POLITICAL NOTES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 16, 14 October 1919, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES

A CALL TO DUTY. A suggestion that the address delivered by the Commissioner of Polico at the graveside of the Into Constable DmhUig should be circulated among police officers throughout New Zealand was made in i the Houso of Representativw last night by Mr. It. M'Callum (Wairau). Sir. Massey replied that ho had rend the address'and lylmired it 1 immensely. _He would bs pleased It give instructions thaj; it should be printed and a copy given to every member of the police force. GRATUITIES TO NEXT-OF-KIN. Mr. It. A. Wright gave notice of a question regarding gratuitios in House last night. Ho asked whether, in tlio ovent of the death 'of a. soldier tho gratuity duo to him was to be paid only to the widow or ohildren or lather or mother, and if so, would not hardship bo inflicted oil other relatives dependent 011 the soldier? Ho mentioned, as "an instance. the case of a sister wholly dependent on . the soldier brother. VOTES OF THE SICK. A suggestion that provision be made in any amendment of the Electoral Act, should such'be proposod thiß year, to permit of patients in hospitalls recording their votes was made to the Prime Bliinisister in tho House ilast night by Mr. l'Kiser. 1 Mr Massey said that he' had' not thought of the point. He remembered that the suggestion had been made previously, but it had always been shown bv tho Department to bo impracticable, jfe would take the opinion of tho head of tho Department again on the subject. THE HIDES MARKET. A question about tho hides market was asked in tho Houso last night' by Mr. Holland. He nskc-d the Prime Minister to refer to the Board of Trade the substance of a telegram ho had received from the secretary Hi tho Bootmakers Union'at Dunedin. The union secretary =aid that tanners at Dunedin could not buy hides, because brokers frero holding krge stocks, anticipating the removal of the embargo on export. If those tactics succeeded the result must bo an increase in the prieo of boote. • Mr. Massey said he would refer the question to tho Board of Trade.

STATE FORESTS. ' The State Forests Amendment Bill, introduced in tho House last night; was explained very briefly by Mr. Masse,v. He said that tho Bill dealt with forests of National Hidowment lnnd. It was' proposed to place them on the earn? footing an forests on Crown Land. If it was necessary to protect forests on Crown land, it. was equally necessary to protect those forests on National EndowmentHand. This was the whole purpose of the Bill. / s . NATIVE TOWNSHIPS. ' An explanation of the Native Townships Bill, introduced ill the House last night, was given by the Native Minister (Air. Homos). IMr. Hemes paid that the Government had powetr now to purchase tho interests of the Natives in the Native townships of To Ivuiti, Otorohanga, and Taumarunui. Tho only question was how, after tho purchase had been made, the freehold was to Ix> distributed among the lessees. It was now proposed to leave this to regulations to be made by the Lands Department, This was tho whole purposo of ihe Bill. ■ THE HILL ROAD. ' Mr. W. H. Field (Otaki) asked in th" House of • Representatives last night if the Government engineers had made any report on the proposed deviation of the Paekakariki Iml road, and of the railway, and, if 60, when the publip wis to be informed of tho nature of tho report, and whether the engineers had given consideration to * the alternative routes that have been proposed.