POLITICAL JOTTINGS.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 February 1922, Page 3

POLITICAL JOTTINGS.

SOLDIERS’ COMMITTEE UNDER BAN. WELLINGTON, Fob; 8. The Minister of Health, who was asked by Mr McCombs, to rescind what the member termed the high handed action of the Health Department in lequesting the disbandment of the soldiers’ welfare committee at Pukeora. Sanatorium, stated to-day that the Dir-ector-General of Health is visitiug that institution.

DEFECTIVE MILITARY WAGONS. The House was rather amused at the parochial aspect of a question put to the Minister of Defence by Mr Jennings to-day about a constituent who had a ■rrievnnce over a military wagon which he bought cheaply and found that the wheels fell to pieces, but it became interesting when a specimen •of rotten wood from a wheel was produced. Mr Jennings declared that the contractor who supplied such equipment to the defence forces in France should have been taken out and shot. He believed that a. number of artillery waggons in France collapsed through inferior material being used. The Minister of Defence stated that representations had been made to the Imperial authorities requesting them to write down some waggons to a. small amount, owing to defective material. This was the first he had heard of wheels collapsing, but lie had instructed the department to get them replaced. PROSPECTING IN UREWERA.

With a reminder to the Government of how the development of the Thames goldfield during a slump tim c many years ago had improved the fortunes of the colony, Mr Jennings asked to-day if there were any prospecting parties in the Urewera country working under official supervision. He thought every effort should be made to secure permission from the Maoris and he was satisfied from specimens he had seen that gold-bearing reefs existed in that area. Tlie Minister of Mines replied that if any prospecting parties desired to go into the Urewera they should apply to the Mines Department, and if the case was warranted they would get assistance. However, the Government could not help every one who came along, otherwise there would lie a lot of wild geese flying around. There was no Government prospecting, in Urewera at

present. EXPENSIVE BALE OF WOOL. It was alleged by Mr Campbell Prime Minister to-day that owing to one bale of wool being shipped on a steamer at Napier without an official permit this vessel was he]d up twentyfour hours at a probable cost of £3OO, until the necessary permit was telegraphed from Wellington. Mr Massey replied that there had been too much delay of shipping on the New Zealand coast, and he would have this looked into. He did not know it was the fault of any Government department. SOLDIERS’ RATES

A promise to consider legislation covering difficulties associated with non-payment of rates by soldier settlers was secured from the Prime Minister to-day by Mr Lysnar, who on behalf of the Wairoa County Council asked that subsidy from the Government should be paid on rates levied instead of collected, so that it could give some relief to soldiers in arrears, without prejudicing its own finances. He recognised that the Government could not pay these overdue rates. Mr Massey replied that the difficulty was that the session wa s nearly over and the matter was too difficult to properly consider and prepare legislation in time to pass before the adjournment , He had every sympathy with the pro- • posal, and he would be glad to consider | i tduring the recess, with a view to _ submitting legislation next, session. * >