POLITICAL NOTES

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17292, 2 November 1921, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES

(SFBCUL TO "THI TRESS.") WELLINGTON, November 1. Totalisator Permits. The totalisator question is expected to como before the House of llepresentatives to-morrow. The Prime Minister, it is anticipated, will move the second reading of the Gaming Act) Amendment Bill which ho introduced recently. This Bill provides that the total number of totalisator permits shall he increased to the number recommended by the Commission. The motion will provide opportunity for a general discussion which should indicate the feeling of tlie House with regard to the report of the Commission. It is understood that the Prime Minister is not prepared to give a great deal of time to this mntter at the present stage of the session, and if tlie House is not able to reach a decision quickly, he will uostnone the further consideration of the ftill until after the Financial Statement and the important Bill* that are to follow it have been dealt with. Dominion Rifle Association. Replying to Mr W. H. Field, the Hon. Sir Heaton Rhodes said it was not proposed to hold the Dominion Rifle Association meeting at Trentham next year. The meeting would cost about £OOOO, and economy had to bei effected. However, in effecting economy in the Defence Estimates, it was not intended to curtail the privileges to rifle clubs. Now Bills. Mr Veitch has given notice to introduce the Police Force Act Amendment Bill. The following Bills were introduced in the House to-day, and rend a first time:—Tauranga Borough Council Electric Loan Bill (Sir William Herrios), Inch Clutha Road River and Drainage Act Amendment Bill (Mr Edie). Arbitration Bill In the Legislative Council, to-day, the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill was read a second time, pro forma, and referred to the Labour Bill* Committee. An Aahburton Petition. Alexander Urquhart, labourer, o5 Fairton, and Morgaret Urquhart,, nurse, of' Christdhurch, have petitioned Parliament asking to be compensated, for hardship and losses suffered in consequence of an accident which deprived Hugh McLean Urquhart of the sight ofi one eye. Hugh Urquhtrt, they state, was a pupil at t'he Ashburton Higli) School, and was injured by an explo-, sion which took place while he was ath tending a ohemißtry class. Petitioners, sued the' High School Board for, damages and obtained but) the judgment was reversed by the Court of Appeal, whidh held.that they had nq . recourse for damages, except against) the teacher personally. The teacher, the petition proceeds, paid £6O by way, of compromising the claim against nun,, and could not pay any more. The medical expenses incurred as the result os the accident amounted to £45, and thq legal expenses to £386. Mental Hospitals. The annual report on the mental host pitrels of the Dominion shows that the total number of patients is 6521, oil whom 3122 aro nudes. The increase) above the figures for 1919 is 92, oH whom 7 were males, and 85 females. Ninety-three persons were received as voluntary boarders. > "We are," says the Inspector-<3etto-. ral, Dr. Frank Hay, "on the evo of o reform, the necessity for which I bavc| often drawn attention, namely, thej segregation of the idiot and unbecuq children in some institution apart from; a mental hospital for adults- This has been rendered possible by an arrange* ment made with the Education Depart* ment to take over the institution aq Stoke, near Nelson, and incorporate it with the Nelson Mental Hospitnl." The farmsyielded a credit balanoe of £13,000. The staff has reached its normal ratio, and there are long waiting lists for possible vacancies. Thus, after a long timo, the Department has arrived at the stage whore it can make a selection. The present probation period of one year should, states the report, be extended to tlhreo, to enable the Department to retain as senior at-, tendants and nurses those only who; are temperamentally fitted for tho work, and give promise of capacity to IH higher offices in the future. On the whole, the work of the nursing staff has been satisfactory. Immigrants or Tourists? A report that people had come to New Zealand as assisted immlgranta, and then left after making a holiday tour of the Dominion, was mentioned in the House (o-day by Mr W. H. Field. • , The Hon. W. Nosworthy, who » official head of the Immigration' Department, said he did not think there was the least truth in the report. Nothing of the sort kid taken place to hia knowledge. The Butter Subsidy.

Mr P. F. Hockly asked in the HouKl to-day if the Minister of Finance would arrange for l|d of the 2d per lb subsidy on locally consumed butter dtft for a period prior to September Ist to be paid to the dairy companies at oncb. This subsidy, he said, had been arranged in order to keep down the i loco* price of butter. If it was not paw until all the companies' books were completed, there would be a long delay. Mr Massey replied that he wue sorry to learn from the question that some monev was still owing on account of the butter subsidy. He would look into the matter, and, if possible, be would give effect to the wiggostjon. •