POLITICAL NOTES.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14761, 3 September 1913, Page 10

POLITICAL NOTES.

" (BPK3IAL TO * THE PRESS.") WELLINGTON. September 2. STATE LENDING DEPARTMENTS. There was presented to the House vO-day an interesting return showing the large amount of money advanced on mortgage by the lending departments of the State up till March 31st last. The figures are:—State Guaranteed Advances Office—'-Advances.to settlers, £7,457,817; advances to workers, "£2/006,916; .total, £8,465,634. Government Life Insurance—Life branch, £3^052,648; accident' branch," £68,845; tojtal, £3,121,593.. Public Trust Office, £4,574,820.' Grand total, £17,162,149. COAL DUST NUISANCE. Mr Davey to-day asked the Minister of Railways, what had been done to abate the coal dust nuisance experienced T>y residents near the railway line in palsgrave street, Sydenham ; also, whether he had received the valuation report asked for regarding the prbperties- injuriously" affected by .such coal deposits; and further, when did he propose to reply to the sale offer made to him by/ the owners of the land. ', ' RURAL WORKERS. Mr Nosworthy to-day asked the Prime Minister whether he would take 'Steps to ' have rural workers homes erected on a number of reserves situated in and around Geraldine, Eastern Orari, and Ijakahu districts, in the County of Geraldine, which belonged to the Crown. • LYTTELTON H ARBOUR BOARD ELECTION BILL. Tho Lyttelton Harbour Board Election Bill, which was introduced to-day by Mr Davey," is a measure promoted by theChristchurch City Council, in order that the city may secure greater representation on the Board. .At present members of tho Board are elected on rolb based . upon electoral and" property qualifications, and it is designed by the new Bill to introduce the principle of election upon the basis of population only. This would meet tho ends of the city of Christchurch by giving the centre of population much iaigor representation than at present obtains. Last summer conferences-were held between representatives of the city and country, bodies concerned in the constitution of the Harbour Board, and at these representatives of the country electors were distinctly averse to any change. . The second reading/of tho Bill was set down for September 16th. LEVEL CROSSINGS. In the House to-day, Mr Young gave notice to ask the Minister of Kailwaye—"Whether, with a view to giving a direction to inventors of safety signa.s for level. railway crossings, he will take the advice of his responsible officers, and in the public interest announce what length ot time (time to be given in seconds; the Railway Department lays down as the maximum that an automatic danger signal should operate and indicate danger before the engine arrives at the level crossing?" Another question addressed by Mr Young to tlio Minister of Rai.wa.ys was —''What is tho maximum speed laid down by the regulations, if any, at which an express train in New Zealand is permitted to travel over a level crossing at which there is no crossingkeeper or bell signal, and in the absence of any such regulation, will he take the advice of his responsible officers and at an early date fix euch maximum speed?" LEATHER HIDES. -Mr Okey to-day asked the Minister of • Agriculture whether, seeing the heavy loss to the producers of the Dominion through the damage caused to hides byfire-bi andiag, he would cause enquiries to bo made as to the possibility of providing a suitable substitute. Evidence had been given, he eaid, before the Imperial Trad© Commission by the chairman of the leather , section of the London Chamber of Commerce, that it was estimated that Australia lost, £1,500,000 annually because .of damage caused to hides by fire-branding. A RAILWAY ACCIDENT. C. W. Morgan, tablet porter at Brookside, to-day asked Parliament, through a petition, for some compensation for his two-year-old son having his foot cut off by a train on January 31st last. The accident was caused, it was stated, through the department's house in which j>etitioner lived being insufficiently guarded from the railway tines.