NOTES IN BRIEF.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2187, 27 June 1914, Page 5

NOTES IN BRIEF.

Tho Address-in-Reply debate will be opened-in the Legislative , Council on Tuesday next, tho mover being tho Hon. J. Barr and the seconder the Hon. C. A. C. Hardy. At the condlusion of this debate'the.Council will proceed to deal with a number of Bills. At the head of the.list is the Legislative Council Reform Bill, which is identical with tho Bill'-introduced last, year.' Minor measures,., which are to follow, ijiclude tho Masters and Apprentices Bill,, which deals- with immigration, ' The member for Avon (Mr. G. W. Russell looked really unhappy last night Tvhen he leaned dejectedly ngainst hie bench in the House of Representatives and confessed that language—tho kind of language that wtfuld be tolerated under, the rule* of tho House—failed ■him when he wished to give expression to his true opinion of the Reform Government. -There was an air of nath"tic sincerity about tho confession, but Mr. Russell's fellow members gave him more laughter than sympathy. , The Immigration Restriction Amendment Bill, of which the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher gave notice yesterday, has not yet been circulated, but it is understood that it relates to the exclusion of Hindus and other Asiatics from New Zealand, ; and that' its provisions are drastic.-, . ■ A hope was recently expressed in the "Public Service Journal" that legislation would bo introduced this session to abolish the svstem under which defalcations bv individual members of the Public Service have to bo mndo good by the rest of the Service. The hope has borne early fruit, for Mr. Herdronn jwve notice yrsterdav to introduce the Civil Service Officers' Guaranteo Repeal Bill. : The object of Mr. T. K. Sidoy's Fire Insurarico Bill is to make inquests on fires compulsory in evory case, except whore tho origin of tho fire is manifest. Discretion 'will ha left to the Coroner as to whether ho shall hold an inquiry or not, but if ho decides not to do so he must supply a report to the authpriti&s, ■ _ Tho usual return showing the quantity of articles in common use consumed (bring last year was presented to Parliament yesterday. It shows , a reduction in the coneumDtion of spirits, £2 Os. 2d. per head to £1 19s. Bd. Tobacco fell from £1 4s. _32d. to £1 3s. sd. There is, however, a,slight increase m the consumption of cigarottes, from 12s. 7Jd. to 13s. per head. There is a very small decrease in tho value per head consumed of wine and beer. The consumption of tea per bead has fallen from-6.p71b. to 6.231b. per head. Over ten milliongallons of New Zealand brewed beor were drunk last year, a slight increase upon the previous year's record, hut the average works out' tho same as before—namely, at 13 gallons per head of population over 15 years of age. Tho cost per head is 3s. 2?d. per head, as' against 39. 2Jd. for the previous year. Mr. Hunter, member for Wainawa, interviewed the Minister of Education yesterday and placed before him the views of tho teachers of Hawke'e Bay in reference to the provisions they wish to see included in the Education Bill, to be introduced this session. Mr. Allen lias promised to very carefully consider the suggestions made by tho teachers of Hftwke's Bav. Tho cost "per cent, of collecting tho Customs duties at tho principal ports in 1913-14 was as follows:—Auckland, £1 7s. 3d.; Wellington, £I'Bs. 7d.; Lyttelton and Christehurch, £1 Ms.; Dimedin and Tort Chamlcis, £'1. Us. Rd.; Napier, £1 lls.; Invercarcill and Bluff, £2 35.; Timaru, £1 13s. fid.; New Plymouth, £1. IDs.: Greymouth. £'> 6s. Rtf.; Wniicanui,.£l lSx. 4t1. ; Poverty Bav £1 10s. od.j Wostport, £3 15s. 3d".