Parliamentary.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 4 July 1901, Page 3

Parliamentary.

(our parliamentary reporter),

District Health Officers. Wellington, This Day.

The Minister for Public Health was asked by Mr G. W. Russell why no District Health Officers had been appointed under the Public Health Act 1900.

Tho Minister replied that in working the new department, they had to be very careful in the selection of medical officer?. Two appointments had been made in addition to the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. ! Valentiue was one, and he had been travelling a good deal in both North and South Island, and Dr Pomare had also been appointed. There was difficulty in obtaining men with qualifications in sanitary science in the Colony. They could not make slipshod appointments to such an important post, and it was much better tbatthe Chief Medical Health Officer should make his visits to different parts of the colony as he had been doing, and have an assistant medical health officer such as had been appointed so that they might have an opportunity of appointing men who would give satisfaction. There were proposals now before the Cabinet for appointing more officers, and as they found men with the necessary qualifications they would be appointed, as he could assure them they desired to make the Department as efficient as possible. Although such officers had not been everywhere appointed, the local requirements had not been neglected. On the contrary a great deal of attention had been paid to health matters by the gentlemen above mentioned. The Address-in-Reply.

The speech delivered by Mr Collins in beginning the Address-in Reply debate was not marked by any special feature. He avowed himself an anti-Federalist and trusted that the experiment of having railway rolling stock manufactured outside the colony would not be persisted in. The main point made by Mr Wilford was by way of a protest to the San Francisco mail service and he condemned Mr Spreckle for " poking his nose into New Zealand." He thought the time had arrived when the Oceanic Steamshipping Company should be deprived of any subsidy from New Zealand and the colony should avail itself of the Vancouver service. The American line, he stigmitised as a disjointed service. Captain Russell, who followed, told the House of Representatives in graceful terms, that the Opposition had decided to disband and in the future, in a true spirit of democracy, none of that party would be greater than another in a bold way. He said that in future there would be no barrier between the Liberal and Conservative and the general feeling was that nothing the gallant member for Hawkes Bay had done was in so a fitting manner at tbat in which he abdicated his position.

Mr G. W. Russell made a violent attack on the Premier and his policy. It was indeed very like a case of one— Russell—laying down the role of Opposition Leader, and his namesake of making a bid to succeed him.

At ten minutes to midnight the adjournment of the debate was agreed to. Curious Claims against the Golony. Mr Collins presented a remarkable petition to the House. It was from Mr J. H. Newlyn, who sets out by stating that the Advances to Settlers' Act has been of great benefit; that it originated in a movement publicly known as the cheap money scheme, of which petitioner states he was the " author." He goes on to state that he brought the subject before the late Sir Julius Vogel, who dealt with it in a speech at Ashburton in June, 1884. Hs adds that he spent considerable sums of money in acquainting electors with his proposals, which were submitted to the Cabinet by Vogel in 1884; and that in 1887 he promised in Ashburton, on behalf of Government, to endeavour to pass legislation to give full effect to the cheap money agitation. Petitioner concludes by stating that he has been reduced to poverty "not unmixed with persecution," and he, therefore, asks for an opportunity for proving his claims to consideration and financial relief. The Hall-Jones Incident. Wellington, This Day. Hall-Jones returned to Wellington on Monday night.