POLITICAL NOTES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18220, 3 November 1924, Page 8

POLITICAL NOTES.

(special to "the ram.") v^s9 WELLINGTON, November |H Washing-up BUI. • ~J*m The Washing-up Bill, which J.M partly considered in the House «f £<l resentatives to-day, contain, a e2M validating a transfer by the La2 1 beach Bond Board to J. c. N. JS" '1 of part of rural Section 8402. ' 1 Another clause authorises the S*iJ \ ner Borough Council to borrow ftgfa J for sewerage purposes. i% There is also a clause empowswi. / tho Sohvyn P'antation Boa-d SRt* consent of the Goveraor-Geneftj !5* sell by nublio auction, or tender, si, A tho lands comprised in reserve* *2fc2 " ! in tho Board at such upset priMTwS subject to such terms and 53»H ' of sale as the Minister of approve. The whole of E£ ♦ eeeds from any such sale shall be' *Lsj * into the Sehvyn Plantation ,*' and be applied, with the consent of tK Minister of Lands, to the > other land, suitable for plantation vuP** poses. The Board also is empowS*' to disposo of forest products. W 'H Another clause provides for caned." *' ling the reservation over -Sections 9« * and 1000 in the town of Ashburton ' and authorising the sale thereof to &« • ' Ashburton Hospital Board. Hasty Legislation. There was very general condemua. tion in the House to-day of the ma*, ner in which Parliament is asked to deal wjtli local affairs, and there is no doubt whatever that the system is very liable to bo abused. Members to-day condemned hv»i bodies for not communicating with them regarding important inatte» «| legislation being brought down *»* rushed through the Hnaso n, 1 the Tart mement. Very often neither aienj. bcrs nor ratepayers know what is bcJaff proposed. Prequontly matter* cf -&&. sidcrablo importance that sfionld b&'introduced by means of local BUh, duly advertised, aro slipped through the House in a Washing-up. Bill in the dying hours of the session.. Auckland members especially complained to-day that not been consulted by the local bodies or the Minister regarding local legislation of considerable importance. P. and T. Employees. ~ The member for Auckland Central, (Mr \W E. Parry) asked the Postmas-ter-General (tho Hon. J. 6. Coates), J|? v the House of Representatives thismp* ing when he proposes, in accordf|c4* with the promise already made, to r*i&'* tho wages of Post and Telegraph tem» porary employees to £3 13« 4dy the' basic wage of the service. ' - Mr Coates: I am not aware Cof'tni promise. I don't of it. Can the lion. gentle^l^Tenaad Hie ' • ' U The Minister said he had admitted' that the Post and Telegraph temporary employees were on a very unfair basis, but that was due to the 48-hour and tho 44-hour week. On Monday, cither the Prime Minister' or himself would make a statement which, he thought, would clear up the question. Honey Export Control Bill In tho House of Representatives this morning Mr J. A. Young (Hamilton) asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, iii view of the pressing demand for the Honey Export Control BiH tobe passed this session, he would permit',,; the House to put it through before-the U session ended. . ,"M The Minister (the Hon. W. NoKf? worthy) said that if it was eht to the Prime Minister to the Bill, and if there was going to ottjKi no objection or debate upon it, j>o'.& would bo willing to comply with raVjf request. So far as he knew there 1 '|j was no opposition to the measure. •l& Loans from Public Trustee. " I'll Mr P. Lye (Waikato) has notice to ask the Prime Minister (I)># whether he was aware that many soliri*|| tors and other persons putting in appU-;|| cations to the Public Trust Office toiM loans on behalf of people enargecl &M procuration fee lor obtaining a loan4%|| (2) whether he would have* steps tako*||| to stop the practice, seeing: that und«rS the Public Trust Amendment was made illegal; (3) whether ments could not be made for applieanw||| for loans to have their pared in one of the Public Trust or their securities prepared lie Trust Office; and (4) whether nj||| would take steps to limit the solicitor|pa| costs in connexion with such loans w||j the proper legal charges for their securities, and have the 6yste||l| of charging procuration fees stoppej|||| thereby relieving the farming commu||'||| ity and others of this unnecetta#||| burden. jp«| Parcel Post Delivery. !f&J§ Mr 3. A. Young (Hamilton) the Postmaster-General as a matter <||i urgency to-day whether he would ssSh| view the postal regulations with tt|J|| object of providing for parcel post 4&hS livery involving the collection of tM||ra on the delivery of parcels, as was in Groat Britain. villi The Hon. J. Q.' Coates replied fl»l|| the matter had been considered on *O§M eral occasions, and he would be jor|g| to have it further investigated. <^jf>M Colour Vision Test. i~SM. A question asked by Mr J. A. Yofl|j||| of the Minister of Railways in W&B& House this morning had men in tho railway service wfra|g through failure to pass the eoUß»§|§| vision test, have been taken off Wsjm footplate, and put on to other empUfffyM ment, though with no decrease in Pf#g|| These men, said Mr Young, seemed tojs|| be labouring under the idea that could get very little satisfaction ft**jg| the Bailway Department as to ™Wm Iheir future was to be. He asked Minister if he could inform the what the future prospects of the were, in view of their being de 6 n J*f*|H not in Pay, but in their work. £*%'& men I'elt that the possibility of * , P r *? , ffl m.'ikii yr progres* was limited. -,V * a The Minister (the Hon. J. G. Coat*),t| replied that the matter was under coi*- ;s| sidcration between the DeP ß^ and the E.F.C.A. The was anxious to do all it possibly coßl< * v | to minimise hardship.