NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 45, 16 November 1907, Page 7

NEWS AND NOTES.

The Hon. J. Rigg has ideas of his own on personal titles. Ho would liko the authorities to open, an office at which any person, on paying a' registration foe, would receive whatever title pleased him best. Modest merit,,he, suggests, would then be recognised by tho fact of a porson not boing desjgnatcd by any title' He expressed theso views to the Legislative Council yesterday when tho Parliamentary and Executive Titles Bill was under consideration, and, ho added, "lam oxcebdingly pleased that tho Government has not seen fit to interfere with tho dosignatious borne by members of this Council."

The amendments mado by tho Legislative Council in tho Hospital and Charitable Institutions Bill and the Local Bodies Loan Bill were agreed to in tho House yesterday. Several members of both Houses', are leaving for their homes to-day, others will depart on Monday, and a considerable number have already booked their passages for Wednesday night's Lyttelton boat: Tho opinion is expressed that if tho session lasts until tho end-of 'next week, tho closing sit-; tings will be attended only by tho Ministers and the local and .provincial mombers. One optimistic legislator expressed tho opinion that all would bo over by Tuesday night, but more general opinion places the enu of tho session at Thursday or Friday.

Tho -Hnt-t Park Bill, as reported from the Locnl Bills Committee yestorday, has boon considerably altered. It now provides: (1) That tho lands now vested in Trustees under the Act of 1866, is vested for recreation purposes in a Joint Standing Committeo appointed under the Act, with power to make by-laws, execute deeds, etc.; (2) tho rents and profits derived from the lands shall bo spent in improving the lands as the, Committeo dot»rimncs;;(3l the trustees in office undor tho IFG6 Act shall furnish a balancesheet showing Mid'financial-position of tho Trust, and pay over the balance in" hand' after discnarging their dutios; (-4) tho Minister for Defence may take possession of part of the lands for defence purposes for • any period not oxcooding twenty-eight days in any one year with compensation for any daniago ;hat may be done; (5) tho Joint Committee shall havo tho powers vested in the local bodies in respect to reserves for recreation purposes; (6) osisting tenancios are to bo respected .

•Tho report of the Agricultural Implement Inquiry Board regarding their mooting in Cbristehureh in October last was presented to Parliament yesterday. The purport of tho roport has already been explained by the Minister for Customs in Parliament. The pith of the matter is contained in the final paragraph of tho roport, which roads as follows:—"In view of tho fact that the only material reduction in prices proved by tho complainants was in connection with the Osborne drills which had been imported into New Zealand beforo Juno, 1905, and which were being sold by the Harvester Company aa .old stock, and concluding that this reduction may bo regarded as only temporary, the Board docs not recommend that any relief should be granted the complainants under tho Act."