POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 98, 3 August 1910, Page 4

POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES

I "THE TEAT-PULLERS 09 \ | TMANAKI." J By Telegraph—Own Correspondent. ! Wellington, Last Night. m Mr. Witty (Riccarton), in reply To an*'» interjection about the progressiveßCss of < Taranaki, replied: "Yes; they ere the * greatest teat-pullers in the country.>. They are pulling teats the whole time. The poor little children are all overworked. They have to travel backwards and forwards to school, and then go \ back to their teat-pulling." 'j Mr. Hine (Stratford), in replying to""* these aspersions, claimed that the cnild- \ ren of Taranaki compared very favor- > ably with the other children of the Do- j minion. J

Mr. Witty: 'Hiey're very healthy look* .! ing, and I doi-"', deny that. _, .'. Mr. Hine, \v'>o is a six-footer, said he' j had milked fiftieu cows himself as boy, and he did not think he looked any . the worse for it. ' ! Member: You,could take the member . for Riccarton under your arm. (Laugh* \ ter.) * Mr. Hine instanced Sir Harry Atkin«. ■; son, Professor Rutherford and othereem- r ; nent men who had been natives of Taranaki, as evidence that the dairy industry ; had not proved detrimental to the people of that province. . SELLING CHOCOLATE. •!

The manner in which "Tobler" choco* i late is being put on the market has been" * brought under the notice of the police, and Mr. Thomson (member for Dunedin i, North) lias also seen the Minister for * Justice on the subject. It is alleged that '* in Dunedin the school children are in- ' duced to buy numbers of small packets with a view to getting a sequence of numbers of tickets, in which event they, can obtain, free of charge, a, 10s packet ■'• of chocolate. They buy the packet for a penny, keep the ticket and sell thecho- ', colate for a half-penny. When* they '■> come near getting a sequence there ifl < considerable excitement, and big bidding I for the missing number or numbers.- , », The Hon. Dr. Findlny is taking the •? advice .of the Crown Law Office as to I '- whether such a method of trading can ' be stopped under the Gaming and Lot- '• teries Act. . *

A STATE BANK. " ; The Legislative Council will meet tomorrow, and will adjourn for a time out of respect to the memory of the late } Hon. H. Scotland. On Thursday there - ■■ill probably be discussion on a State'«, bank. The Hon. Mr. Rigg has given no-"'/ tice to move that a committee be set up * to consider the advantage or otherwise,;» of (I) a State bank of issue an& dcposif, ,j , and (2) a State paper currency; the I ', committee to consist of the Hons. An--stey, Callen, Lindlaw, Jenkinson," Kelly,, > •' Luke, McCardle, Wigram and the mover. .- MAORI REPRESENTATION. * ■■

Referring* in his speech in the Budget debate to-night to the Maoris, Mr. Witty said the sooner they did away 1 ■wftnMaori representation the better. (Opposition hear, hears.) The' Maori should r . be treated in the same way an the-,;' European, and when thev were so treat-, ed they ".should-he asked, to. pay the' same rales and taxes as the 'jtoppwins ' do. (Hear, hear.) ■ A NEW LEASE OF LIFE. The debate seems to have'taken a new lease of life. It has become lively, , and there is nn opinion that it will at' least fill the week .briskly, although ft. ■ largo number prefer to throw oil on, the troubled waters.

I In the lobbies there are comprint*on tW Government side tltat Ministers" do not sufficiently take their men into* . their confidence, about details v ,gome CO-; ing so far as to say that if there had' been a caucus before the famous division ' on the amendment, the result would , have been a good deal better for the, Government. Some of the five accentuate the position. On the other hand, the Opposition is closely organised, the men being well supplied, it is said, with ammunition, wads of paper of all sorts, —statistical and of the Hansardising ow der—and they vote at the word of command. Some of them get into trouble 1 ' in consequence, these being of the once independent section, and have to defend / themselves in public print. It is possible that Ministers will pnH their men together a little more pres-, . ently. The whips are hardly smart enough, I think, being new to the work., It takes a man of strong character, large - confidence, and a good deal of readiness • and tact to be a successful whip. Wlfen " the' debate is over things-trill clear* j little. There is nothing much left for -' anybody to say. '•" , ,-,,.;. , A. VOTER'S PERMIT. v Mr. Dive is to. aslc ihe Prime Minister whether the Government will bring is amending legislation this session to pro* vide that '"■ a voter's permit ahall allo# the voter to exercise his vote at botq the first and second ballots if absent, i JOTTINGS. j ' "It is the men wh& do the work whd - tro out to fight. Tl» e b % man nevc ? goes out to fight. 'No fear. He send! other people to fight for him."—Mr. Witt tv in his Budget speech. Jj '"That the rich mav be richer, and thy - poor poorer." said Mr. Witty to-nighy •'U often the prayer offered up by thf ' ~ Oi>position." Theasraile with which Mi Massey greeted the jemark may be pas doned'under the circumstances. 5 •? Mr. Russell (Avon) called at Gover* ment Bouse to-day to ascertain whethefc at the levee to be ueld by the Governor' " at Christchurch on Saturday, those dfsirijig to call could go in ordinary as had been arranged in Auckland rj ,-"',, .•ently'when so many farmers were v }„ town. Mr. Russell was informed tha|fc .$ the same rule would apply. | -\H