POLITICAL NOTES

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 919, 12 September 1910, Page 9

POLITICAL NOTES

... —— : —*—-- — BACK-BLOCK DIFFICULTIES. .. According to a petition presented to Parliament by Mr. Massey, a number of sottlers on To Akau - "B" Block, Raglan.'County, are in rather sore straits. Petitioners, who number 24, state that the information as regards roads on the posters . issued when-.the ,la.nd was opened' was most misleading. Tho actual position is that the main.access road from Ngaruawahia to ■ Mangati village, is not yet nearly' completed. Tho .Tamatoki Road to the. Kirikiri landing is absolutely- inaccessible and the main access road from Deep Water at Raglan. Harbour, which was described as "well forward," is, fan from. being completed and' is absolutely-v-impass-able. In the.' absence of possible roads freight charges from Ngaruawahia are £6 10s. per ton. : 'It, costs £3 10s. a ton to, bring fertilisers from Auckland via Ngaruawahia in tho summer and £7 in the winter. :'■ Had the Kirikiri landing road been opened the freight would have been 31s. further,' this ■" road would tap milling timber for the' whole block,' yet .the settlers are ■ compelled to procure timber from Ngaruawahia and pay,Bs.'to 12s. per 100 ft. for cartage. Owing to the lack of means of comr rnunication. it is impossible to start the dairying"industry" for which the- block was opened." In consequence; of the high unimproved values the sum of .-£420 .is.;. due ■;; to; the.. Raglan ; -.; County. Council for' rates./ Petitioners ask for the remission of rent.for six 'months oh first-class,,.and twelve months on second-classsectionSj and say .that the granting, of concessions .will, make all the difference between failure and suc,cess to;a certain percentage, of the settlers." '' THE HON. C. FOWLDS HONOURED. / .The Hon. G. Fowlds, _':■Minister for .Education,-who' is leaving shortly'..to represent the: Dominion-at the opening.' of thei-'Union V. Parliament;, .of ..South' Africa, 'was honoured by ine'mbers of the. Legislative Council at supper '.oil' Saturday, evening. _. The -toast.of_ the guest of tho evening'was proposed- 1 by' ihe Speaker' of the Legislative Council; (the Hon. Sir; Chas.! Bowen) and- a ;suitablo reply was inade by Mr. Fowlds; The Prime Minister proposed' "Success, to the South .African Parliament,-'.' and speeches Were', also; made by the Hons. : J; ;B; Callan : . and H. F. 'TVigrara, and the Hon.' Dr., Findlay. Songs''.Were contributed, by. the HornJ. CarroH"(Na 7 ' tive. Minister)j' and the Hons. J. Rigg an'd : W. -C.. There .was a large gathering, ;of ; . members ..-.'.0f.;.. the Legislative /Council and th(j.' Executive;.

OF A TOWNSHIP, v s : The Te PulaNative township, which '■the GoVerriment: has .announced -its in-tention-;bf purchasing, lies' between Tnkbmaru. Bay and Waipirbßay. •■■■'lt ■was:formed-abou'tU?oo, ahd'coritains'a" Government . .sanatorium, and not. springs.,. "Altogether the.':. Government will acquire about 800; ,acres/:' ■■;'',.'. ;■•;■' SUGAR BEET CROWING. : -The- Sughr^.Beetßill^will,probably. 'corns:'/ before -'/the': Agrioultuial. and Stock Committee .for/; consideration on Friday next." .Evidence;.will; bo given by /witnesses familiar with conditions .in. .the Waikatq, Wangariui, a,nd Blenheim /districts; where it ..is beet 'wqulddo:best/,•;...:;,;.-. ;..-;;^-,\ ;/;:■; v •"; jh e-.caminc bill.'. : . ; '■;> . ;/- ; 'The.Gaming; Amendment Bill is to be introduced -to-morrow, by. the 1 : Prime /Minister./;' 'A -good deal , of //curiosity :texists : as' to .what;;the';;%xact/ u terms-; of. "the' :'Bill will-.bey-:but- l ':mf' r vifew.''of. the ,; opinion'expressed by the' House',when' 'the ■Prime"Minister moved his :series"'of resolutions, in regard ■to'-:the'.".'gaining; .proposals,:'it is almost'.'certain"to provide- for'the repeal of the section in tlio old. /Act /legalising '.bookmakers / and. a reduction in the number of. racing days.

Political: reform leacue. \ ;.'€he; Lcadei /,'of f.the]'.'Opposition (Mr.; W.'F. Massey;,".an(l several prominent members; of. the party 'are '. leaving for Palraerston North to be'-present 'at:■the*•'■'sodidl^'/ : :^iride^ : the,local; branch of'the I'olitical'Refbrin' League.V In addition/to Mr. Massey,; the '■ members making, the.Vtrip are: Messrs. A; L. Her'dmaii,- W. H. -Hemes,' D. Buick, ;W, : Nosworthy, and possibly :MrV Ws-.C.;Buchanan. •:'■ ./■ .: 7 .. The Legislative Council .willnot meet, until Wednesday- this week. 'The orders of the. day; include the; second readings of; the Ch'ristchu'rch- Tramway:- District Amendment Bill,;the; Inalienable;' : Life Annuities Bill, Foreign Insurance Companies' Deposits .Amendment Bill;' and ■.the' Public Debt Extinction Bill. ' The' By-Laws;Bill : and the; Oaths .'.Bill -are set .down' for 'committal, and the Rangitadki Laud Drainage Bill and,the Town ; Boards Amendment'Bill for their, third reading/. ;:,.' , .; ■;.*." ■:' '■•','■'"' ' ; ;BY-U\WS BILL. : : ; "Amongst ;the. amendments to. the 'Bylaws, .Bill, recommended by the Local Bills; Committee !of .;the■;■. Legislative Council, -is 'oho; making .it necessary when the Supreme Court'makes an-or-quashing or amending a by-law that notice'be given in 'the, .Gazette ahd : iii the ■ newspapers of;. the.',effect, 'of such' order: The committee has; eliminated, from' the Bill the provision that ho bylaw /shall: be invalid on the ground of uncertainly .and has .limited the penalty 'which'.can be inflicted for.any breach.of 'a by-law to'that-; which can be inflicted by.statute for'the, came act or omission. The provision^that a by-law:is. not to be invalid because not duly published has-.been struck,out. ..! ! ' ;: .:'.-.-■:. - ■ ■'" ' ; ■■■■'S'' ■■;'■.■ "AN INJUSTICE TO IRELAND!" : "The clause implies-that natives of England and; Scotland are British subjects; but that, the .Irish aro not," remarked Mr.. Massey; on Friday, referring to a clause, in the Immigration .Restriction Act.,.''It's too. bad," interjected a Government member. . ■■■. "Yes," said Mr.'-■ Massey, jocularly,, "it's; another injustice ; to Ireland i" (Laughter.) ;'The Premier pointed out that tho constitution of the older country was known'as Great Britain and Ireland.As- a matter-of;fact, the Opposition : were to blame for Ireland; being specially mentioned in the measure. -(On'i.y Ho went on to point out that when the original Bill was before the House there was air impression that the Irish people were being overlooked owing to the fact that the designation of the Old Country was usually, as ho had said, "Great Britain and -Ireland." He was;.glad that Mr.• Massey had mentioned the matter, for it gave him an opportunity to explain. EDUCATION BILL. A number of amendments liavo been made by the Education Committee in the Education Amendment Bill. Tho liability thrown upon _Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards in respect to blind, feeble-minded, deaf, and epileptic children, whose parents ; cannot defray the full cost of their maintenance' at' special schools, is reduced from ten to eight shillings per week. The clauses relating to continuation: classes are remodelled to road.; "On the application of the School Committee, the Education Board, may, with tho concurrence of the Minister, make regulations', requiring the attendance at continuation classes or technical classes of young persons I within the school district who are not

otherwiso receiving a suitable 'education, or who are not specially exempted by the regulations." If any person 'knowingly employs a.young person at !any timo (other than the ordinary hours of employment prescribed for such young person by any Act or award or industrial agreement) when his: attendance is by any such regulation required at a continuation or technical class, he ..shall-bo .liable to a fine. A "young person" means a boy or girl above -fourteen, but not over seventeen.

TOBACCO ACT AMENDMENT. V. An amendment of the ToSacco' Act is proposed. It provides that imported manufactured tobacco may bo warehoused in a bonded tobacco factory, to be there cut tip and packed, on condition that the packages (including labels) in which such tobacco when cut is put up for sale are, to the satisfaction of the collector, • made in NowZealand. .

CREYMOUTH NATIVE RESERVES. Nothing, is known as to' : tho' lines which the Government measure specially dealing with the Native reserves . at Greymouth will follow. Speaking to a Dominion reporter,' the Hon. J. Carroll (Minister ,for Native Affairs) stated that the.Bill had not' yet been drafted. Owing to the'large.number of new;'and' 'important Government, measures, 1 the Crown Law Office was exceedingly busy. Ho could not at that .stage indicate tho Government's ■• proposals in the matter, .i THE; LAND BILL. In explaining his views on the Land Bill so far as.he had been able to study the somewhat complicated measure/Mr TV. 8.. Field, a Ministerial freeholder, remarked with regard to the 25 'per cent, proposal for conversion of lease-in-p'erpe'tuity.to.fee simple that this was a great advance. But it would, probably not be sufficient -inducement to Crown-land tenants,..who pay 4 per cent, rental, less rebate;■ or tenants of any; kind where there has been a substantial increase in : the unimproved value.. TVhere, however, there had been no, great increase in- value, particularly in the case of land for settlement tenants/ doubtless many would convert. Mr. Field said he had not studied the Bill .sufficiently to. commit himself to;an opinion on the compulsory leasing principle. 'He-was ill favour of reducing big holdings to secure closer settlement, but he-could .'not; say whether the Gov-ernment's-method Was going to be effective. -He; was inclined to/consider the rediiction/'.of area : frdm 640 acres to 400 acres ' unnecessary, in. the present, state of; settlement./ unless thero was a .reclassification of .lands, ilt was'not fair, that a man who owned land .worth' £50 : an; acre should be 'placed in. the same position in regard to'"limitation as the man' with, land'.worth £4 an acre, which also came, under the head of first-class land.: ■ : -,.' ; .: ; ' / ;;'•." ; T ; HE "UNEARNED INCREMENT." A sidelight was thrown' upon ■■■'tho. -'unearned increment" by.Mr.. Massey. on Friday. He stated that 'some; years ago the. Government required some land in Auckland, which had not previously been biiilt upon, -for. the .purposes .of -Government offices,, and paid £5000' for; it. The, cry Was '■' raised; of.-' the .."unearned-increment,". and it was'.'trub that.'the land . had ''originally, been acquired cheaply, .Mr. Bollard had, however, calculated . what; ;th'e : slim originally, paid ;,; for .it ••'.' would''- have amounted, to ;at compound interest. 'He found.this,.together with tho.;fates 'aridtaxes paid on that-property, totalled no less than' £17,000. :