POLITICAL NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 931, 26 September 1910, Page 8

POLITICAL NOTES.

IMPREST SUPPLY BILL. A meeting of the Legislative Council was held at 10 o'clock on Saturday morning for the purpose' of considering the Imprest .Bill,No'. '4. ' The Bill was : - passed,- and the Council • adjourned after sitting for about four minutes. In moving the adjournment until Tuesday the . Attorney-General stated that there were two Bills on-the Order , taper ,of the , Lower House that it 'was should be. passed' by the' Council' early- next week, "so that it . was'not possible to adjourn over Tuesday, as" some had suggested.; A BAR TO SETTLEMENT. Inquiry is at present being made 'by ■ Mr. V. H. Heed concerning the bar to : settlement which is ofiered by-the-large ■area ol laud locked up m -the xvorttt Auckland- peninsula .as ; -timber, ■ scenic, ;forest, and kauri, gum' reserves, or. as ; endowment's.. ■ iur. : , iteed says that these reserves ■ together iorm a very large ; area. - In -aciuition, a considerable', area ; of land . is : ,lield back from settlement owing ■ to., there - being • a: small quantity of unliable' timber on ; it. Mr. iteed contends, that it- is'ridiculous; to : close •lip large areas for the.sake of conserv- ■ ing a siuail' quantity ot timber." In audition, tbere is tlie endowment land, wliicli ;h'e' does not tliink .will, be taKen upon 1 the terms 1 under which it is ottered. : - '. "A HARSH CASE." - . Speaking in the House of Representatives on Friday, Mr. G. M.' Thomson-, M.i\ for -Duneclui North,.;brouglit milder '.the- 'notifie; of 'the. Government 5 a : oase- : which he",said was- aii : exceedingly. ' hard : one:' About 'four 'years -ago a' bro,the'r of -Mr.' James' if'arrell-was commits •ted to the; Se'a'cliff'Asylum, and - the : sum -of '£31' whicii;;he liad in his possession -was- taken by : . the ! authorities for .his/maintenance'/ ;Farrell's lather ; was also committed to Sea'clilL' ajid died there in' 1906.' - Two of his soils {paid between them 10s; -a 'week for; his main-, tenance'. ' Proceedings were .taken against' James' Farrell' and'he was - or- , dered'.to'contribute % ss> a ! weekf: :He was; ; only r, .ih receipt .of ,'intermittent' wages'; and "ho had' an aged' and.' infirm motner !so.- his' payhients ■ fell' behind...' Subse-.. 'quently; he/commenced; to-.pay 'off "the, iarr'earsj'-- but could not - continue the payments;, ' and 'was ; put; into;' prison, ; and jhad-to associate ; with'' ordinary criminals.' 1 This -" notwithstanding ; the; i'fact that his; brother was a strong. man and was doing 'enough 4 work at' tho' institution ..to pay. for his/'mairitpnance. Mr; Thomson added-that the .whole; proceedings , were -no doubt/''' perfectly, in accordance with the law, but under the .circumstances stated no.' thought .-thedepartment in Dunedin-had'been guilty of-extreme;harsfrhess-in their treatment of this man. . : - , v. , . CAMPAICN OF: MISREPRESENTATION.

\ A. campaign vof, misrepresentation; says .Mr., A. W; ,-Hogg,- is being, con- ; ducted^iri.. the,',': Masterton;'; - electorate. Some'] of his.',, friends. had:" written . him asking whether,'it - was . true ;that he was 'going ;to'contest, an Auckland,!seat, in;,stead ;of Miisferton at the general olec-tioni'.and.-staiid. as,.a,:,straight-out Labour. -.'candidate. The! letter,also asked. ; whether; it /was true, that'; the ,; Govern-: merit'was iito. run; a:. .candid'ate:V against him in ''the, event -of his',: standing- for ;MastertonLv ,Mri : -"Hogg.- declares.';, that :there is- not a..particle', of'truth' in the, allegatioris'. ' If he - stood for any ,dis-. trict it .would be Masterton, and he 'would no'fc,stand;as a' straight-out Labourite. He' sympathised: iwith. Labour, b'Ut'he recognised.that all-classes';had to .be considered when . legislative reforms were 'introduced. ' He;lia'4heard: nothing,' of any intention 011 the part of •,the Government/to ; put" . ; ,'up. a;. man against him. \ .- ' AN IRRITABLE HOUSE. 'Reference to the reports of Friday fright's proceedings .in the '. House, indi;. icates:plainly the 1 irritable l mood 'in which; members -were found, " arid;, 1 even, the soothing 'influence of the supper adjournment did not: calm the ruffled fe'el--ings'of the,combatants'. :: After the ad']ourniherit',;- the; House,''' or a'sebtion. of. it, returned to the; Chamber, more' irritable' than bejere, and apparently,' prepared to wrangle .on , the: slightest i pro-, -vocation.. ; ,As reported on Saturday, re-, :peated interjections' by Mr. Ell' brought forth a protest from - Mr.': Spieaker,- who threatened''to 1 : name the*. 1 member : ..for. Cpiristbhu'rch South if s he had; to; speak to him again., s Later in the evening, after several teacup storms, Mr. Laurenpon was' addressing ;himself : vigorously; to Mr. Massey, when „Mr. Herdman rosepand'objected to the, language used, by Mr. Laurtenson -as being abusive. ■The Hon.. R.-., M'Kenzie. asked for a .raliugA'as^tofwheth'er'.ifcwas 5 in ' order, for one hoii.'Sgentleman-' .tp! tei'm"' the' speech ofanotherhon;: "gentleman-., abusive; Mr. ;Speaker ; . ruled that' the;member':for 'Wellingtori Norti was entitled to his opinion, but he; (the Speaker) was hot prepared to endorse .it.- , Mr. Laurenson tlien turned his' .'attention to Mr. Herdman,, who was, in evening dress, and demanded to .know how that- gentle-' mail , "had the .'presumption" ' to come into .the House -for'.' the .first 'time, that day at.,that ,t-ime ..of nightj and- term his (Mr. ; Laurenson's), -speecn' -as abusive. He (Mr. Laur'ensonV had been a:ttending to: his parliamentary , duties •' all day. Mr. 'Herdman rose to a personal explanation, and pointed out that he had been 111 the Chamber the ,)vhole'{of the afternoon, and,' that'-'evening,'had,been, attending,, with .. ;,.the - other - Wellington members,;: a-function inHhe city. 'He had to' the, House some time 'before -Mr. L'aurcnson rose.,

; Within.a"'few'minutes of the,above incident ,a ;"breeze'' -occurred between the Leader of the Opposition: and Mr. T. E. Taylor.: Mr. -Massey had just sat down after, making a "speech in . which he' expressed regret that Mr. .Taylor was'not in his scat, as 110 (Mr. Massey) had, something-to say to him. Mr. Taylor, having heard the glad tidings in the lobbies,: returned; to the : Chamber, and reverted 'to;the', matter'jiifst , spoken of by Mr; Jlassey. ' The Leader of the Opposition'rose again,, arid-told Mr. Taylor that lie- had something to say to him "later on., ,:He would' let"him have some straight talk.at.the first opX>ortunity. ' "I always pay my debts ..with -interest,",' ' rejoined; ' Mr: Taylor. '"You cannot do it. in this case," said Mr. .Massey, with some warmth. . Mr. Taylor leaned far out over the front of his; desk—f'l'll skin,, yoiil" were the words which reached the Press Gallery. ;• ■ ' BUSINESS FOR TO-MORROW. ; The earlier items on the Order Paper for. to-morrow aire-.—Committee of Supply," Cominittee of -Ways and Means, and the, Committee' stages of jtlie Defence Amendment Bill,- Aid to -Public Works, and Land Settlement Bill, New Zealand State Guaranteed Advances Bill, and the Land Settleriient Finance Bill. The Legislative Council will meet to dispose of a. small amount of business, :