POLITICAL NOTES.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12849, 6 July 1907, Page 12

POLITICAL NOTES.

(special to "ran r»Rss. ,r V WELLINGTON, July 5. TOE ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE. A long, dreary suectiseian of epeeohes containing nothing of any particular moment, although interspersHKl with occasional flaetn* of alleged humour. haa beeu inflicted upon tho House today. The uaolessnetis of the debate on tho Address-in-Roply ie patent to everyone except members, who eeom to regard it ac a duty to keep up tho farce of talking to "Han.sard " about a varioty of subjects ttwtt will come b«v fore the House in a epcciHo form at Later ijeriods of the session, when- ail that is to be said concerning thorn could be eaid more conveniently tha.ii at tho present time. Some meuiU're have had the good avium to abstain. A.mong tbets© ie Air T. Mackenzie, who has given notice to move that the dobate on the Addrose-in-Kopb; be abolished. The passing ot th:& motion •would accomplish a much-to-be d«\-»ir«:U reform. The debate oa till twenty minutes to twelve, when, there being no prospect of an early■ tion, it was adjourned till Tuewiay, when there will bo 11 continuance of tho waste of time tJiut ha.s prevailed during tho greater part of the present week. The bmu« formality was continued in the Le-gifilative Council <lur-ni-K tho altc-rncoii, t-eveial ot the new members making their maiden speeches. CHANGES IN I'OUTFOLIOS. In the House this afternoon, the Premier announced that in consequenceof the absence ot -Mr Hall-Jone*. ins portfolios had been distributed as ioiToWh:—Mr McGowan, Public Works and Tourist Department; Mr Jo.M-ph Ward, Kailwnye; Mr Ale Nab, Delence; .Mr Millar, Printing Office. Mr Tanner suggested that a printed list, showing the distribution of portfolio.*, should bo supplied for tho information ot members. That, he said, had been done last session. is only good for about n week,' , interjected Mr Graham. Tho Premier replied that the list was beinu printed. A STItANGER iS TROLJiLE. The forciblo removal of a man from | tho Strangers' Gallery was the most interesting incident in this afternoons proceedings in the House. Mr iiogg was contributing his quota to the long urruy of speeches on tho Acidr«>s-in-Repiy, when a voice from th« yauery broke in with the interjection, " What price Kurawaka ?'' The sound of tho name of a raoehoree owned by two members of the House caused legislators to look up in surprise, but no I notice wae taken of the interjection. A momont later some remarks mado by Mr Hogg in regard to native lanil transactions apparently gave umbra go to the man in tlte gallery, who, in a loud and excited voice, shouted " iou are quite wrong, Hogg; you havo no right to deal with mc wrongly. 1 am listening; don't you interfere with mc." " Turn him out." exclaimed the Speaker, and the orderly in attendance proceeded to obey the order, Mr Hogg meanwhile continuing his speeoh. The orderly tapped the man on tho shoulder and asked him to leave, but he refused to go. Tho assistance of two other orderlies was then onlistod, and tno trio, after a considerable struggle with the offender, succeeded in carrying him across the tior of seats in the gallery and down the stairs, at the foot of which their burden was ignominiously deposited. The man quietly wended his way out of the grounds, evidently eatiefiod that ho had got tho wo ret ot hie encounter with the rules of Parliamentary usage. SPREAD OF TUBERCULOSIS. Speaking on the subject of tuberculosis the Minister for Agricultnro (the Hon. R. McNab) remarked that the .matter had been under the control. of tho Veterinary Department for a very long time, and they found that unless they were prepared to embark on fresh lines they were going to have tuberculosis in the colony until tho end of (.time. While they eliminated it from the herds of the colony at one point, they supplied it to the herds of tho colony at another point, and tho investigations of the Veterinary Department showed that wherover tho dairy industry wae being carried on to any great extent, tuberculosis was prevalent, while in those pnrts of the colony where tho dairy industry was not gone on with tuberculosis wne almost unknown. It was tho opinion of the officers of the Veterinary Dopnrtinent that tho spread of tuberculosis wae due to the condition of the milk euipplied to tho dairy factories. Cabinet had decided to extend tho 'Operations of the Stock Department to the Inspection of milk supplies at an estimated cost of about £12,000 a yoai. The fees payable represented about £4000. ENGLAND'S GREATEST ADMIRAL. An interesting ■md handsome memento of Lord No won, in tho form of a 'bust in copper of England's greatest Admiral, mounted upon a block of oak from the flagship, the famous Victory, was preeonted to Parliament this afternoon, through tho Speaker, by tho British and I'oreign bailors Society. The bust bears an inscription indicating that tho copper as well as the oak, came from the old flagship, and that tho presentation wiis made upon the occasion of the Now Zenlnnd Inteimtional Exhibition, with which tho late Mr Seddon was closely associated. On the motion of the Premier, seconded by tho Lender of the Opposition, the House, amid applause, passed a resolution expressing appreciation Of tho gift. JOTTINGS. Tli6 need for the appointment of more Justices of the Peace in country districts wan urged by Mr Lang tonight. These ollicials, ho siid, were thick enough in tho towns, but they were too scarce in the. back blocks. Mr Rutherford to-day gave notice to aek the Minister of Land's whether ho will provide in the amended Land' Hills for granting the lessees of tho grazing rune on the Cheviot estate tho same tenure ac those held undi r r the Land Act and the Land for Settlements Act ? I.i the session of iilOo a petition was presented to the House by the lrreces of tho Cheviot grazing rune, praying for such wmceßjions, which obtained a favourable recommendation from the Lands Committee in 1906. A deputation of these lessees waited on the Minister of Lands, and was promised the Minister's favourable consideration. Mr Rutherford has also given notice to ask the Government whether they will introduce n Bill this session, wit* a view to restraining the predatory instincts of the dishonest section of tho 'legal profession, such BiU to be drawn on the lines suggested by the honest section of tho legal profession, wnicli. briefly, nro as follows:—'"That any person having money to hie credit with any legal practitioner of the Supremo Court of the colony of New Zealand, sr.fly, upon beiny refused payment thereof on any pretext whatever, make sworn declaration to that effect before - a Registrar of the Supreme Cmirt the said colony, whereupon th t » said legal practitioner shall forthwith ix> suspended, and in duo courso be notified to appear before a Judge ot tho Supreme Court, to show cause why ho should not bo struck off th* rolls; that in all cases trust and business accounts shall be kept in separate banks."