NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1262, 18 October 1911, Page 8

NEWS AND NOTES.

PUBLIC WORKS AND LAND SETTLEMENT. Tho Loan Bill, introduced yesterday afta'noon. proposes to authorise the raising of .£1,500,000 for tlic Public Works Fund. The purposes for which the money is roquired aro ns follow, tho amounts authorised in last year's Aid to Public Works Act being given iu parentheses:—ConstrnoHon of railways, -L' 500,000 (i'SOO.OCO) ; additional rolling-stock for open lines, .£300,000 (,£350,000); land settlement and goldficlds development, .£500,000 (.£500,000); other public works, ,£200,000 (£100,000): total, .£1,500,000 .(,£1,750,000).

CIVIL SERVICE CLASSIFICATION. Mr. M'Laren has given notice that ho will ask the Minister for Finance -whether an opportunity will bo afforded Civil Servants of expressing their opinions for or against the classification to ba brought into force, either by means of a ballot taken amongst those engaged in tho service or by any other means? NATIVE LANDS. Before tho House adjourned on Tuesday morning Mr. lline directed attention to Section S, Sub-Section 2, Clause (i), of the Public Works Amendment Bill, which adds tho words "or in any trustee" to Section ill of the Public Works Act, 1908, and has the effect of extending certain powers in regard to Native lands. Mr. Jlino remarked that (his seemed designed to me;t a case which had been prominently .beforo tho country, and ho asked whether tho amendment was intended to have special application to a particular casa or was intended to be of general application. Tho Hob. A. T. Ngat.a stated that the paragraph referred to was easily capable of explanation. It extended the provisions of the principal Act as to lands vested in Maori Laud Hoards, or in bodies corporate, to lands vested in any trustee. This included tho Public Trustee.. Tho amendment would bring under the Act largo areas in the Poverty Bay district which were held in special trusls. By inadvertence, when' (lie nmrjidiiig Act oil!) 09 was f/i-i'.nod, this provision had been omitted. ARBITRATION BILL. The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill was reported by the Labour Bills Committee yesterday with minor amendments. Tho evidence shows that tho representatives of the Wellington Trades and Labour Council and of the Employers' Federation both agreed with tho general object of tho provisions for securing Dominion awards, which aru a leading feature of the Bill, but Mr. Pryor, teeretary to the Employers' I'ederatiou, said that these provisions, instead of making the procedure more simple, would mako it more cumbersome, less effective, and more expensive than (ho mf-aus now available Jor obtaining .Dominion awards, it was conceivable that ■under the new; provisions each of tho three Conciliation Commissioners might he travelling about the country at the samo time, siad twelve assessors with each of them dealing with Dominion disputes, and after these expensive picnics weio. finished the awards might bn umde without the employers in many instances having had proper notice.

ECHO OF THE MEIKLE CASE, -Mrs. Jane Me.ikle,, wife of Mr. J. J. Mciklo, whoso caw was prominency before ths country for ti number of \<\->n, has petitioned for substantial coii:i»>;h;ition for loss and suffering resulting from o.l} wrongful conviction of her husband 21 years ago on a charge of sheepstealmg. She lisio- .ihiit she is G2 years of aw and clestTtii;c, and that the 'amount of compensation granted to her husband was not sUiTicicnt to pay the. debts 'ic incurred iu his endeavour tx> obtain justice. LEASING PUBLIC RESERVES. Legislation has been introduced by thr . Prime Minister to authorise the le.Wns nf IKiblie. iTsc-rvcs for any pcri«l up to forfytvro years. Tlia princip.il Act provides tlmt any reserve not required for tlio specific purpose for which it was made may be leased by (lie Governor for a term not cxwrsliup fourteen vcvirs. Tlio Hill nov; propwws to extwid this power by nulhorisinc the leasing of rci>enx>s either by public auction or teiwlor for a period not oxrecxHng twrnty-ono years, wilh a right of rmicwoJ, but not eiecediiiß n total period of for/.y-two yen.is. Comiieiisation i? to bo pa.id to les«x>.« for improvements etfoclwl by tliem. Soiihi otlior amendinouts iu the prinicipal Act are proposed. SUNDAY LAQOUR, Tlio Labour Hills Committw rncomniended yestorday laat in view of the late period of tiro session, tho Sunday Labour Hill should be referred to the Government for its favourable consideration, 'llio Hill li:is been introduced by Mr. Fisher.