POLITICAL NOTES

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 987, 30 November 1910, Page 10

POLITICAL NOTES

FRUIT FARMS SETTLEMENT. The Fruit Farms Settlement Bill was' reported on Monday by the Lands Committee. The Committee recommends that the Bill be allowed to proceed without PETITIONS. Reporting on the petition of T. S. Foster and others asking that professors and lecturers on the stalls of the university colleges be included in the benefits of the teachers' superannuation scheme, the Education Committee says that as the Public Service Superannuation Amendment Bill is not being proceeded with this session, the Committee refers the petition to the Government for consideration. The Railways Committee reporting on thq petition of Jas. Jenkins, of Wanganui, for recognition of his length of service in the Railway Department recommends that tho. petition should be referred to the Government for favourable consideration. The Eailways Committee, reporting on the petition of Jacques Marrett, .of Wellington, for compensation for injuries sustained through his being run over by railway trucks at Westport, recommends that the petition be referred to'the Government' for favourable consideration. The petitions of Albert Judd and nine others, of Tokomaru, and also eight other similar petitions, for relief in respect of maintenance of Manawatu railwav fences were reported on Monday by the Eailways Committee which recommends that the petitions be referred to the Government for consideration. Recollections of the wreck of the steamer Penguin at Terawhiti were revived in the House of ' Representatives on Monday, when the Education Committee reported on the. second petition of Frederick Tetley for relief on account of money lost in the wreck;of the vessel. The committee recommended that the matter was one for the Marlborough Education Board to deal with, and it had no recommendation to make. "WASHING-UP" BILL. PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS SITE. Provision is made in the "Afashing-up" Bill (which was circulated on Monday night) for the carrying-out of the agreement made between the Wellington City Corporation ar.H the Crown that landshail be acquired as a site for Parliamentary Buildings, and other lands shall be vested in the corporation in exchange therefor. The Governor may grant to the City Corporation the land required for widening Bowen, Charlotte, aud Molesworth Streets; tho laud required for a : new street in lieu of Museum Street; a new street from Sydney Street to Hill Street, and a recreation ground of 12 acres and 26 perches at Lyall Bay. Museum Street, commencing at its junction with Bowen Street, and proceeding to its junction with Sydney Street, is to be closed; also a part of Sydney Street, about 16ft. 6in. west of its junction with Molesworth Street, and proceeding in a westerly direction. Certain land is to be taken at the corner of Lambton Quay and Bowen Street, and the Governor may grant the laud so taken to the corporation for street-widening purposes. It is further provided that the Minister is to construct the streets for tho corporation, and to re-erect fences, etc. Other lands may bo awarded as compensation for land taken under this section. Another provision in the Bill is to the effect that power is to.be given authorising the disposal by leaso under the Public Bodies-Leases Act, 1908, of unoccupied land included in the Mount View Mental Hospital Reserve. Under another clause, the Government may guarantee a loan to be raised by the Oaniaru Harbour Board for the purpose of paying-off certain loans. In the ■ event of. such guarantee being ' given, all debentures shall bear the certificate. "Payment of the principle Mid interest secured by this debenture is guaranteed by the Government of Now Zealand." All sums paid by the Government in pursuance of such .guarantee shall be a charge upon all the assets of the oamaruHarbour...;B6ardr.'including any rate levied and any "surplus revenue of . the board. Any . surplus revenue of tho board in any year shall be paid to the Public Trustee, who shall apply the same in reduction of the loan. An additional area of six perches odd is proposed to be vested in Mrs. Seddon as part of tho site, and for the better protection and care of the grave of the late Mr. Seddon.