NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 855, 29 June 1910, Page 6

NEWS AND NOTES.

MR. MYERS'S DEBUT. Mr. Alfred Myers, the new member tor ■Auckland East, took his. seat in the House yesterday afternoon. There was iust a "little curiosity among members as to where he would sit. Mr. Myers chose- a seat on the back row of the Ministerial benches, just at the edge of the nns'3"o way leading between the Ministerial and' Opposition benches. In due emirs? he was called upon to take the necessary oath ami went forward to do so "crampanied by Mr, Greenslade, M.P. for Waikato. and Mr. Macilonnld, M.P. for Day of I'lenty. Notwithstanding the f-icr tliat Mr. Myers stood as an Independent Liberal it is understood that the Government would have liked him to have moved the Addross-in-lioply, but Mr. Mvers was unable to do so as he had made a platform promise to the effect that lie would not consent to act in that capacity. NOXIOUS WEEDS. It is the intention of Mr. Field, J[J\, to re-introduce a Hill relating to noxious weeds which the Hon. R. M'Kenzie, on several occasions, unsuccessfully brought More the House. The law at present provides that an owner of property adjoining a road shall kivp the roads clear of noxious weeds to the centre of thr road. This obligation, states Mr. Field, imposes a great hardship in many easel because weeds frequently spread through ..travelling sloii and in. other wajs foR

hwhjpb. the property owners are not reppoßsible. In tho Bill which it is proiposed to re-introduce it is provided that / Socal bodies shall bear the cost of keepI ting down weeds on all roads under their [jurisdiction. Mr. Field proposes that that : Mull h° the law except in cases where [ \it is obvious that the weeds have spread Srom adjoining properties in which cases j {the owners shall bo compelled to uuder'take- the work. GOVERNMENT WHIPS. Among the members who have already oommencetj. their Parliamentary duties is Air. George Laurenson, M.I 1 , for LyttelIton,, who has, been in indifferent health .: 'for 6ome weeks. Although much better : now, Air. Laurenson has decided that it : .will bo better for him not to continue 'aa senior Government Whip in. view of ithe long hours and arduous work which ; i-the position entails. He has, therefore, sent in his resignation of the position. There is reason to believq ,<h"af Mr. Ell, iAIJ. for Christchurch South, may beap-, ipointed in his stead, v;it.h Mr. Macdon•ald, M.P. for Bay of Plenty, as his lieu- : -'tenant. ! JOTTINGS. ; The Hon. T. K. Mao.doonald, of Welfiiig+on, will move, and fho Hon. W. Beehan, of Auckland, will second, tlu« 'Ac|dross-in-Reply in the ' Legislative Council. In the Hooso tho mover ami Wonder will be Mr. W. D. Macdonald (Bay of Plenty) and Mr. Craigie (Timaru) '■■ respectively. "It was a nominal victory for the Government, bnt some victories were worse than defeats, and I would like the Government to have just such another yicK tory on the eve of the general election. " and I know wliat the result would bo." —Mr. Massey at Taumaiunui, giving tho ■history of last session's incident in regard to the ,£4OO vote to Mr. Beeves as V Financial Adviser in London to the Dominion. " In the opinion of Mr. Massey, the pro- ■ Bent session will probably be a fairly long one, and in connection with a great many important matters the Government will have "to face the music." Speaking at Taumarunni, on Saturday evening, the Leader of the Opposition said he 'thoiicht he could promise that readers of Hansard would get value for their "money. Mr. Massey intends asking for a return this session of the number of men retrenched by > the Government, with their duties and salaries, and also the men withitheir duties and their salaries taken on during that period of retrenchment. . A. complaint- was made by the Leader : v>! the Opposition during his address at Taumarnnni that instead of rebuilding Parliament House on tho old site where ,£250,000 worth of buildings still stood, the Government spent almost as ■ much ' money on. old Government. House as '.would reinstate the burned-down block. I* he is permitted to do so under the Standing Orders, Mr. Field. will intro; dnca an amendment to the Workers' Swellings Act. The law' at present provides that workers may obtain an advance only for the purpose of erecting a dwelling. It omits to provide for the case of a worker who wishes to purchase a homo already erected. "If," says Mr. Tield, "it is right to help a man to build ■a home for himself it must also be right to help him in purchasing a home alVeady built." Mr. Field does not propose to have the amount of the advance which may be obtained altered. During the present Government's term of office there has been a greater increase of expenditure, greater increase in taxation and .a greater number of people lave left the colony than in any other .period of its history, said Mr. Massey at Taumarunui. People were leaving, he said, knowing it was a good country, but a good country cursed with a bad Government. He thought that at the next general election the people would realise, that those who bad been in office for a number of years had been weighed in the ibalance and found wanting, and must ,give waj to better men. . A POPULAR SPEAKER. SIR CHAS. BOWEN CONGRATULATEP The conferring of a knighthood on Sir , Chas. Christopher Bowen, Speaker of the Legislative - Council, was the subject of genera] congratulations when the Council met. yesterday.' The Hon. H. Scotland, referring to the career of the Speaker, predicted that Mr. Bowen would evet be kuown tc the Dominion as practically the author of the : Education- Act. There had been many Speakers of the Council, but never had they been presided over by a more courteous and more considerato gentleman than the Hon. Sir C. C. Bowen. (Applause.) Their Speaker would always bo remembered as a most worthy occupant of the Speaker's Chair. (Renewed applause.) Long after he had ceased to preside over the Council the hon. gentleman would be remembered. The Attorney-General (Hon. Dr. Findlay) stated that he had intended to have taken an opportunity on Thursday of fittingly recognising the. honour of knighthood which had, been conferred on' the Speaker of the Council, but, as the. matter had been mentioned, he felt that it was his duty ,to express at once the opinion that he would otherwise have expressed on Thursday, ■when there would have been more time. In his station 'in 'life the discharge of his (Sir C. C. Bowen's) duties had been graced by much harmony and by an,unbroken record of honour. No public man in New Zealand had had tho honour conferred upon him with more universal acclaim from the whole ■country. The hon. gentleman's work in education was bearing fruit at the pref»nt time in tho education system. The i Council felt the fullest possible sense of delight and joy that their _ Speaker's growing years had brought with them the honour of knighthood. They felt that that honour hoi! iu a sense* been conferred on the Council, over which the hon. gentleman had presided with 6uch 1 distinction. No doubt tho Speaker felt ; that ho was deeply esteemed by the Council, and he must know that they would look forward to hit presiding over the Chamlier for , many years with his characteristic distinction, crtre, anil ' patience. The Council was delighted with what had. happened, and they hoped that their' Speaker would be long spared in health, strength, and happiness to enjoy \ the honour that had been conferred on ; him. (Applause.) ■; Sir Charles Bowen was visibly affected ; when ho rose to reply, and was characteristically modest in his remarks, no asked to be' excused from siiying very much, but he felt very much what had been said, and thanked the speakers for i their kind references to hitnsslf. He hoped that members recognised that he would always do his best for tho Council. In the past they had helped him in every possible way while he ha<l been in tho. chair, and he felt sure that they would forgive him fur an t v inpsy or mistake lie had mado in the past. "I thank you very much," concluded tho speaker.