POLITICAL NOTES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 608, 4 October 1913, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES.

. LAWYERS' FEES. In putting a question to the Attorney-General as to whether he will extend the powers of the Public Trustas and his agents so as to enable tbe to execute the transfer and drawing up and releasing of mortgages of properties up to the value of £IOOO, and thus prevent the public from being legally rebbed by some unscrupulous iawyera, Mr Clark states that in the Chalmers district a widow, an old age pensioner, wss charged £7 7s for the releasing of an ordinary mortgage of a property value at about £350.

RAILWAY STRAIGHTENING

A petition was presented by Mr Rhodes in the House this week on behalf of 629 residents of tha ThameaHauraki Plains and Coromandel Peninsula, urging the construction of a branch line between Pokeno and Kopu, on the ground thai it would shorten tLe East Coast line to Auckland by 68 miles, and that at would also serve the Hauraki Plains district, which is at present practically isolated so far as railway communication is concerned. "ORAKEI BLOCK TITLES. i The Native Affairs Committee reports no recommendation in the petition of Otene Paora and twelve other | natives of Orakei, praying for a reinvestigation of the title. )f the Orakei block. PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. Sir Joseph Ward, who voiced the curiosity of members as to the data of presenting the Public Works Statement, was informed by tha Hon. Mr Fraser that the Estimates were fairly well advanced, and the collating end printing would take three weeks. He hoped to bring down the statement at the end of October. Mr Forbe3 Then we can go home. (Laughter). Tha Minister: Yes, that's the trouble. If you get it too soon, you won't do the work. FREIGHTS ON BUTTER. La9t week Mr Harris asked the Prime Minister whether he would take immediate steps to see that Welling ton and Auckland butter shippers to San Francisco and Vancouver were placed upon the same footing. The Hon. Mr Massey has replied in the following te=-ms: The position is that Wellington shippers cannot send butter to Vancouver via San Francicso unless it happens that the space is not wanted for butter con-igned to' San Francicso, and as a matter of fact the whole of the spaco up to and including December is required for San Fran cisco shipments. It is understood that Auckland shippers may send butter to San Francicso via Vancouver at a freight of Id per pound, provided the I soace is not required for butter conj signed to Vancouver. The Union I Steamship Company is being asked to j confirm this understanding, but in j view of the present promise of trade 'to both Vancouver and San FranI cisco, there seems but little prospect |of butter being taken to either of ! ckese ports for transhipment to the ] other. i i WORKERS DWELLING. | The Government ir- considering an i amendment of the Worker';' Dwellings i Act, 1910, in tha dirccti-wi of nnv- | drying lard nnd erecting homss on ! land provided by individual workerr. ; provided the amount required wonid I not be over that allowed under the 1 Act, namely. £6OO.