POLITICAL NOTES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 30, 30 October 1919, Page 4

POLITICAL NOTES

MORE HOUSES Questions relating to • the housing problem in country towns and elsewhere were asked in tho House yesterday. Mr. Talbot said that there was need for houses in Hie town of Fairhe, and that the Government had sections there from which, revenue could be obtained immediately if houses were erected on the laud. Hβ mentioned that the town was a health resort, in which house accommodation was badly needed, and he asked the Prime Minister to give attention to the matter. Mr. Witty road a telegram from a firm of builders, in Christclmrch slating that tho builders were quite prepared \W build houses for the Government, anil that there would bo no need to go out of the country to Ret buikbrs for these houses. Tho r?n.«on why they had not tendered, Mr. Witty was informed, was that the specifications of the Department ■wore so indefinite that they could no tender. , ' ~,,,, Mr. Masspy said he agreed that tlie housing problem was acute all over the Dominion, and ever}' house erected assisted to relieve the pressure. Ho did not think he could make any direct promise that houses would be erected at Fairlie, because there niitflit bo other centres in which the ca.se was worse. ' With regard to tlv communication read by Mr. Witty, ho eaid that ho would behind to receive communications from builders prepared to undertake the building of houses, and nc would make inquires regarding the point raised. The Department had informal km that morning thai tenders had been nlaeed for the erection of anolhsr fifty houses in Wellington, and ten houses at Masterton. Inquiries were cominj: in from otiher places for rive erection of tluso concrete houses. Ho paid that in order In make the utmost use of labour available the Government had closed ■ down worlf? on some public bniWinsrs in order to release labour for honse-buildins. Mr. S. G. Smith submitted to the Minister a proposal from builders in New Plymouth thnt flioy ?tli<Kild undertake tho bnildinsr of houses for the Government on a ten per cent, basis. Mr. Massey said he would He the Department to' take l.ho proposal into consideration.

MAORI WAR PENSIONS. A petition for Hip payment of a pension to a bolder of the Maori war medal who is resident outside New Zealand wns referred to the Government yesterday by tho M to Z Petitions Committee. The committee added ft recommendation that tho Statutory provision which dollars a Maori war veteran residing outside the Dominion from receiving the nension wliilrtt so resident should be repealed this sesiion. "INTIMIDATION." , A petition presented by tho Post and Telegraph Officers' Association, asking for inquiry into a caso of alleged intimidation,' has been referred by the M to Z Petitions Committee to Hie Government for consideration. When tho report was nrcsented in the Houso yesterday afternoon several members urgwl that senior officers iu the Public Service ought to be particularly careful to avuid any suggestion of inlimidalion. The complaint mndo by the association was (hat a senior officer had told certain other officers (hat if they gave less time lo the affairs of the association they would do bettor in the Service.

THE RAILWAYS BILL. Tho Government Hailways Bill was reported to tho lloueo from tho Railways Committee yesterday. The. committee umonded subsection (b) of clawe. .3 to read as follows:—"Except in the case of promotion or any casa where, by the schedule hereto, the rate of pay of any memher or probationer is. iixed by rofprenco (o his age or increase of tho pay of any momW or probationer sliall bt-gm. earlier than twelve months after Ui« date of his appointnieut, or after tho dntc on which his Inst previous increase began to be jwyablo jis Ihe ca.-e m/iy be. To follow this a new *uMous? has been Added, providing that in any caso where by (he schedule tho rate of pay of any member or protoalioiior is iixi'd by referonce to his age thut momber or probationer shall, subject to the provisions of tho section, bo entitled to an increase in iwy in every year as from tlio <late of his birthday. Tin , proviso that , any member may to promoted from any lower to any higlim , class subdivision, subclass, grade, or su.icrude if tin; permanent head of the Department ■ewtilies that by reason ot special morit and ability tlie promotion is warninti'd has been 'struck out. In tho schedule tho minimum pay ot tliu atsisbnt-gcncral manager lshxed iit. UlOflO. and t'ic anniinl inciwiioiiiS an> two of JMOO and one of -I'M. Tn Class(br.inch lnanaßcmeiil.) ininiimim pay v> slated as follows:—CUiief niechamcal engincer, chief traffic manogr-r and i (•liirf wißiiiror (maintenance branch) .£1)00. each chief accountant .CSOO. cnnintrollor of «toivs XBBO. signal engineer .CCSO. I hi , maximum salaries rwnaln tho same, exneiii in the case of chief accountant, todiced from .£IOOO lo '-i"'"*' oll^ sWii.il engincpr reduced from iMO to li« addition lo nmcnrtnienls niado lo the Govprnmenl: Railways Amendment Hill, the Unilways Committee of Hi 3 IToust- of I?eprreentati'»-es Tecuniinends the sptliiiß in) of a board to consiiler and report uiion qne-itinns iiffo^lii' , ! tin , wmeps and workimj conditions of Ihe inembpri. of the Railway Service, which may iiR referred lo it by Ihe Minislcr of Kailvnys. The board, it recommends, sliould O'inKi«t of the .Tudw of Ihe Arbitration Court, or other .hid-ie of the Supreme Court, m chairman. ~n repiwentntive of Ihe Government, and three tives nominated by the Railway Ofiicere Institute, tho Amalgamated Society of

Railway Servants, and the Locomotive Engine-drivors, Mremen, and Cleaners' Association, respectively, the threo lustnamed to act as members only in respect of such matters as relate to their several branches of the Service.. THE LAND BILL, The Government hae withdrawn its clause in the Land Bill regarding tie restriction of aggregation of land, and hae substituted fer it the following olauso, which, it is hoped, will provo uiofo effective in operation i—

Where any laud is taken by the Crown in pursuance of section (ia of the Land Laws Amendment Act. 1913 (relative to l.ho acquisition of land by way of aggregation), compensation therefor Shall lie paid by the Crown in manner provided by tho Public Works Act, 1908, in respect of land taken by tho Crown for a publio-work, and all the provisions of that Aot with respect to compensation fihall apply accordingly, subject however to the following provisions of this section. SucJh l compensation shall not exceed tho Government valuation, as herein defined, of the land so taken togethpr with an additional amount equal to 10 pel - cent, thereof, and together also with tho value of all improvements effected on the land sinco the date of its acquisition by v,-ay of aggregation. For tho purposes of this section tho Government valuation of the land shall bo the capital value of that land and of all estates and interests therein as assessed in the. district valuation roll in force under tho Valuation of Land Act, l!)(kS, at tho time of its acquisition by way of aggregation. If the land so taken or any part thereof is not separately valued' in i;lio said valuation roll, but is only a part of a larger area which is.so valued, the Government, valuation of tho part bo taken shall Iμ deemed to be such proportion of tho capital valne of tlio said larger area as tho Valuer-General determines to bo fairly attributable to tho' part so taken. This section is in substitution for section S of the Land Laws Amendment Act. 1918, and that section is hereby repealed accordingly. This section shall apply to land acquired by aggregation at any lime subsequent to the passing of tho Land Laws Amendment Act, 1918. _ Another amendment provides for thp. increase, of tho improved value of land which a settler may acquire under the Land Settlement Finance Act from JS2oOO to JSOOO. CUSTOMS TARIFF. Mr. J. P. Luke (Wellington North) nskod in the House of Representatives yesterday if the Government intended to submit legislation this session dealing with. the Customs tariff, the prevention of dumping and tho removal of anomalies that were urgently in need of adiustment. Tho Frirao Minister replied that It would scarcely be possible to amend tlio tariff during the present; session. He had heard that dumping was proceeding, and that injury was being dono to New Zealand industries. The lion, member had better fee him on tte matter.

Sir Joseph Ward: Where is the dumping from i , . Mr. Massey: Australia, I think. I have been informed that it is going on not far from Wellington.

MAIMED SOLDIERS. Implying to a suggestion in the House that the pensions of disabled soldiers ought to be increased, the Minister of Defence (Sir James Allen) said he <lid nut think the law in ttiat respect could bo amended this year. Ho would point out to members that there was grave danger to the men themselves in providing them with eo largo a pension that they would have no inducement to work, It was wise to encourage the men to tnko up some occupation. Training was provided for tliem free of cost. Ho had seen men who had lost right arms learning shorthand and typewriting with tho left arm and becoming competent. Thnt sort of thing should bo encouraged. It wag niuoli bettor for fcho disabled men to have an occupation. PICTURE THEATRES. A question regarding the <ontrol of picburo theatres was asked in tho House of Ito'presentativcs yesterday. Tho Prime Minister, in reply, eaid that the now law removing the restriction as to hours, would come into operation as soon us the Act) received the signature of the Gover-nor-Gonoral. That would be vrithm the next few daya.