POLITICAL NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1266, 23 October 1911, Page 4

POLITICAL NOTES.

END OF THE SESSION. It is now expected that the session maj , ond about Wednesday nest, but ono never knows. Tha attempt to thrust legislation through without due consideration may at any moment load to the brake on the political machine boing put hard down again. The big Tnupo laiwl and railway proposal is likely to meet with strenuous opposition, but it has been stated that the concession c.v.i l>o made by means of Order-in-Couiieil, without intrcKliicing a Dill or consulting Parliament in any wtiy. Though the session is not yet at an end, and important business remains to foe done, sotno members are already leaving for their homes, Mr. Jonninge —whose Opposition opponent is slid to bo making good headway—has already left for his constituency. Dr. Vernon ]{«'d, the member for the Bay of la» laiiids, also left Wellington on Saturday. "VOTES IN SOUTHLAND." It happened that a day or two before Air. llassey brought up in the House the question of the propriety or otherwise of certain expenditures o'f public money in Southland, the samo mailer was referred to in a speech by Mr. J. 11. Hamilton, (ho Heform candidate for Awarua. -olloiring is an extract from the "Southland Times" report of a Fjioech delivered Ly Mr. Hamilton at Mnkarowa last Wednesday :—"Tho expenditure ought to bo laid out on reproductive public works and not ou works benefiting only some individuals. Any Government that expended public money on privato property fjiould be removed from office. (Applause.) Jlr. Hamilton stated that hundreds of pounds had been spent in piping and cleaning ditches that were of benefit only to tho men ou whoso ground tho money was spent. He was prepared to show instances of this in his own district, and would retire from tho contest if it could bo shown to him that tho money had been of any use to any but (ho man on whose properly tho woijc had been carried out." MEMBERS ILL, Several members are still absent owing to illness. Messrs. Buick and Mondcr μ-o both steadily improving ii) health. The Hon. Thos. Mackenzie, howover, is still confined to liis bed, and has made little progress. IS IT AN OMEN? One of the recent notices in the lobbf is: "Lost a Member's Kailway Pass.' Finder is requested to return it to a well-known southern member. A wag has suggested in a postscript that thif notice may l>o tho writing on the wall! TO-DAY. Tho House sits this morning to deal with Local Bills, of winch thero are twenty-five ou (he order paper. There may bo troublo over tho Mount Hutt County Bill and the Otaki County Bill, and there is certain to be strenuous opposition to tho AVanganui Harbour Board Bill, ivid perhaps another or two but tho others are likely to go through without much difficulty, aud may be disposed of by noon, when the inoroing sitting is timed lo end. If all the local Bills M-β passed or thrown out by that hour, the House may have an afternoon off. Tho Mokau report and the Gaming Bill are Nos. -1 and 5 on tho order nancr, after local Bills, and the probabilities sire that tire latter will not be proceeded with. The Mokau Tenort should como up for discussion early in tho evening. A BELATED REPORT. Jlr. Allen (Bruce) asked in the House oai Friday when tho Hospital and Charitable Aid report would lie presented to the House, lie believed- it was required to bo laid on the tablo within 28 dayn of the opening; of the session, but it had not yet appeared, and the Estimates had to bo passed without it. Tho Prime Minister, after consulting (ho Hon. I). Buddo, said (lie report would be fabled on Mouday, or at latest on Tuesday. A QUESTION. Mr. Herdman has given notice to ask (lie Postmaster-General if thero is any special rearon why, in the Post and Telegraph Department classification list of 1011-12, at Page 42, tho following' apparent, anomaly should appear:—ln tho twelfth class a head messenger, with _ six years and five months' ■ service, receives a salary of A'lßo per annum, whilst another officer with twenty-four years' service receives per annum. Again, in the second grade, an officer with thirteen, mouths' service receives a Bnlary of Xl3O per annum, and is placed senior to a man with five and a half years' service drawing a Hilary of illO per annum. RAILWAYS SUPERANNUATION. Tho benefits of the Government railways superannuation fund are to bo further increased by certain clauses in tho Government Unilwnye Amendment Bill. Temporary officers appointed to tho permanent staff in (ho tuturo arc to bo entitled to contribute (o the Government Railways Superannuation Fund as from the commencement of tho fund (January, 1903), or from tho commencement of their service, or, in tho alternative, from tho dato of !iis permanent appointniout. Tho present retiring allowance is one-sixtieth part of the annual rato of pay for every year of service. Tho Bill proposes to add the words, "and for every fraction of a year he shall receive a proportionate part of one-sixtieth of his annual rate of pay."