POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 100, 5 August 1910, Page 8

POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES

COLONEL DAVIES' APPOINTMENT. By Telegraph—Own Correspondent. The Premier's announcement of the offer of an Aldershot command to Col. Davies, Inspector-General of the New Zealand Defence forces, is startling, and at the same time a cause of joy in military circles. It means that the Colonel enters the Army with the rank of Bri-gadier-General, a thing so unprecedented as to be of the highest honour, as Mr. Massey said, Colonel Davie.s was the ablest officer in our service. His record in Africa (of the Fourth contingent) wa«>very high, as may be seen from the fact that he was mentioned in despatches by Lord Roberts (April, 1901), and given the coveted 0.8. ill the same month. A little later he was one of the four C.B.'s that came out of the war, the others being Colonel Newall and Majors Craddock and Robin. Needless to say, Colonel Davies will be greatly missed in the defence force, but his promotion is a consolation inasmuch as it is a sign of 'what may happen in the Imperial military relations of the future. RECOGNITION OP RAILWAY. ASSOCIATIONS. Wellington, Last Night. The Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants is petitioning the House not j to grant separate recognition to the engine drivers, firemen and cleaners. It ' is claimed that the rules and regulations j of the Amalgamated Society are • surfij ciently wide to include all railway serj vamts, that the drivers, firemen and , cleaners have always been fairly repreI sented on the executive of that body, j and that the recognition of separate I bodies would be detrimental to the interests of the railway service as a whole. In accordance with a ballot, in which the principle was endorsed by 3701 votes to 172, direct departmental j representation for each branch of the i service will be granted, both on the biennial centre to the executive of the council of the Amalgamted Society and the rules of the society have' been i amended since last session with thati , object. j j ■ j UPPER HOUSE VACANCIES. The Legislative Council vacancies are exciting keea interest among many memibers of Parliament, some of whom have tabled questions with the object of se--1 curing appointments for their own loIcalities. Mr. J. Duncan (Wairau) has j put such a query to the (Prime Minister, ] pointing out that if Marlborough is . overlooked, an anomaly idll continue.