POLITICAL NOTES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2548, 29 August 1893, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

lu Parliament last Friday Mr Mitchelson drew attention to the arrest of a child six years of age at Devonport. He (Mr Mitchelson) had receivedja telegram stating that there was considerable excitement over the occurrence, the constable having taken the child out of bed in the morning in spite of protests. The theft was only that of a fishing line. Had Premier made inquiries why the policeman taken such extraordinary action? The reo^ 1 sto ,7 received with cries of ' hame - Premier said the member for Parn>- iuul sent him a telegram to a similar purport last evening. He had immediately sent to Captain Hume, who replied giving lengthy details, which have already been pul dished. The Commissioner added that he did not think the constable had shown good judgment in arresting the child. “I am going to make inquiries into the facts'disclosed in this telegram,” said Mr Soddou, “ and if they are true I question very much whether the constable will get the chance of doing anything of the kind again.”

Tha new Electoral Bill provides for au electoral right for commercial traveller,' and seamen. Last year shearers were included, but the latter class have been left out of the present Bill, much tc their annoyance. The reason, we believe, Government had for excluding , 6 Wat it was made a handle shearers was l*. Legislative Council, of last year by the _ 'lectoral right Those who insisted on the u, ’-on aa for women said, “You have gu electoral right to shearers, and why not to women?” Tim was an unanswerable argument, and so as to give the Legislative Councillors no excuse the shearers have been left out this year. The shearers, however, seam to have friends in the Legislative Council, fori he Hon. W. C. Walker proposes to give an electoral right to every elector who may be absent from the constituency on tho day of the election. This is a very sensible proposal, and there is no reason why it should not be carried out. Let us, for instance, suppose an elector from this district found it necessary to go to Dunedin, would it not do for him to go to tho returning officer, obtain an electoral right, fill it in, and forward it to the returning officer ’? Sir Robert Stout favors giving everyone an electoral right, and if this were done under proper safeguards it would save a lot of trouble,

The Hou. Mr Seddon has introduced what is called a Betterment Bill. This proposes to levy special taxation on any land through which railways shall in future be made. The Bill, if it passes, which we doubt, will come into operation on the 30th of next September. Lands through which railways are constructed after that date will for a distance of 20 miles on either aide be liable to pay a sum equal to half the increased value given to them by such railway. The increase in the value will be ascertained by the valuation made by boroughs, county councils, «tc., after the construction of the railway, as compared with what the previous valuation was. There was a provision somewhat similar to this in the original Public Works Bill introduced by Sir Julius Vogel 23 years ago. If it had been adopted then we should not have been so deeply in debt as we are, for the land would have paid the greater part of the cost of construction, but it is rather late to begin this scheme now.

The female franchise clause will have enough to do to pass through the Legislative Council. ‘ On last Friday it was the cause of an extraordinary difficulty. Captain Baillie, the Chairman of Committees, was sick, and no one else would consent to take his place. The reason was that both the opponents and supporters of the clause are so evenly balanced that neither side could spare a member to go into the chair, for that would mean the loss of a vote. This shows that the female franchise clause is in a very tight place. Ultimately the Bill was adjourned, in the hope that Captain Baillie would be restored to health to preside over its destinies. Nine of the new Councillors are in favor of the measure and three of them against it. One of these is Air Bigg—a labor representative—but he is the only labor representative in either House who is not in favor of the female franchise.

There is no member of the House who has stuck so consistently, so diligently, or so intelligently to Liberal principles as Mr Hall Jones. In no instance has he deviated from the straight path. On the Liquor Bill he followed the fortunes of Sir Robert Stout right loyally, and was one of the ten members who voted on the crucial point. His constituents have only found one fault with Mr Hall Jones, and that is that he does not speak in the House. By refraining from speaking he shows his good sense, for there is too much talk, and Mr Hall Jones could certainly do no good by adding to it. He has always voted straight; no one can deny that, and we consider that his next greatest virtue is that he can hold his tongue. Timaru has still as thoroughgoing a Liberal as there is in Parliament, and we have no doubt it will appreciate him, and send him back again.