POLITICAL NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 42, 13 November 1907, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES.

The Post Office Act Amendment Bill, which was introduced by the Governor's message yesterday afteVnoon, provides that the Postmaster-General may, on. receiving such security as he deems fit, issuo to :>uv person recording machines for impressing upon packets and documents tho sigil cf postage Tallies and tho amount of such values. These impressions will bo valid for' tho prepaymout of postages and of charges on telegrams. Tho amount of postage values So recorded will be collected from the users of the machines. The machines may be used for stamping receipts. The penalty for fraudulently impressing a postal packet or docurhpnt with any impression intended to .bo inistakon for one made with a machine issued a3 provided is a fine of not exceeding £100, or imprisonment for a period not exceeding ono year.

The Beer Duty Act Amondment Bill, which is undor Air. Millar's pilotage, is drafted mainly with a .-view to giving the Minister for Customs powers in regard to beer depots established on the boundaries of no-licenso districts. Clause 8 provides that no beer shall bo removed from a brewery in pursuance of a permit granted under Section 32 of tho principal Act, except to a warehouse or other place authorised by the Alinister for Customs, to be used for tho storage of beer, and the Minister, mny in his discretion grant, refuse,, or withdraw his authority for sucli use. 'The Bill contains a'definition of hop beer, which must not contain moro than three per cent, of proof spirit. There is to be a penalty not exceeding £10 \ for manufacturing for sale hop' Leer without a liconse. The license fee is to cost £1.

The Chinese Immigrants Amondment Bill, which was introduced by tho Premier yesterday, imposes a reading test on Chinese outering tho Dominion: "It shall not bo lawful for any Chinoso to land in Now Zealand until it has been proved to tho satisfaction of tiie collector or other principal officer of Customs at sohio port in Now Zealand that such Chinese is ablo to read a printed passage of, not loss than one hundred words of tho English language, selected at the discretion of Such collector or principal officer: Provided that any Chinoso who is dissatisfied with the decision of tho collector or principal officer shall have the right to appeal to a magistrate, who shall administer such further test in reading tho English language as ho thinks fit, and tho decision of the magistrate shall bo final."- A master of a ship is liablo to a penalty not exceeding £50 if ho permits a Chinese to land without passing tho tost. A Chinese who lands, or attempts to land, without fulfilling tho requirements of this Act is liablo to tho same penalties and may bo dealt with in the same way as if ho bail lander! or attempted to land without payin" thn mil-tax.