POLITICAL NOTES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 20, 18 October 1919, Page 9

POLITICAL NOTES

SIX MONTHS' FINANCE

A statement ; -about finances ..was made by Sir. James tho House yesterday: afternoon. The Minister said that the revenue , for the six* months' ended September 30 had been i5,219,M5, 'an increase over the figures' for the corresponding. • months of ■ last vear «f 4-1,102,117.

< The expenditure had been .£lO,-152,000, tin increase of 0C2,199,000 oyer the expenditure for tho first six months of last financial year.

• From the Public Works Fund the expenditure had feii ',£639,274, aii' increase of =6128,923.'.. lii'the Public Works Fund on April' 1 tliero had been n balance of •619G,198. The . receipts frorii loan moneys and other sources had been ',£859,5118, a total in the fund of ,£1,015,736. The expenditure had been as stated, so that the. balance in. the fund was aC4o6;4fi2.

The principal increases jn the revenue had been Customs-and-Excise £-105,1)00, and stamp duties ,£517,000,, and miscellaneous .£131,000.-. :»</•/!! ■■ '•

Tho expenditure increases had been due mostly fa permanent charges—interest and linking fund £820,928,. and under ■special Acts £313,000.' The Railways Showed an increase in expenditure /of : .£-10!),000 --Mental Hospitals £200,000,; Agriculture. £113,0f10, and Education £116,000.. ~ ' ■' ....". WHEEL . LICENSES. ' Tho purpose -ofi-Hie.'Couptie's, Amendment Bill introduced' yesterday, is to cont'or general power on county councils to require vehicles using their roads to be licensed, and to. charge, license fees. It'merely extends , the power given by section 5 of the - Counties- Amendment Act,-1915, to certain counties. Those previously authorised: to charge for .th? 1160 of- their roads -.by vehicles were: "Waitemala; Rodney, Bay of Islands, Whangaroa,- Mongonui,. Otamntea,. AVhangarei, •Hobsom.-.; Hokianga, Tnranaki, Clifton, Westland, Waimea, Grey, Inangahua, and Buller. counties. -TJmler this amendment an Ordcr-in-.Council. may confer the authority, uponany council.

•: THE GRATUITY. <" str. J. M'Comlis (Lyttelton) yestenlav drew tlie-ntterit'ion of the Minister of Defence to a cablegram relating to' tlia Australian service'gratuity, and- asked if Hie Government -would pay, the New Zealand, frratuity 'from the date of »n----1 istmentj. instead' of the date of emba rkation.\ in 1 view' of'the adoption of the .earlier , dateßy the Australian Govern-' ment.'' •• '■ • '

Sir' James Allen'said life had no'.official information : regarding the' • Australian .rates, if appeared' from-" the newspaper Teports ' that ; was not paying as liberal r,"gratuity as NeW 'ZeaJnnd, Having 'regard to the total amount of money to be paid. . ' ' ELECTORAL ROLLS. . The Prima Slinjater liiado a statement in the House yesterday regarding the electoral ..rolls,? in'.,reply to a suggestion by •Mr. Poolp .(Auckland,'West) that reamen serving on New,.Zealand ships ;should • be assisted .tff. eiiirolj; ■ Jlr. Alas'sey aid the matter was being looked into. -, He, did. .not .think, it would be passible ' to! amend the- la,w.' this session. ' He hud ".received a memorandum <- from thejiead of tho Electoral' Department dealing with the general position ' of the rolfe The, enrolment of voters was being undertaken 1 energetically by . specially selected postal officer?. The work, had been completed in some districts. This. arrangement applied to the centres. The enrolment.''in country districts was being done by the local posl- . masters, and at isolated post offices, such as stations, by the .rural delivery officers. Every care was being token'to ensure .. .that 'all persons • eligible 'were enrolled. , Steps.were being .taken, to''halve the names of persons who . appeared" on the rolls but could not be found '.scrutinised by .competent officere, in order to ascertain whether the names ought to bo removed .oi'Tnot. " DOMESTIC WORKERS; v .'A. suggestion that' the Government should instruct 'the''High Commissioner . .to have regular ' 'Supplies' M [ domestic , , 'ftf. !S • wew.Jof ;tfid 'jbf domestic 'Irilxmr; ..'cs.'iiWas .made/in' the' House of Representa- ' ' V?tives yesterday by-'the Hon'. A. 1 ST; Mj'ers 1 ' (Auckland East). It was'of the "utmost ! importance, said Mr. M vers, that the number of domestic, workers should be . increased at the earliest possible moment. "The earliest possible moment will be when wei have got the last of our soldiers » : Kack," .said, Mr.' Massey.. "It is impps-. Bible "to.'go' in for- an 'infiriigratibn l policy f ' while we have soldiers still' on the other. * ' ; side .of the world.' y. Jsvery immigrant. \ : .brought out. would mean that'a, eold/er. ..would have toTemain behind. Then there are a. number of Now Zealand' people—. , '.civilians who have'been doing war workwaiting tiheir chance to return to' New The matter is not being-.lost eight of. "We understand the existing ■ difficulty so far as'domestic'servants are concerned, and a vigorous 'immigration' policy will be put in hand as soon as it is possible to go'ott 1 with it." _ • GREYMOUTH HARBOUR.- .. .The refusal of waterside "workers 'at Greymputh to work > after, midnight owing to insu%ient'lighfahg-'wa3' mehtipned' in'the House of Eepresentaf-ives ! yesterday by Mr. T. B.- Y. Seddou (Westland). who : said that'to Greyniouth Harbour Board could do nothing until its finances were adjusted by the Government.' Mr. Jiassey replied that he had in- • structed the Railway Department to look into tlie matter and put pos-' sible. The finances of the Greymout.h .Harbour Board were a far . more serious . question. The matter wai under /Consideration,.. and he hoped Cabinet would . be able to consider it. during -the week-.-, .end.'! , ■" .■" ;. \ '

.TO CONCENTRATE ON HOUSES; (Mr. Isitt asked the. Prime Minister in the House yesterday whether he intended to' take the advice of a- member of the Wellington City Council and ensure that all available labour tths concentrated on the building of houses*by the stopping of unnecessary building. Mr. Massey said that the suggestion was a good .'.one,-but-.ho feared that there would bo great difficulty in;giving effect to it. There had been a great interruption of building in the period of. the war. and there were otlier*buildings urgently required besides houses. lie quite agreed that" housing was the iirst necessity. ' He promised to get a report from tlie 'Department on the matter. . _NO;HOMES FOR IMMIGRANTS. Mr. Sempla asked'the Prime. Minister in the Houso yesterday whether ft was the intention of the Government .to encourage immigration, as- had: been "forecasted, while there were hot enough homes in .the country to .house the. peopie already here ? ' Would 'it" be jfaii .to bring, other', people into'the country npder suoh conditions?. And would the Prime Minuter See' that, hoiiies were provided for all the people already here before asking others to come? ; .. Mr. Mnssey: Ali that T can. say is'that, the jhcusing scheme will ba proceeded •with vigorously, and at the earliest possible date. , _ M r. Eraser made a referencu to the posRible. results of an' immigration policy in view of the condition of many peuple in Wellington, who had oilier been turned out of their, homes, or wore living in daily fear of eviction. He suggested that the same conditions as ware already nnplicab'o to returned soldier tenant.? should be made to apoly to all tenants in occupa.h'on. .(In effect, the conditions, asked were that no tenant should be disturbed so long as he paid his rent,- and. did not damage the property.) Mr. Ifnssey said tlml . lie could not answer' this question immediately. Tf notice, were g'ven of it lie would reply to it 'before the end of the sp-sion*

Replying to annthrr que-lifin bv Mr. Fraser,■ the Prim? Minister said that it wis tfe>.intention of the Department in charg? of the hou.-'ng scheme to ascertain the available ■ labour and materia's in the country for the building or houses, ■and to organise for the most effective use of labour and materials.

THE HIGH COMMISSIONERSHIP. The position of the'Hi<»h Commissioner was again the subject of inquiry by Sir Joseph Ward in a qne-lion addressed to the l'rime .Miivstci in tho House yesterday. He asked Mr. Massey whether any reply imrj been received from the High Commissioner, regarding tho fxtension of thetjrra of appointment to Ffjbnuirr. Mr. Massey said that ho bad received

no reply yet from the High Commissioner. He added that he hnd iooked up tho question asked a few days previously ns to tho right of tie High Commissioner to be enrolled as an elector immediately on. his retuin to New Zealand. Legislation uouhl bo necessary to enable tho High Commissioner to bo enrolled, if he desired , this for any reason. .Sir Joseph Ward asked some other questions about the extension of ■ tho term of .appointment of..' the • High Commissioner, but it appeared. ,fihat ,lio and the Prime Minister' were somewhat at crosspurfjosea. Str Joseph Ward spoke of the four months from October 25 to IVbruarv 35 as a. further extension of tho term of appointment. 5Tr. "MaSsey had said tluit tliis was in the nature .of notice required under the law."'Hi! said that no conditions ivere being forcbd upon Sir Thomas 'Mackenzie wi connection with this matter.

"JUNIOR CADETS."

' The Hon. C. A. C. Hardy gave notice in Hie' Legislative Council yesterday of Hie! fo lowing motion' That it would, lie in tho best interests of the Bomin/on if the Government would re-establish the defence system that obtained in our national .schools prior to 1312."