NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 264, 31 July 1908, Page 9

NEWS AND NOTES.

' Throo' petitions from the West Coast ugainst .th'o import'duty 611 Oregon jiirio wore laid' oil 'the table of the House of Representatives by Mr. T. E. Y. Scddon, and one from the Otaki district by Mr. Field. The Committee to Jwliich tho Roman, Catliolio Archbishop ; of . Wellington Empowering Bill was referred has amended it so as to enable tho Archbishop to dovoto tho money •derived from the sale of certain lands, to tho •purchase of any other lands in tho City of Wellington, instead of meroly tho lands specified in tho-Bill.. . . .1 The Private Bills Committee yesterday returned tho Wellington Harbour Board Reclamation and Empowering Bill to the House with the.clauses which are to form a local •ijiil struck out. The Committal! asked that seven petitions agaiust eertaui provisions of

tho Bill bo forwarded to tho Local Bills Committee with instructions to hear the petitioners, their counsel, and witnesses in support thereof. Tho llouso directed accordingly. Tho grievances of Mr. W. W; Mitchell, of Oamaru, in connection with the Otekaike case arc fully sot out in a petition presented to PaTliaraent yesterday. ■Ho alleges that through : being, unablo to obtain possession of his allotment at. the timer desired lie; lost £180 through being obliged to postpone his purchaso of sheep, and that ho sustained a further loss of £50 on account of tho purchase of implements. ■ He also states that ho sustained'-other'■incidental losses, and ho asks for an inquiry with a view to being granted relief for such losses. . - The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Bill which has been introduced by, Mr. Laurcnson,, ■substitutes mqro provisions for those of . section 7 of tho Polico' Offences Act, 1554. The definition of, cruelty includes slaughtering domestic _ animals for food 'without previously stunning, pigeonshooting from traps,' coursing in enclosures of hares and rabbits, burning horses'moutli3 for lampas, docking horses' tails overhead check-rein, and chained boundary dogs. Baiting or fighting animals is also forbidden. A maximum penalty of -'£5 is provided for a first offence, .with increased lines for continuing'and subsequent offences. ;