parts of tho lomimon; and in particular whether he will devise somo more, effective means than exists at present for securing to farmers puro <;eeds, it being unfortunately true that valuable properties havo been, and nro annually being, senonsly damaged by being sown with seeds which are purchased as puro, often at high prices, but which are nevertheless foul with weeds,of most noxious character. JOTTINGS. 'Tor the stirring manner in which ho has advocated the cati'a of tho sailor, ho is worthy of the title, 'tho PhmEoll of Now Zealand.' , ' -Olr. Glover on his fellow Auckland member, Mr. Poole, last night. "Ono of tho best hands I havo over known for cooking platitudes in an lmprossiro way." Herries on Mr. Laurenson.

.'Spain- produces about .400,000,000 /■gallons of :wine : 'in-a. year/-- -'.y '■">.,":v ■"' / ■'/■■ ; "' : ;/ ■■' -..-Since 1816 London has spent over 6J milliona etariine /on bridges.. ; ':". ./.v» / ; / ; :/ ■':;'■ : '