POLITICAL NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1566, 9 October 1912, Page 8

POLITICAL NOTES.

SHEARERS' ACCOMMODATION ACT. ITS SCOPE EXTENDED. A Bill to amend the- Shearers , and Agricultural Labourers' Accommodation Act has been introduced by. the Minister foi .Labour, and was yesterday.referred to the Agricultural Committee. It is a short measure, of. two:.clauses.' The' principal Act .define; ah "agricultural labourer" as a person employed.in agricultural or pastoral or flaxmilling work of ony kind, but the term does, not include a. shearer. The essential clause of.. the. . Bill modifies Clause 12 of ihe principal Act by providing that "where an agricultural'labourer resides in a' house which is owned o, leased by his .employer, other than the pru-ato residence of tho' employer, and whether or not the agricultural'labourer pays rent for the same or any sum-is do-' ducted from.his wapes by way of rent, 1 the employer shall provide such accommodation as is. prescribed by regulations" (made under the Act'of 1308). The other clause of the Bill.prpposes to extend the promions.-of tho Act and of the .present Bill to workers..at sawmills.in the same manner as they, apply to agricultural labourers. ■-.'■ • MILITARY PENSIONS. PROVISION MAdFfOR ' The Militar.vM'ensio'ns Bill, which was presented to the. House nf Representatives last night,' provides that any person who served the Qrown in any of theMaori Wars anil was awarded a ;inedal for active service iii such wars, shall be entitled to'a maximum pension .of .£36 per annum..'. .The .amount of the pension is to be diminished bv: One pound for every complete pound ■of income in excess of, th;rty-four pounds; one pound for every complete ten pounds of the value of any property used by the applicant as a'home, including.furniture, and personal effects, in e'xeess of tlueo hundred;and forty pounds; and one pound for every Complete ten pounds , of the value of any other property in excess of fifty pouuds.' Applicants for the pension must have' resided continuously in New Zealand for.not less than ten years preceding the application, and must not, during.that period, have incurred a punishment of twelve months' imprisonment or upwards; Other conditions are that, an applicant has uot deserted or failed to provide for his wifo and children during the ten years preceding application, and (hat his'.income for the year preceding his.application did not amount to .£7O or upwards. If an applicant is married and living with his wife the value of his property shall be deemed to l>e half the total value of the property of husband and wife. Tho amount of tho pension is in no case to exceed such a ■sum as, .with, the total incomes of husband and' wife, will amount to .£IOO per year. Recipients of the military pension will'not. be entitled to receive the' old age pension. . .