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Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2564, 11 September 1915, Page 5

At Monday's meeting of tho, Petono Borough Council a proposal will bo put forward "'That the Government be asked, whoii bringing down,an amendment to tho Municipal Corporations Act, to extend tho provisions of Section 175 ov the Municipal Corporations Act, 1908, in order to enable a, council to declare by way of special order, any private street not less than 40 feet wide which was laid out prior to January 1, 1908, to be a publio street, provided that every private street to be so -taken over shall first be properly formed and-con-structed by the owners thereof or frontages thereto." Some days ago a petition was presented to the House of Representatives from certain of the inmates of Roto Roa. Inebriates' Home. Their prayer .lias that - they should bo given their 'liberty in order that they might, servo the Empire in various ways at this time of war. Tho Petitions Committee icported to the House yesterday that it had "no recommendation, to mako on the petition." At tho office of tho Lands and Survey. Department,. Dunedin, on Monday, Mr. Chas. Fynmore, who has retired on superannuation, was presented with a solid silver dinner service by the officers of the Department and the practising surveyors of Otago. The presentation was niide l>y Mr.. R. T. Sadd, tho Commissioner of Crown LandSj. Messrs. Morpeth and Couston, speaking on behalf, of- the professional staff and the praotising surveyors. Mr. J'yrimoro has just completed an unbroken period oi service of 48 years.

The gravity of Parliament was disturbed yesterday afternoon, when tho Mouse of Representatives, in Committee of thq Whole, solemnly : "considered" a Bill which had; not been referred to it and advanced 'tho ' measure a stage, in flat defiance of its own Standing Orders. The difficulties of the situation thus created were finally overcome bj a Cromwollian decision that tho interlude of illegal business "had not happened." In the first instance the trouble arose over the mixing of two Bills, the Wellington "City Empowering Act, 1908, Amendment Bill _ (set down for committal), and the Wellington and Karori Sanitation and " Water-Supply Amendment Bill, which had been read a second time earlier in the afternoon. Both measures aro in charge of Mr. R. A. Wright. It was upon tli'e firstEarned Bill that the House was supposed to be at. work in' Committee. Some indications •- of misunderstanding regarding the clauses going through ■were oxplained when- the Chairman of Committees (Mr. Malcolm) informed the Committee that the clerk had'unfortunately- passed him iilie wrong Bill. The position tlnis.was that a Bill had been passed clause by clause with which the House in Committee had no immediate power to deal. 'Members laughed very heartily when this became manifest. • When tho Speaker returned to ill© Chair he soon clearod up the situation, simply stating that no notice would bo taken of the work dono upon the Bill not-referred-to the Committee —■it would simply retain its former place upon the Order Paper.

' The report of tho Education Districts Boundaries Commission, set up under the Education Act of last._session, by which the number of education districts in the Dominion is reduced, has not yet been presented to, the House of •Representatives. Mr. R. M'Callum ask? Ed the Minister .of Education in the House .yesterday ' whether he would have the report referred to the Education Committee. The Minister said he would lay the report on the table of the House this session. 'He could not see that any advantage could bo gained by .referring the Commission's report to the Committee, because last year tho subject matter of the ieport had been fully considered by the Committee. ' .

: In Parliament yesterday Mr. R. W. -Smith (Waimarino) gave notice to ask tho Minister of Internal Affairs whether he -will, at the earliest possible ■moment, introduce legislation of a temporary character, with a view of providing the greatest, possible freedom with regard to holding art unions, raffles, auctions, -etc., promoted by accredited persons or societies solely for patriotic purposes. In a. noto Mr. Smith added: "While recognising that those .wlio have raised' the objection to art unions, raffles, etc., have done so with the test of motives, it cannot be gainsaid that they havo failed to suggest any feasible alternative whereby funds for deserving cases will be found, and it is well known that one ounce of prac-tical-assistance is worth more than tons':of sympathy.''.

The Defence Minister has received' advice that the New Zealand War Contingent Association in London has arranged to equip 200 additional beds at the Mount Felix Hospital, at Walton. - This will bring the total number of beds in the establishment up to 300. Members of the Reinforcements' now •in camp who are connected with the New Zealand branch of the Legion of Frontiersmen will "be entertained at dinner at Barrett's Hotel at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. All persons interested are invited to attend. The'petition of Mrs. Boyd Garlick to the House of Representatives for a compassionate allowance was reported upon by the Petitions Committee in the House yesterday. The- Committee previously reported that it had no recommendation to make, hut that report was referred hack.. Their reconsidered decision was that. tho petition be-re-ferred to the Government for favourable consideration. The. committee further recommended that in the event of s, compassionate allowance being granted, tho Government should see that it was secured to Mrs. Royd Garlick liersolf, and that it Should not go in settlement of claims against the firm.