POLITICAL NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1565, 8 October 1912, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES.

THE LAND BILL, Although tho Laud Bill will probably oinorgo lrom tho hamLs of Iho Lands Conimitten this week, ft is unlikely that tho second reading dobato upon it in tlio House will commence beforo next week. PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. Tho Public Works Statement is in print nml is now undergoing final revision. It may bo circulated this wok, but it is unlikely that it will come up for discussion until next week. SMALL FARM SETTLEMENT. Arrangements uro to be made immediately to throw open gum lands in the Aueklnml district for small farm settlement on the Hues recently indicated by llin Hon. W. V. Mossey (Prime .Ministerj. It is proposed that the average farm shall have an area of 25' acres. A man who intends to take up fruit-growing will be allowed to select a smaller area if he so desires and a man with a family who wants more land will bo allowed to have it. The land will lie offered on occupation with right of purchase tenure. It is intended that settlers shall occupy their lands for the first fivo years free of rent. Possibly legislation may bo required to sanction this concession, but for tho schemo as a whole no legislation, additional to that already on tho Statute Book, will bo required. After they have been in occupation for five years settlers will bo asked to pay interest'on the value of their land until they have paid off the capital value. There will be no fixed scnlo of instalments. The term taken bv the settler; to pay for his holding will bo long or short as he desires. Settlement on these lines will l>c first carried out in the Auckland district, where huge areas of exhausted ginn lands are available, but it is intended to extend Iho benefits of tho scheme ultimately to tho wholo Dominion. MILITARY PENSIONS BILL. Tho Military Pensous Bill, it is understood, will be. introduced in the House of Representative* this afternoon. The measure is in charge of the lion. F. 11. 11. I'isher. It will probably be found that the Military Pensions Act of mil will bo repealed and Mint Hie new Bill will embody a much more liberal scheme for the relief of old soldiers than has hitherto been placed before Parliament. The conditions which will have to bo complied with in order to obtain n pension will b(< comparatively simple. All that tho claimant for a liension will be required to prove will be thai he was the recipient of the .New Zealand War Medal. The amount of the pension will be considerably in excess of that paid to old ne* pensioners. The recipient of a military pension will not be entitled to receive an old ago pension. LAND FOR SETTLEMENT. Tho Government have almost completed negotiations for the purchase of an estate in'' Otago, consisting of 1800 acres of "ood land suilablo for dairying. " COMMITTEE INQUIRIES. Tho Joint Committee fet up bv the House of Representatives and the Legislative Council will sit to-day to hear evidence bearing on tho petition for redress of Mr. Joshua Jones, of Mokau, Taiauaki. To-morrow the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives will commence its inquiry iuto the administration of tho State Guaranteed Advances Department under past Governments, CONTROL OF WHALING. A measure now in preparation is a Fisherics Bill which is intended to give tho Government some control over the whaling industry. It is considered that tho number of vessels engaged and the conditions under which whaling is being carried on make it necessary that some power should bo taken to control tho industry.