POLITICAL NOTES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1856, 10 September 1906, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

AMUSING BUULB. (Special to Gisborne Times.) Welling'oo, last night, One or two amusiog bulls have been perpetrated in the House during the pa s t weds. In his speech on the Financial debate the Minister for Education (Mr Fowld-) speaking on the land question, electrified his fellow members by saying in reference to Mr Massey, 11 If I live long enough to be dead before the hon. gentle' man,” etc. On F.iday nigbt Me Izard convulsed the House by gravely declaring that 11 I rrocgnise thß handwriting on the wa 1 of the South Pacific OcsaD.” The shout of laughter that followed woke up the Bleeping members of the House, and drowned the hon. member’s remaining remarks on the possibilities of Japanese aggression.

THE TOTALISATOR. Mr Tanner’s Bill for tbs limitation of to alisator permits, of which notice was given immediately after the rejection of Mr Eli’s Bill, aims at the reduction of the present number of permits by one-third. A similar reduction was carried in 1894, when Sir Robert Stout introduced a measure to that effect. Mr Tanner considers it futile at present to attempt to secure the abolition of the machine, but there is, he considers, a sufficiently strong feeling in the House ia favor of a reduction of per* mits to give a Bill a chance of becoming law if it goes to the votes. SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

The discueaion oa the San Francisco mail service, which t.ok place on Friday, indicates tbur another keen debate, and probably clot . division, may be expected when the House is asked to assent to the renewal of the present contract, which expires in November. It is interesting at the present time to recall the numbers of the two divisions that took place in con* n ction with the renewal of the service in 1903. The first was on Mr Millar’a amendment to the motion to go into Committee for the purpose of considering the resolutions submitted by Bir Joseph Ward regarding the ooean mail service, viz., 11 and that it be an instruction to the Committee that no subsidy be granted to the San Francisco mail service.” This was lost by 42 to 31. The resolution for the renewal of the ooatract was subsequently agreed to by 40 to 31.

PECULATION IN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS. Me Jennings informad the House on Wednesday evening that he had been halfway through the Estimates, and had discovered no less than 13 different cases of peculation. Either, he said, the men employed in the public service were not sufficiently paid, or there was gross oare« lessnees somewhere. THE LIMITATION OF ESTATES. Same doubt existed in the minds of several members of the Legislature B 3 well as of the general public regarding the efieet of a vital point in the new land policy of the Government. To clear up the doubt the following question was submitted to the Minister of Lands :— 11 Am I right ia saying that your proposal, announced on Wednesday night, means that no min owning 1000 acres of firstclass land or 5000 acres of second class laud will be allowed to purchase more?” Mr McNab replied that the questioner had correctly stated the case.