NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1561, 3 October 1912, Page 8

NEWS AND NOTES.

MOKAU CLAIMS. MR. JOSHUA JONES'S LEASE. AND COUNSEL'S FEES. The committee sot up to inquire into tho petition of Joshua -Jones, of Mokau fame, met yesterday morning. The liou. John ltigg was elected chairman. In tho afternoon Mr. 1\ Marnier,'for tha committee, presented an interim report fe tho House, recommending: (1) That tho meetings of the committee be ope.i to the press. (2) That the Government provide fees for counsel for Mr. Jones. (3) That the Government should be rupresented by counsel. ■ Mr. J. A.. Hanan (Invcrcargill) said the proposal was too important to ask the Houso to jidopt it without any explanation. It should ■Iμ shown that there was some sufficient reason for the country to pay for this inquiry. r M w-H w . Forbes (HuruttiiH and Mr. (t. Witty (Riccarton) said the iiitmiry had been made very thoroughly by another committee last year, and'they did •not see the need for incurrins more expense upon it.

• sh "' ■?<■ J- , Alld « r «>n (Mataura) said the committee last year investigated a verv different question from that which was More the committee this yenr. Tho reason why tho House was being asked tu ■authorise the employment of counsel for Mr Jones was that Mr. Jones had represented to the committee that lie was with.out moans.

Sir Joseph.Ward (Awarua) said Hint there was a possibility of a verv dancer, ons precedent being set up. it would .mean that every poor petitioner would ask tn bo represented by counsel at the cxpenso of the State when appearing bolore a Parliamentary committee. It might. Iμ that counsel would be necessary for the proper elucidation ol' the injiuiry but he suggested that the matter bo held over until members bad time tn consider it. It was a mo.sf complicated case, and it was very duublful whether it commit toe of laymen was « proper l-ri-Imiiiil to investigate it. n J f r ,- E. >Jewmoii (Rangitikci) and Mr. D. Buick (Palmei-slon) both agreed that the House should defer consideration of Iho matter. Mr. ir. J. H. Olcc-y (Taranald) urged thai the. ease ought to be sifted thoroughly for the last (iino, and in order to make that possible counsel should be provided for Mr. Jones. Tho Jlon. r \Y. V. Ma»ey (Prime Minister) suggested that two legal member-! ot <li 3 HoiiM. he added to the committee. He «uc3<;<;ed Mo-is \\. tf. r>. Bell and B. ii Galium, Ho .was fully aliyo to thoj

danger of establishing a bad precedent. . Mr. F. Mander, in reply, said it was necessary in Jones's interests that coun- ■ sol should be allowed to assist Jones to' present his caso clearly. Jones was entitled to consideration, for in tlie early days ho had done a great deal to make settlement by white people possible. The report of the committee was laid on the table. Tho lion. W. F. Mnssoy moved {.hat Mr. W. 11. 1). Bell (Wellington Suburbs) and Mr.' H. M'Ciillum (Wairau) be added to the committee. The motion was carried. ' PUBLIC REVENUES. AX AMIvNDIJsG J3ILL. , A Bill to amend the Public Revenues Ace, JIIIO, was introduced by the Jhnitlei' lor l'lmiuue yesterday uiternoon. It proposes tiie repeal ot we clause in the principal Act winch permits statutory leaiilauon ot uxpenuitura w Ijo ovomuden.oy a vot3 mi til , . , 'Estimates. Power is conferred upoa tho tiovcruor by the priucipal Aci to transier moneys in respect of any vote in the Appropriation Act in aid ol any other vote in Uie sauio class, and the exerciss of this power in the past has been the subject of much cominvnt, particularly in regard to the expenditure'of JiVjney on public works other than those ljor which ihe money was originally ■ voted. The Government now prnpusos to impose some protective supervision of such translers by providing tnat "full particulars of every such transier made during any financial year -shall be l;;id before Parliament within ten-days after the commencement of the session next after the expiration of that financial year." Authority is to be given for the drawing of money from the Foreign Imprest Account during the absence , from London or other temporary incapacity of the High Commissioner by. tome officer authorised by the Commissioner.

By the principal- Act the Minister for I'inanco is authorised to purchase on bchall of the banking institutions in the Dominion silver and bronze coin'to an amount not exceeding ,£IOO,OOO in anv financial year. The Bill proposes that the amount should be increased to' £200,000. An important': proposal in the Budget was that a sinking fund should Iμ established by contributions from the Confolidated Fund to meet fire'insurance lo«cs on public buildings. Provisiou is made tor this fund m the Bill under'review. It is proposed .that before the end of (he present financial year and on Auril 1 in each, subsequent financial year the Mi'ii?rer.for Finance shall pay from tho Cnn- £ jr ol ' ( ' i > tetl T 1 ""! to the. Public Trustee £10,01)0. Tuose contributions aie to form n tuiid to bs applied in amounts as voted by Parliament to the rebuilding or the restoration of public .buildings destroyed or damaged by fny. When the.fiiud amounts to 'IOO.fIOO. no further payments into it are to be mad? until it falls b«. I '1 , ,' -1 ' amo Accordiiiir'td tho Budget, the intention of ■ the .Government is that the sinking fund shall not be allowed to fall below

Provision is made'for the recovery of moneys imk'.vfully snf>nt by a local' authonty. The Audit Office shall surcharge with, the amount thereof every member of the local authority, jointly and sever-a;'-v; nn " K " a !' notify evcrv.such member of the surcharge, and of the.time within which it mav bs satisfied. In all such "rnceedincs. however, it shall be a good defence if the expenditure was ineur-d without tha kno»-l*dffp, or in snite of the wotesr, if tho defendant made in writinj, or that in b-ing a pnrly to such authorisation ho.icM'in pnod'f-iMi ai.il .'n Jiccordanr.o v,th {ho written advice of the local authority's solicitor. IN~BrTIf. - ■ _ Control of .the sale of seeds is to be inqiiired into by the Goveniriient- during the recess, and a Bill will, if po §- sible, be introdu:ed.early next session.' ■ In a paragraph published a few days ago it was staled that the Government intended to go on this year with tho Invalids Pension Bill. This was a mistake. Tho Invalids Bill is to be postponed until next session. ' .