NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1213, 23 August 1911, Page 7

NEWS AND NOTES.

THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL.

A request was made by the Leader of the Opposition yesterday that members of the Countv Councils' Conference, which is now sitting in Wellington, should if possible be supplied with copies of the Local Government Bill, which the House had been given to understand last session would be printed and ciroulated during the recess. "I would be very happy, to do so," said the Acting-Prime Minister, "but it is not ready yet." In reply to a further question by Mr. Massey as to whether the Bill was likely to be printed and circulated during the present session. Sir James Carroll was understood to say that it might be circulated this session or during tho recess. Mr. Massey; "Yes-after the elections." (Laughter.) THE HUTT ROAD. A petition was presented by Mr. Field yesterday on behalf of the Hutt County Council asking that the county shonld not be called upon to contribute to the cost of constructing and maintaining tho Hutt "Eoad. Petitioners urge that 'they should not have to contribute in consoquenco of the comparatively small and scattered population and the large mileage of road ■to bo maintained in the Hutt County as now constituted, and in view.of tho fact that .a Jargo part of the county is too far. distant from the Hutt Road to make use of it in preference to the railway.. . TERRITORIAL EXAMINATIONS. Replying to a question in tho House vesterdoy the Hon. Geo. Fowlds slated "that any person who had to present him- ' self for medical examination for the TerI ritorial Force might be examined at a place other than that originally fixed for examination, on his showing tho officer concerned 'his notico for. medical examination. In every case the authorities arranged that the examination should take placo within a reasonable distance of the home of the person to be examined. ABOUT TELEGRAMS. Mr. J. C. Thomson is worried about tho occasional ambiguity of telegrams. He soys that at present messages are simply run on without showing beginning ' Or ending of sentences, tho iisp of capitals is often ignored, and punctuation marks'are conspicuous by their absence. This makes it difficult for receivers to quickly gather tho meaning of messages. Ha will therefore ask the Acting-Postmaster-General whether he will issuo instructions to have nil messages paragraphed and punctuated by telegraphists. FORTY MILES FROM A DOCTOR. Mr. Hinc has given notice to ask tho Minister in Charge of Hospitals whether he. will take steps to have a cottage hospital established at "Whaugamomona, so that the residents may havo tho services of a trained nurse dose- at hand. At present the nearest dector lives forty miles away, but endeavours arc now being made to obtain the services of a doctor who will be resident at Whangamomona, and a cottage hospital or casual ward as headquarters for a district nurse in this town would convenience about 1500 persons at tho present time. TELEPHONES. .Mr. Buchanan "ill a=k the Acting-Post-master-Gcneral whether he will bring in a Bill this session enabling country settlors to borrow funds through the medium of the local bodies, for tho purposo of constructing telephone iines as in Canada; sinking fund and interest beinK a charge only upon the properties of those desiring such telephones. LOCAL MUNICIPAL PROBLEM. Mr. Luke has given nofico to ask the Minister for Internal Affairs whether he will take the necessary steps to effectually deal with the impasse that has resulted from the judgment of Commissioner Hasel-

rleu, who was appointed a Commissioner to determine the legal ami equitable ronditions between the Wellington Citv Council and the Knrori Borough Council in reference to the receding of Northland from the Knrori Borough Council and its liability in connection therewith.

INVESTIGATION ASKED FOR. In a i>otilion presented by Mr. Luke, tho (luestion is asked: "By what right can one Government Department treat with {mother Depart mvn t without Hie knowledge, of the. client, and demand payments not legally due?" The petitioner, Hugh L. Greer, of Jolins-onvillc, Mates that ho is a client of the Government .Fire Insurance. .Department, and ho mentions several small payments demanded from liira and made under protest. Ho asks for a thorough investigation in Parliament. ADVANCES TO SETTLERS. A return tabled yesterday in .the, Houso states that the number of applications for loans under the Advances to Settlers Act which could not bo entertained "ml wo.ro refused from April I. l'Jfl", to June SO, 1011, was J:j!)t. The amount received as application fees during the wiiiie period was .KJl.tiOl) 13s. Id. The amount of application fees returned to applicants who wore refused loans was -.£5130 i's. ad. Tho amount paid to solicitors by the N.Z. State Guaranteed Advances Otiice for preparing mortgage deeds during the same, period was .0215 3s. Sd., being -i'l'G Ms. Sd. in Auckland district, and ,£3B 10s. in Otago.

WORKERS' DWELLINGS. Tho report on workers' dwellings was presented to Parliament yesterday. By the direction of tho .Minister operations under the Act arc to be limited to places whore there are at least six applicants, as it is impracticable to erect dwellings in smaller groups. .Negotiations are proceeding for the purchase or setting apart of suitable land in Wanganui, Timaru, lnvercargill, and various other towns. Some delay in dealing with applications ponding completion of negotiations for land is anticipated. Arrangements have been made with the Government Life Insurance Department whereby, under a special scale, any purchaser of a worker's dwelling may insure his life for as nearly as practicable the amount that may be owing on his dwelling at the time of his death should such occur. Thus, by the payment ol 2s. 9d. per week, a purchaser of a dwelling costing .£560 if he is 30 years of age would ensuro the payment of thu balance owing on his dwelling at any time that his death might occur. Tho amount of the insurance effected is actually greater than tho amount owing from time to time, it being the nearest practical sum, and in tho case of death tho balance of tho insurance money. afOer paying the residue on the dwelling, is- paid to tho credit of tho insured's estate. The total number of houses erected so far is only 126.

BRIEF MENTION. Two petitions on behalf of the Eangitikei Kaeing Club, that it may not be deprived of it's totalistitor licenses, were presented to Parliament, yesterday by Jlr. B. H. Guthrie 011 behalf of .Mr. E. Newman. Petitions wero received lately from a number of settlers on the Ohotu Block praving to be allowed to purchase the ■ freehold of their sections. Yesterday feiv James Carroll presented a petition from 139 Natives interested in the block protesting against the proposal to sell the land. A Model By-laws Bill, with schedules from which local bodies may choose suitable bv-laws for adoption, is suggested by jlr.Okev, who asks whether the Government will introduce such a measure. Mr. Han-in suggests that tho Government, before introducing a comprehensive Local Government Bill, should appoint a commission to take evidence and report on a number of matters affecting local government. ■