PARLIAMENTARY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2167, 24 August 1907, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

Press Association. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. MAORI LANDS. After midnight tho Miaori Land Settlement Act Amendment Bill was iput through its final stages and ■passed. MISCELLANEOUS. On tho Police Offoncos Act Amendment Bill progress was reported on on amendment. The Hutt Park Bill was brought down by Governor’s message and referred to tho Local Bills Committee. The House adjourned at 0.10 a.m. THE COOK ISLANDS.

Tho Houso resumed at 7.30 p.m. Mr. Hogg urged that advantage should bo taken of tho Cook Islands palm oil. Ho instanced tho soap industry in Melbourne and Sydney, •and asserted that those industries should bo planted down in N.Z. Mr. James Allen urged that assistance should be given to tho missionaries on. the Islands to enablo 'the •Islanders to ho instructed. Mr. McGowan, replying to Mr. Flatman’s suggestion tiliat the Government should do something in the dikection of tho stamping out of disease in orange trees and replacing the trees destroyed, said tho Government was doing what it could, but ho asked how could all these matters bo attended to ? Ho was as anxious as anyone in the Houso to learn, but required to bo satisfied that other proposals were better than his own. Air. Barber said ho desired to remove a grave misapprehension from Ministers’ minds, who appeared to think it was a burden to tho colony. Me considered tho Islands wore a great asset, and if they were administered as they should bo would prove more productive than this colony. As it was, bananas and other fruits depreciated considerably hi transit from the islands to tho countries of consumption. On this account he urged tli it a fast steam service should bo

inaugurated. The bulk of cargoes from Australia were fruit, and lie asserted that the supplies wo got fum Australia could bo derived from

the Cook Islands, and if a fast service were instituted a ready 6alo for frozen meats would bo developed. Ho deprecated file cessation of the service to the Islands, and urged that the Union Company should bo subsidised or that the Government should put on a steamer itself. Air. T. McKenzie said Air. McGowan expressed his willingness and desire to learn, but one could tell from tho tone of his voice that he would li'ko to see the man who could teach him. Tho vote was passed unaltered. LANDS AND SURVEY. Tho next class taken was Lands and Survey, total vote £186,101.

Mr. Herries, referring to temporary surveyors and parties £30,000, asked it Government survoyors wero paid less than private emmployers paid for surveyors. It had been said that there was a dearth of surveyors and that the coming out of Native lands had been delayed in consequence, yet there appeared to be plenty of surveyors about and he failed to see where the dearth came in. He complained that the travelling expenses £SOOO, were very high and desired information regarding the item temporary assistance £21,000. Afr. Ngata complained that numbers of blocks in the King Country and other. Native districts could not be investigated before the Native Land Court owing to want of surveyors. In fact the whole North Island was crying out for surveyors. He asserted that private surveyors were plentiful but they would not accept service with the Government at £2OO per year. He urged that more money should bo provided so that additional surveyors could be engaged. It was not' a matter for Parliament, but for the Administration.

Mr. AlcNab explained that the item referred to by Air. Allen included tho whole of the salaries and all allowances of the temporary surveyors. The wages paid to surveyors averaged from £270 to £3lO per annum, so that taking into consideration tho conditions attached to field surveyors ho asserted they wero paid less than any other class of Civil Sorvant. Mr. Eislher quoted, from a nominal roll of surveyors recently presented to show that a surveyor with 21 years’ service was in receipt of £270. Another, at Invercargill, with six years’ service, was drawing the same amount.■ A draftsman at Gisborne with 28 years’ service was receiving £2lO. Another, at Napier, with only six years’ service, received only £5 less. When he (Air. Fisher) entered a Government department once he found a man there addressing envelopes at £270 a vear. A cadet doing the same work, and doing it better, because ,it had not to be done over again, got £4O. The reason for the dearth of surveyors was the miserable salaries. A classification was

urgently needed. He moved to reduce the vote by £l, as an indication that the time had arrived when temporary officers with long service should bo placed on the permanent staff.

After discussion Mr. Fisher failed to obtain a ,teller, and no division oould take place.