POLITICAL JOTTINGS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9630, 23 October 1909, Page 3

POLITICAL JOTTINGS.

I The Premier announced in the | House on Thursday night tha"; the Government dia not intend to repeal the Second Ballot Bill. — It was stated by the Minister for Lands that suitable lands werj being acquired near the centres of population for subdivision into workmen's I lots. A great deal of information has , been collected on the aubjdcfc ut old soldiers' claims, with a view to its being placed in the hands of responsible officer to make full inquiries and report to the Govern- | ment. I —, __ The question of making provision ) for a track up the Otaki Gorge to the summit of the Tararuas must stand over until urgent road require, menta in the bush districts have been provided for, says the Premier. / __ Dr. kindly stated in the Legislative Council, yesterday afternoon, when tiuching on the question of prison reform, that the dead loss of every prison was £3O per annum, and with the costs of courts and police would probably total up to £7O or £BO per year. 1 Mr Okey (Taranaki) has given notice to asK the Minister for Railways whether he will arrange that passengers travelling second-class on the trains between Wellington - and Auckland shall be entitled to , sleeping berths if they are willing to pay for them. Sir v Joseph Ward states that the subject of connecting the Chatham i Islands by wireless telegraph has been broueht under his notice. Considerable advances have been made in the art. The lattost system, called the Lepel, promises a considerable reduction in the cost of stations, with other advantages, and can be used for wireless telephony. When wireless stations are being established in New Zealand, the Chatham Islands will be one of the places that wil 1 receive consideration. "Who gained most by the Second Ballot Act" asked Mr Laurenson when the Legislature Amendment Bill was under discussion in the House on Thursday last. Mr Fisher, who was explaining his measure, said he had not intended to raise the point. As it had been raiaed, he would like to point out what was rather significant. "Was it not a fact that when a second ballot took place after the general election when Ministers were free to take a hand in the election, the Government won. Yes, but when second ballots took place at a time when Ministers were not free to assist, the Opposition secured the victory!" Mr Millar, in answer to a question in the House of Kepresentatives, stated that the running of dining cars on the express trains south of Dunedin would invoive the Department in a very large additional expense., too, in respect to the staff and provision for the management of the cars. The cars at present run in the North and South Islands were unremunerative, the totai receipts being barely sufficient to cover the wages of the staff and the stoes, the barest margin to rovar the .o. t j I of repairs to the cars and j nothing towards the expense of hauling them. Under the circumstances, he was not prepared to recommend the extension of the dining car sys tem to other trains. '■ In moving the second reading of his Marriage Act Amendment Bill in the House on Thursday last, Sir I William Steward gave a typical instance of the sort of case his Bill : was intended to meet, as follows:—A widower of forty years, with two or three small children, finds it necessary to seek a second helpmate} for his children's sake as well as his own. There is a widow lady who, but for her a<?e, would be entirely suitable, namely, his late wife's sister, who is fifty years of age. She has a daughter aged thirty years, who would be a very suitable person, well known to him, to take charge of the widower and his children. But the law, which is proverbially "ahass." forbids a union with this lady, beacuse she is the widower's alte wife's niece, though he is quite at liberty |to be married to her mother.