Notes and Events.

Manawatu Herald, 14 September 1893, Page 3

Notes and Events.

The dealings of the Government in regard to the Cheviot Estate purchase have been curious all through. They first asserted that they could find the money to buy the estate without a loan and then gave the Trustees a cheque on condition that they immediately purchased Government securities with it. A colonial example of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

In the discussion on supply, it; was stated that the Union Rank had viewed a Government cheque for £60,000 with distrust with the result that gold had to ha taken in bags to the Bank, and that the amount was actually paid in gold. The Treasurer was astounded, he could not credit that it was possible that any bank would refuse to cash any cheque of the Government. Having thus placed the matters right he condescended to explain "it was refused by Mr Palmer, one of the trustees of tho Cheviot Estate, for what he considered good and sufficient reasons — because, as trustee he wanted payment made in gold." We fancy that the trouble referred to has a very close connection with the bank all the same.

The House gets dreadfully economical at times. A member complained of the thickness of paper used in Governmentcommnnications. The Treasurer promised to inquire into the matter. It is not so in the case of telegraph forms.

The expenditure on compositors last year was £2,656 and this year it was £3,592 !

The Government are going in for more light ; as it is now intended to get a dynamo with a capacity of 600 lights.

Members were much troubled at the vote for printing " The Transactions of the New Zealand Instiute " being reduced to £250. Sir Robert Stout said under the Act of 1867 the Government were bound to put the usual £500 on the estimates. The keeping up of the Institute was absolutely necessary for the growth of science in the colony. Strange as it may sound Mr Hogg did not view the matter in the same light as Sir Robert Stout. Mr Hogg said we were living in a untilitarian age, and there were a number of excrescences on the body politic which could very well be lopped off without injury to the public interest. A round-a-bont way of expressing an opinion.

Captain Russell, as usual, gave an excellent answer to the above by saying that the utilitarianism was really based upon science, tor which this century had been so remarkable, so that the" more we advanced science the more we benefited the utilitarian age, which owed its advrnces to science.