POLITICAL JOTTINGS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9616, 9 October 1909, Page 3

POLITICAL JOTTINGS.

Members of the Opposition Party will meet in caucus on Monday evening, to consider die Government's proposal. _____

It will be remembered that during the short sassion a large number of petitions bearing some thousands of names were presentel, uigin? the Government to take steps to establish a system of immigration from United Kingdom for single young women of good health and character, who-ire suitable for and willing to follow the calling of domestic servants. 0:i Thursday !a3t two additional petitions to the same end were presented, one by Mr Field, j M.P. forOtaki, and the other by' Mr Buchanan, M.P. ior Wairarapa. ! Once again Mr F. M. B. Fisher ] has given notice to introduce his Sunday Labour Bill, a measure which was before the House last session, but not proceeded with owing to lack oc time. The member for Wellington Central seeks to make it unlawful, save in cases of emergency, for any person to require an employee to do on Sunday the usual work of his ordinary calling, unless the employee is allowed during the following week a spell of twenty-four ] hours without labour. "Works .of necessity or mercy,'' however, are excepted from the provisions of the Bill. Among the papers laid before both Houses on Thursday last was one relating to the public securities, h&ld in the Dominion and in England as on March 31st last. It showed that the securities held in the Dominion amounted to £20,485,151. including £ 7 ,64?,091 belonging to the Post Office. £2,952,784 to the Government Insurance Office, £2,834,672 to the Public Trust Office, £5,118,041 to the Government Advances to Settlers Office, £482,548 to the Government Advance's to Workers Office. '£134,150 to the commissioners of public debts sinking funds, £5,000 to the State Fire Insurance, £1,310,865 to the Treasury. The securities held in London totalled £6,318,049, made up of £4,622,584 belongii g to the Post Office, £625,000 to the Government Insurance Office, and £1,069,565 to the Treasury. '

There is considerable discussion amongst members as to what is likely to occur in regard to the vac- j ancy in the Cabinet created by ! the retirement of Mr Hogg. Names of a number of members, including Messrs Laurenson, Guinness, Wilford and Field ft have been mentioned ; in the lobbies in this connection. The difficulty, however, ot making | a selection that will prove general- ; ly acceptable maylprevent any ap- I poihtmer.t being made at the pros- j ent stage, and by some members it is thought that no appointment is j likely to be made just yet. The I report that the Hon.. T. Mackenzie j \ hud been rjserj to full Cabinet rank , 'is deried by the Prime Minister, ' I who informed a "Dominion" repre- j . senta'iye that nothing has been done up to the present. It is stated ; that in the event of the vacant position in the Ministry being offered : to him, the Hon. A. R. Guinnes3 j would be willing to resign the office ;■ of Speaker in order to accept it. "I do not Irww how iL u, bur I ;» sure it is a-maiter worthy of vd-y serious consideration," declared Mr t G. Laurenson (Lyitelton) in t..e j House of Representatives on Thurs- j | day afternoon then speaking of the > mortality rate among members of Parliament. He was referrirg to ' the death of the late Mr A. E. j Remington, and remarked that, out i of curiosity he had, the evening i before, looked up the numb3r of . those members of the House who had I passed away of late year.-). Taking j the average age of members at be- ' tween forty and sixty years, he found that the death rate i>i Parliament j was 52 per cent, ahead of tha aver- j age rate over the rest of the country j He did no*, know what was the cause ; of that— whether it was the anxieties j and distress sometimes caused to J men of highly* sus:eptible natures by i the criticisms Fevelled at them, or i whether it was the unnaturally j long hours occupied by their duties; j but certainly it seemed to call for some consideration. At the beginning of every session he could remember the House had had to lament the lots j by death of one cr more of its mem • I burs. i"

Quite a large number ot Bills were given notice of on Thursday after • noon, some of them being new and others making a reappearance from previous sessioi s. The list is as under:—New Zealand Local Time Bill, Mr Sidey; Tapanui County Bill, Mr Malcolm; Elective Executive Bill, Sir W. J. Steward; Public Service Bill, Mr Herdman: Education Act Amendment Bill, Mr Sidey; Absolute Majority Bill, Mr Fisher; Flour Duty Abolition Bill, Mr Hogg: Wellington City Water Supply Loan Moneys Diversion Act, Mr Luke; Opunake Harbour Amending Bill, Mr Dive; Sunday Labour Bill, Mr Fisher; Beer Duty Amendment Bill, Mr Laurenson; Waimari County Bill, Mr Witly; Kaitake County Bill, Mr Okey; New Zeaiand Society cf Musicians Bill, Mr Sidey; Marine Accidenla 3i;. Mr McLaren; Coal Mines ct A nendment Bill, Mr Herdman; Marriage Act Amendment Bill, Mr Herdman; M?arriaje Act Amend-

f ment Bill, Sir W. J. Steward; New Plymouth Harbour Reclamation Bill, Mr Okey; Taranaki Agricultural Society Empowering Bill, Mr O ke >' ; Licensing Act Ameirflmtnt Bill. Mr Laurenson: New Plymouth Borough Council aid Taranaki J;c'<?y CI ib Exchange Bill, Mr Okay; WJlin.tori City Milk Supply Bill, Mf McL-iran.