POLITICAL MATTERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 167, 19 July 1904, Page 2

POLITICAL MATTERS.

ITEMS FROM THE POST, The Wellington Trades Council, at Its meeting on Thursday, passed the following motion unanimously : "That this Council heartily congratulates the Hon. J. Higg, M.L.C., on the speech delivered by him on the Addrcss-lu-Reply in the Legislative Council, in which he condemned the policy of militarism the colony is drifting into, and which is being fostered iy the present Ministry." The attendance at the meeting of the council wa? one of the largest obtained for somo time, and several delegates warmly praised Mr Rigg's speech. A number of Crown tenants, through Mr Remington, have petitioned for a# alteration in tho Land Act so as to give them the option of purchasing tho freehold of their holdings. They urge that if they wcro | freeholders they would bo in a much I bettor position to make financial arrangements to complete their improvements ; that security of tenure is essential to successful settlement, and that no tenant can feci that security whilst those in and out of Parliament are agitating for revaluation, etc., and the tenant is harassed by land boards and their officials. Tho petitioners submit that if their doinand were granted it would not be the means of further aggregation of present estates, or "dummylsm" in any form.

The evils ol tl» billiard-playing habit amongst Maoris are apparently so great that Mr Hone Heke, himself a Maori, is of opinion that they should be dealt with by legislation. The only solution of tho evil, he informod tho House on Friday, was to absolutely prohibit tho use of billiard tables in any native settlement, and ho suggested that ho would like to see all of them deported and imposed upon the European portion of the community. The reference wah chiefly in this instance to the Maoris on the gumiields, where, • said ,Mr Houston, tliey hung around the 'bil-liard-rooms all day long l , and did no work. The House did not deal with the matter in tho drastic manner suggested by the member for the Northern Maori district, hut it Inserted an amendment in the Counties Bill before it giving the county council power to charge a license for bil-liard-rooniß. Tho barmaids' petition, mentioned on Friday, concerning which the Wellington barmaids expressed ignorance was fathered by Mr Davey, and is signed by 40 Christchuroh young ladies. The petitioners, in opposing that clause of the Shops and Offices Bill which proposes to restrict a barmaid's labours to the hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., give five reasons for their action. They urgo that they do not desire to bo compelled to cease work ,at 7 p.m. ; that they believo that barmaids aro universally given opportunities for |*ing relieved in the mornings; that it is only in caws of exceptional urgency that female* assistants are required in the bar* before 9 a.m. ; and, finally, that the immediate effect of the passing of the clause would bo to deprive barmaids of their means of livelihood, inasmuch as it is during the latter part of the arternoon and during the evening until closing time that tho services of female assistants in bars nre of any real or appreciable value to their employers