BELATED REPLIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 March 1919, Page 6

BELATED REPLIES.

(From Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, March, a,

Two belated order-papers, containing the answers of Ministers to (questions put to them by members of the House of Representatives during thenession, have just betn issued. They are Ualed .November lis and December 4, and naturally much of the iuforniaiiou they contain has ceased to tie of any value. A few of the answers are still worth attention. The Minister for Defence states that interned aliens will be dealt with according to the policy decided upon by the Imperial Government. The Minister for Internal Affairs states that the Government cannot increase the amounts payable to superanimated civil servants, in recognition oi tiie increased cost of living.

Referring to the sale of dirty seed, the Minister for Agriculture states that a Bill to control the jale and importation of seed will be placed before Parliament at the first opportunity. Pending such legislation the Government cannot exercise compulsory methods, but when a person or firm is found to make a practice oi selling badly contaminated seed, the Agricultural Department takes the matter up with the object of stopping the sale of such seed by other means than legal compulsion- The Department will test seeds free of charge for farmers. /The Minister for Defence mentions that a cablegram was sent to the Imperial authorities asking them to secure information from the German Government regarding the locality of the minefields laid on the New Zealand coast by •the raider Wolf. "A reply has been received," states the Minister,- "and I am pleased to ba able to state that the raider did not lay as many mines as was originally understood to have been laid Only two minefields were laid, the localities of which were as originally advised" The Government has arranged to obtain the services of a senior officer of the Uoyal Air Force to advise on the local requirements of New Zealand in the' matter of air defence. This officer is expected to arrive shortly. The larger problem of Imperial air defence wiil b« considered by the Committee of Imperii)! Defence after the conclusion of peace. The Prime Minister states that the Imperial authorities are fylly acquainted with the condition of the oil deposrta in New Zealand The Defence Minisiter states that the Government does n£>t propose to pay any crrnipensation to the soldier who was sentenced to 112 days' imprisonment for having accused Surgeon-Captain Hotop, of the New Zealand Defence Forces, o# li"ing drunk. The Minister considers that the evidence given before the court martial shows clearly- that the officer was not drunk on the specific occasion mertinned by the soldier in the charge. It will be remembered that this officer has since been divorced by his wife on the ground cf habitual drunkenness.