The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, October 6, 1910. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 901, 6 October 1910, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, October 6, 1910. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Mayor Gardener, speaking at the last meeting of the Levin Borough Council, said that the Levin municipal gas works were a phenomenal success. The works had cost During the past twelve months wages paid amounted to ,£315, coal ,£499, cookers services ,£279, fittings ,£983, departmental expenses ,£97, meters ,£42, street lighting £72, sundries £35, interest and sinking iund £550. This made a total of £3050. Receipts : Gas sold 237, arrears £4O, coke and tar £lO6, stoves £3O, fittings £835. The assets were: Extensions and services £2OO, cookers £l5O, fittings account £3OO, coke and tar and gas in stock ,£4O, meters £42, making a total of £2980, leaving a debit balance of £7O.

The House of Representatives sat all night on Tuesday, and rose at 10.15 yesterday morning. The business done, besides the passing of the Defence Bill, included amendments to the Education Bill and a discussion of the Land Settlement Finance Bill. It was the latter measure that occasioned the all-night sitting. The Premier is determined that the House shall settle down to the serious business of the country as outlined at the commencement of the session. Already far too much time has been wasted in quibbling and haggling over trifling matters, to the sacrifice of important business, and the electors are getting sick of it. The useless Address-in-Reply debate should also be curtailed. Constituents don’t want to read re-iterated statements by their representatives —practically a rehashing of their platform speeches on the hustings. The Premier is also to blame for wasting time by giving so much importance to the Hine charges. If the member for Stratford, under the protection of the House, refused to name certain persons for alleged corruption, the Premier should have treated his utterances with indifference instead of rushing the member into notoriety and running the country to considerable expense and loss of time. The Opposition will have to pay the price for unnecessary obstruction.