POLITICAL NOTES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 1, 26 September 1919, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES

THE LOAN A question about the flotation of the loan was asked in the House last night by Sir Joseph Ward, who asked the Minister of Finance for inlormatiou about the flotation. It "had been suggested' to ibiin, lie said, that a stronger effort might be made to "boost" the loan. .His information was that tho public did hot know so much about tho loan as. might lt> put before them. He suggested that •the term for the subscriptions should be extended. . Sir James Allen said that ne had no automation to .give to the honourable member. The time for the receiving of applications had been extended for a fortnight. With regard, to advertising of ithe loan, there had been more of it than •'usual. .

Sir Josoph Ward said that no had not : been referring to advertising so much as news matter,

. Sir James Allen said that there had ; been more of tJiis than usual. Everything possible had been done to let tho know that the loan was on the j market, and that the compulsory clauses (would bo used. The Treasury had already had a largo number of inquiries ifrom companies and individuals as to the sums for which they were liable under the compulsoij clauses. A PAIR. In the division upon Sir Joseph Ward's jroposal to refer the gratuities scheme back to the Government for reconsideration, Mr. E. Newman (Raugitikei) and Mr. J. C. Thomson '.(Wallace), paired. Mr. Nowman voted with the Government Mid Mr. Thomson with the Opposition. EDUCATION BILL. Sir James Allou, speaking on behalf of tho Minister of- Education, informed Mr. K. M'Callum in the House last night that as toon as the Education Amendment jßill was read a second time pro forma it would bo . referred to the Education 'Committee. THE AIR CADETS. Tho claim of tho Flying Corps Cadets from this country ,to a share in the' gratuity benefits under the New Zealand scheme was mentioned in tho House last night. Mr. Witty said that he had ilbad communications from some of these cadets who wero anxious to know .Whether they would get the gratuity. Sir unmes Allen said that the cadets were provided for in the scheme. They would receive tho differences between Imperial rates'of pay and New Zealand rates ot (pay. As to tho gratuity he could not ■at present give an answer. THE PUKAU SWAMPS. When the Kauri Gum Amendment Bill was b;foro the House of Representatives last night, mention was made of the ■pukau swamps, which may 'be made to /produce gum and oi.'. to the value of many millions of pounds in the future. These areas, which are scattered over the Auckland district, are peat-swamps containing the decayed remains of kauri forest. Processes of distillation, now beinjc evolved, lire expected to make possible the recovery of gum from the puk-.m, in the form of . spirit, oil, and turpentine. It was stated that a company is-spending over JJ15,000 on an experimental plant, and that the .pukau swamps known to exist probably contain gum to a value exceeding £1 00,000,000. The Bill gives the Governtiiont power to lease gum lands to per. eons and companies for terms'Jong enough to permit of tho use of expensive plant. "THE TIN-POT NOBILITY." "The> old. Government House, in tho early accidental style of architecture, is being retained' to pander to the tin-pot nobility ,of Auckland." said Mr. J. Payne (Grey Lynn) in the House of Representatives last night, when the Auckland Uni. versify Site Bill was under discussion. s'his Bill proposes to take ,1? acres from the grounds of Government House. Auckland, as a site for a university. Members appeared to be agreed .that the site wo* too small, but they thought there was iio chance of inducing Auckland to- part with if« old' Government Ho'ufo in order to provido a larger site. The Prime Minister expressed his sympathy for the Auckland point of view. The Auckland Government House, he said, was the most historic building in New Zealand tfl-dny. It was'sound enough to stand for another, hundred yenr.o. and it ought to bo re. tained. He believed that eventually thb 'Auckland University would have to go to a la.rger site in Hie country outside the city, but. tho building? now proposed to bo. erected would sti'ls be useful.

"PROFITEERING." . ' "The greatest profiteer in tin's country at tho present time is the miner—is the working man ivho is going slow," sai'.i tho Hon. AV. Earnshaw in tho legisla■five Council' yesterday. "The. working class is the class to winch I belong," he' continued, "and I am ashamed to see so prevalent, in this country the thieving nnd profiteering of the working man in not playing- the game and giving goods equal to tho value of. the monev he gets." HOME SERvToE MEN AND GRATUITIES. < An appeal for- some consideration in the way nf gratuity to homo service men held, in New Zealand during the whole war ueriod tor instruction and other duties was made in the House of Representatives yesterday morning by Mr. It. A. Wright. lie said that many of these men had been held against their will, and had not been allowed to go in the front. These men, ho urged, should not be penalised because they had proved too useful to be allowed' to leavo the country.