POLITICAL POINTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 8 July 1907, Page 4

POLITICAL POINTS.

'l'lie recent moats to tin' l.c gislative Council were referred tn by Mr Massey in his speech the other night. W liil>t lie admitted tii;it some of the"appmiiinients were good one-. there were others which were nut. "Some of the men. he said., "have never done any pnhlie servile. .Hid are unknown to the publie, anil I have no doubt that the appointments were made on aeeoimt of pulilieal iulliienee, but the good of the colony has not Wn taken into account." He went on tn say that he had hoped tl:-it the new Cuveiiiuienl would demo eiatise the Council, but lie could only characterise i|. monstrous such a svslci'u til" appointing men as lawgivers." lie hoped the lime would miuii come when the |K'i«ple of the colony would insiut up on th> legislative Council being made ivcetive. Jhe Premier, in replying, said ib.it if they were going to have an elective (ouncil, it would lie a duplication of the present system, and they might as well alwlish the Couucil altogether. In making the recent ap|Niintmcnts it had lietn the earnest desire of the (ioverninent to appoint men representative of the different industries in the colony. A nuinlier of the newly-appointed councillors Occupied seats in the gallery during the discussion of their merits. "it seems tliat the Commission has lieen set up, not to expedite matters, but to delay matters." declared Mr Massey, in referring to the slow progross made in regard to native land matters. ''l believe it is only a part of the tailioa' poliey, of which the colony lias had so nnieh experience during the pa>t 111 or 12 vgars." Referring to the recent acquisition by the (iovernment of 15,000 acres of native land in the Auckland district, he said that it wa.s a matter for congratulation to know that this land was not to lie allowed to go back to its primitive state of fern and to-tree. "'But," he added "if one-quarter of what one hears aliout this land transaction is true, the whole matter should lx> inquired into by an Impartial and competent tribunal." The Premier denied that the Commission was set up for the purpose of delaying matters, and expressed himself confident that an "enormous area" of native land would be set tied as the result of legislation which would lie .submitted this session. Mr Okey has given nothje to ask the Government whether they will admit fre« of duty any machinery, tools, belting, etc.. used for the purpose of boring for petroleum. He is also urging the Minister for .Mines to send an ollicerol hit department to visit the Tarauaki province with a view to giving a geological report upon the district. Mr Uk,>y also presented a largely-signed petiti-m to the House asking that the Upper ■ Carrmgton Koad should be opened up for through traffic. A return, moved for by Mr Fisher, was bid on the table of the House yesterday, showing that during the period of ten years, lS'.t(i-l!K).*i, the pea ritle accounted for one homicide, 7 accidents, and 4 suicides. The revolver was responsible for 0 homicides, 14 accidents and (11 suicides, whilst other firearms account for 4 homicides, 130 aecideus and 108 suicides. Thu, for ten years the total number stands at 3liß. Mr Fisher is not at all sitisfied with the accuracy of ike figures, those showing only 11 mishaps with pea-rilles in ten years lieing, to his mind, very wide of the mark. He contends firearms should be licensed, and not handed abont and sold indiscriminately. Thiv annual report upon innnigrat'bn, which was laid on the table of ifiHouse yesterday, shows tint during the year ended March last there l was a gain of 1243 person, over tiic number given in th.- last report. The assisted immigrants totalled 3712 souls, equal to 3141 Vi statute adults. They possessed capital to the fyitent of ClH.fiS!), and an annual income in addition of tliiss. The amount contributed by the eolonv in passage money was £12,570. in t!i ■ early part of last year 2711 navvies arrived for the North Island Main Trunk railway, but the granting of passage to this class had been discontinued. All the immigrants, it was stated, were of a yen- superior class. The concession of assisted passages to relatives of persons already in the colony had lieen largely availed of. A large number of applications for assisted passages and for information concerning tli" colony was also being received from the I'nited States, Canada, South Africa, Australia and other countries. The nmnlier of persons to whom assisted passages were granted during the year included 4'Wi farmers, 270 navvies, 054 domestics, and 841 artisans and ni-in-liers of rarions occupations. MAIN' TIICXK RAILWAY. The Parliamentary trip to the North Island Main Trunk railway works, which wa« to have lieen made shortly before th* session, but was aliandoned owing to wet weather, has now lieen definitely fi*ed for Ihe inth inst. Mr Remington, M.11.15. for Rangitikei, who has been interviewing members on the subject, has received numerous promises from the North and South Island representatives desirous of making the trip. It is propsed to go right through to Rao tihi on the inth. There the party will b" the guests of the Raetihi Progressive Association. Taiiiuaranni will be made a stopping place on Saturday. 20th. and a special train is to be put on to take them from Taiiinaranui to Onchunya. The visitors return to Wellington bv way of the Manawatu line on the following Monday.