POLITICAL NOTES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 17, 15 October 1919, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES

PAYMENT OF GRATUITIES. At present it is provided by law that gratuities due in respect of soldiers who lost Ihoir lives at the front must be paid to the widow or children or father or mother of the soldier. Mr. "Witty asked in tho House yesterday whether the gratuity could not in some eases bo paid to the sister or cousin of tho soldier when tho .soldier had willed his property to such a relative. Sir James Allen raid that the mutter was ono requiring; legislation, and Until he had some particulars' from the Pay Office an the result of experience in the payment of gratuities he did not quite know how to draft the legislation.' The '»qislatinn would have to pass this vcar if at all. PRICE OF FENCING WIRE. A question about tho price of fencing wire in Auckland was asked in the House yesterday by Mr. Poland. He declared that there-' was evidence that tho merchants in Auckland had combined to keep the price of wire up. The price hnd been raised without reason from <£30 ner ton to JGJ6 per ton. He asked the Prime- Minister to instruct the Board of Trade to make inquiries with a view to taking action. Mr. Mossey said that he would be very glad to ask the Board of Trade- to inquire into the matter. WAR BONUS AND P. AND T. OFFICERS. Information about the payment of the war bonus to employees of the Postal Department was given to t>-e House- of Representatives yesterday afternoon by the Postmaster-General (Mr. Coates). These bonuses have been withheld for some time, and in the meantime members of the Service have rece : ved considerable increases of salary by the regrading cf lp> Service. The Minister said that in thos? cases in which the increase of salary by the reprndinir did,not bring the pny of the "ffWv up to IV amount W had previously received with the addition of'the war bonus, the bomm would be paid, or so much of it as would bo required to bring the salary of the officer up to his former pay. nlns war bonus. In no other easc9 would the war bonus be paid. EXPORT OF POTATOES. More inquiries about the supply of potatoes in the country were made In tlii> House yesterday afternoon by Mr. Wi-ty. 1 - He asked tho Minister of Agriculture whether he had yet ascertained the quantity of potatoes in the country. Theru was a., scarcity, and prices were high. Reed potatoes were especially dear, and there were many returned sol-dier-settlers who were anxious to hav; siinplies. Was it correct that the Minister was permitting the export of potatoes without knowing the supplies available in New Zealand? Mr. Nosworfhy said that he had handed the matter over to the Beard ot Trade, and he understood that the board was dealing with it. He would got ■ from the board the information available. . Mr. Witty: .Arc potatoes being exported now? Mr. Nosworthy said that possibly they were, but the Board of Trnde was dealing with the matter. He thought there were sufficient potatoes in the country for the needs of the people until tho new crop camo in. THF. HIGH COMMISSIONED Sir Joseph Ward asked another question, about the High Commissionership in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon. He asked whether the Solicitor-General had yet given his opinion on the question of the term of office of the High Commissioner, and also on the question of the eligibility to be enrolled as nn elector of any jniblic officer returning to New Zealand after .having been absent from the country for twelve months. (The importance of the second point is that unless a man is enrolled as an elector on sonic roll he is not elijcible to sit as a member of Parliament, and there have .*been rumours that Sir Thomas Mackenzie is coming back to this country to enter politics again.) Mr. Massey said that the opinion of ,the Attorney-General was • that tho term of office of the High Commissioner did not expire until 'February 24. 'Pho other question was still before the Solici-tor-General. Sir Joseph Ward: Is it the intention to appoint' the present High Commissioner up till February? ■■ Mr. Massev: I have said that his term does not expire until February. Sir Joseph Ward: Has ho accepted apr pointment till February? Mv.. Massey: Wo have not yet heard from him. EXCURSION TRAINS. "Is it the.-intention of the Government to restore the excursion ticket privileges to the public during the coming Christmas holidays l ?" asked Mr. It. Somplc (Wellington South) in the House of Representatives yesterday. The Minister of Railways '(Mr, Massey) replied that the matter was under consideration now. ■ He expected to be able to restore the privileges. GOVERNMENT OF" SAMOA. The Treaties of Peace Bill introduced into the House last niglht is intended to provide for tho future government of Samoa. It was explained by tho Minister of Defence when the Bill was introduced that it would not be possiblo to bring down a Bill dealing with, the government of Samoa because tho mandate had not yet been received. , The Bill was an enabling Bill; to make po» aible the issue of an Order-in-Council to provide for government in Samoa. It: was proposed to circulate the draft. Or der-in-Cnuncil so that members might see what was intended. The Bill provides for the acceptance of the 1 mandate when it shall be given, nnd tho Governor-in-Council is enrpowcied to make nrorision in New Zealand for tho exercise of effective jurisdictioi. over Samoa. Tho External Affairs. Bill, introduced 1 at the. same time, is complementary tt> the first Bill. It proposes to set up ,-i Department of External Affairs, wiih n Minister.at the head of it, and u Secrotary as permanent head. tJnder this Department will be plitced the government of the Cook Islands, and also the new dependency of Samoa. A SPECIAL INSTITUTION. A demand for a special institution fo v tihe care of mentally-afflicted persons whoso relatives can make substantial payments is mentioned in the report of the Tiisuector-Geiieral of Menial Hospitals. "We now have buildings at each of the'larger institutions admirably, muted for reception houses which are centres of treatment, dealing with a.maximum of twenty-five patients in a waul" says Dr. Hay, "but the request made 1 was for sometlhiiig more exclusive—for something which would be more u 'home than a hospital—and as the desire expressed was backed by offers to pay fivf> guineas a week or more you were impressed by the sincerity of your correspondents, and, acting on instructions, the Department considered, to begin with, the question of building near one. cf tin centres, provided some land could be acquired, suitably laid out, and conveniently placed for visitation by tnr expert medical staff—a sine qua lien. At: this time our nttontion was Orawn to a property near Hornby Station, which fulfilled our initial requirements, and permitted of extensions with n minimum of Miration. The lioiisk u-liicli is well placed in regard to sun hnd light, stands i« 60 acres of land—lawns, gardens, orchard, and grass paddncks—and is ""11 fllieltccjl from prevailing winds. The outlook is cheerful and extensive. Negotiations were entered into for purehas". nnd we hope,to enter into possession in September. It is not contemplated D-nt male patients will be admitted to begin with.'' , IMPERIAL RESERVISTS. Mr. C. J. Pn.rr (Bdcn) asked in tho Houso of Representatives yesterday what assistance the Government was prepared to givo discharged members of the Imperial Forces if they had relatives in New Zealand and- wished to como to this country. There were discharged soldiers anxious to come out to their people in New Zealand, but they had not tho money to pay their passages.

Tho Minister for Defence (Sir James Allen) replied that the High Commissioner had cabled in April last that the Imperial authorities wero prepared to -grant free passages to ox-soldiers and their dependants proceeding to sure employment in tho Dominions or acceplnblo to the Dominion authorities. The New Zealand Government had replied that it was anxious not to discourage immigration into New Zealand of Impeiuil discharged soldiers, but Hint unt'.l the last of the New Zealand soldiers had been- placed it could not invite employers to offer employment to Imperial nicn. It was proposed after the repatriation of the New Zealand troops had been completed to ask New Zealand employers to state if tliey were willing to offer employment to discharged members of the Imperial forces. A FORGETFUL TESTATOR. The bequest by the bite Josiah Howard. of Tikokino. Hawke's Bay, of the whole of hi.s estate to the Government for the advancement of agricultural education has necessitate-! legislation to give effect to the will. The property stated bv the Prime Minister to be valued at about JMOO.OOO was willed in entirety to the Crown, no provision being made by the testator for any of his relatives. A Bill introduced last night called the Howard Estate Bill, at onco gives effect to the wishes of the testator regarding agricultural education, and makes provision for certain of his relatives on 1 of the estate. ' Tho Bill vests in the Public Trustee the land comprised in the estate, which is mad? a remanent r---dn-vment for the purpose of agricultural education, under the name of tho Howard Estate. The revenue derived from it is to be devoted in ncco-dance with a scheme to be anproved by Order-in-Council to the establishment and. maintenance of a school or institute of agricultural education, to bo known as the Howard Agricultural Institute, which is to be under the control of the Minister of Agriculture. Bv authority of art Order-in-Council the Public Trustee ninv transfer to "any or all of the next-of-kin of the said Josinh Howard, or to nnv other persons connected with him bv blond or marriage, any portion of the nropnrty of 'be said .Tosiab Howard (other tbaii the Howard Estate), or of the proceeds of the realisation, of that property, in such shares o- amounts as mav be determined by that order, but so the aggregate value of the property or proceeds so transferred shall not exceed the suir of ,£25,000." FRIENDLY ALIENS. Mr. T. M. Wilford (Hiitt) has given notice to ask the Prime Minister whether he will this session introduce into Parliament a clause on the lines of the Imperial Order-in-Council of January 7. 1915, cited as the Aliens Restriction (Armenians, etc.) Order, 1915, to provide that the Minister of Internal Affairs may grant to a Turkish subject who he is satisfied is by race a Greek Armenian or Syrian, or a member of any other community well known as opposed to the Turk ; sh regime, and who is a Christian, n certificate of ex"mption from nil restrictions as to aliens except as apply to alien friends?