NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 683, 7 December 1909, Page 3

NEWS AND NOTES.

THE HIGH COMMISSIONER. It is persistently rumoured' that t"ho Hijjli Commissioner (tho Hon. \V. Hall-Jones) will probably resign his office and return to Near. •• Zealand 111 the course.of a few months. ..It. i#,,suggested that ho will then probably be'ap» pointed to (ha Legislative > Council.. Mr. Hall" Jones's health has not been .good in Ijondon, and it is prftWbl6'that the Now Ztaland :cli<i mate would agreo with 'him better.

HEAT'AND OVERCROWDING. The atmospheric conditions ill ,tho Housa have 'been so'oppressive dunng. tie-past Svvfi sittings that Mri Masscy, just before the houn of rising on Saturday morning, was eonstrained to suggest, that a large raiUTpneoebotild! be erected on- tho lawn in. order • to; enable.. members -to get away from tho .

air.Mr. Ell (Christchurch South) pointed out; 1 yesterday- that the overcrowding ;in tho part*/, of tho House sot apart for visitors was.dotri-: mental to health, and: asked the Speaker who-, ther he would take stops to mitigate tho evil, Tho Speaker said that rif the Honso desiredtKat a restriction 1 should bo placed upon tho admission of stratigers ho .wonli- sco, that its wishes wero earned out. _ The IMmo - Minister. said it was never '■ intended by tho Government , that tho publio should sit around-the chamber at all, and lio , expressed-a hope> that some action would bo taken m tho direction dosired by' Mr.. Ell. intimated that*he would move a resolution on. tho subject to-day. ,

INVITATION TO MR. . . . " I ■ would- say to tho hon. gentleman thatj ~ if lie will leave >that seat andcomo over herei wo can place-a body., ol not six. but 20 moa-4 bers bohmd.him--to. see that tho i®* t not riTon to tho pcopio by a> Bill .like this. —v : Mr. Arnold to" the Hon. J. A. Millat, after. , recalling tho Utters leasehold views. .

A MENACE TO FARMERS. A clause, i, which Mr. Hogg • 6taled wonli ~. cause more i.'alafmto farmers thanthe most improved' German Dreadnought, was the following in tl»Q'L'ilnd Settlements Adcunifitrabon,, Bill; whi'chy wae 6ths_ngly-opposed .by several; country members during, the debate last evening i—-"In- oHbr to give greater facilities fr®. establishing .'Tjoines and work-i . ers,., land may; be oompnlsorilj; taken "ratliraj any borough*having a population of .not lesa, ; than fi.vo thousand inhabitants, or any district having' a of: nofc-.less than! one thousand; inhabitants, according t0... thm latent, CCMU!!- returns, or. Yfithin a racHus oi. . twenty milos.froni'tho .bojinciary of euch bor-«. >. oueh or town district, subject, however, to, the • following ! special provisions r^( a ) The owner , dull have 'the right .fo .'select and. retain out. of the whole' estate any area not exoooding .; foui\acros if such area is within a borough or, . town district, :or ten. acres m any other case* ..." I It was urged by Mr. Buchanan and, olhei\ members that almost any farmer would bo .Ik<. able to have his land taken from him undo? j ; this clause. ■■■ . . j , The Prime Minister smd he would not object).! • to deleting tho word '"compulsory.V, r ... ,

GOVERNMENT CAUCUS., A'caucus of the > Government' party will-b» held this morning, , when, it is expected. an effort will bo-made to round up the members of the , party . .who havo recently been giving trouble. If'i tho 'leaseholders attend,, there should be rather a lively discussion, especially 111 view of the speech made by the Hon. J. A« Millai yesterday.

CIVIL SERVICE: CLASSIFICATION; • Mr. lined (Day of Islands) has given .notice..' to ask-the Government whether the classifies-; . tion of 1 tho Civil provided for m this . Public Service Classifications and Superannuation Act, 1908r has been completed; and, if:- so,i, 1 . wheu will it ho made known. . The iClassifica-.

tion Board , referred to . in the Act was ap-v pointed on February 8, 1908, since which time, no .'definite 'announcement has been made concorning the classification, and civil servants throughout tho Dominion' are quite in the'dark', as to what .has beon done,■ it.v

TriE LAND BILL IN 1 In tho'courso of lus spcecli yesterday after* noon, Mr.: Arnold: pointed out* that the ten members of the Lauds Committee consisted of five freeholders and five > leaseholders, v Ho. r understood that . at *i the- lirst meeting of the ' committee (from which Mr. Guthrie 1 was absent) certain. clauses ; of the' Land Bill wero struck out by fivo % to four, *, the. freeholders, - 'in the absonce of tho-member for.Oroua, boing • in a minority of ouo. - The matter, : ho: be-,, hevedji was deferred till another meeting, at which there .'was a r full attendance. The clauses that had been previously struck , out were then, ho was informed, reinstated by six to four. According to the division at the pre* .7. vious meeting,' the voting should havo been . five and livo, leaving tho matter to bo decided. by the chatrnmn's casting-voto< Instead of;this, however,- one of tho leasehold, mcmbefs who had 1 voted at,tho first ; meeting to strikf out the .clauses Jiad at the'second meeting sup* ported their 'reinstatement. ,

THE LEASEHOLD CAMPAIGN. As already stated, the leaseholders propose to - carry on an active platform campaign in both, ; town and countrv in opposition to tlio.Land Bill' A start will'-'be made: at .Hastings.on . Friday next, where a - public meeting will -bo ■ addressed" in response to an invitation .from., a numbdr of Crown tenants.'\ The speakers will.. bo Messrs. A mold, Ilanaii, and ""Lai civ Ml'.'s, and the Hon J. T Paul, M.LC. A

CAPITAL SITE BILL. • A .laugh was' raised in the House yesterday/ when Mr. Glover, member for Auckland; Ccn«; tral, • gave notice to move a 'New Zealand . Capital Site Bill.;■

"GANGS" AND "SAND-BAGGEHS." Thoro wero some hot passages- in. the Hous«i during Mr. T. 14. Taylor s speech: on tho Land . ... Bill yesterday. Mr. Taylor had asked 'what certainßadical members, meant by ■ standing >, ;>*•.; by the- Government: in- this change of. policy, -i.r when Mr. Laurenson.lntorjectod: "What's tin .

alternative?"• • . ■ ■ 'Mr. Taylor replied that the alternative.now-, v./.: might be a change ot Government, but ho dii . i ■ noti caro a snup'iorn chaugo. ot Government.-. . • , A- man's business was to boras- honost in Uio ■ -v...,' House as ho wonld'bo outside. If. tho Badieal. ■ sentiment of tho: House, was true to its . duty. : . tho Ministry would havo to abandon the Bill until the country was consulted. v ... Mr. Laureflson: Do you want to hold on t* 1 , ! • the lands- 1 Mr. Taylor;• The Opposition.could be nomort: tricky in"' regard■ to the (national: eudowiueuts- ,» than the Ministry- of the day havo shown by this Bill that'they ■ cay be; . Tho. Opposition., .v : •had always -been; open with -regard to •■;their.--;.™\-intentions on . the.'land question.! Ho would v -. sooner deal with'an honest thief—(laughter)T- ;: than with a man- who would sand-bag hinv '.Y 'from behind l while he was walking' homo at e night. .Ho was not afraid of: tho ■ Opposition : w coming into power, bceauso lio believed that the sentiment- of tho country' was democratic. •v Who 'had fomented this cry for tho. freehold?■.-■■< ,5 Mr. Luurcnson-.(pointiug to the Opposition)) It was fomonlod by that, ganp over there. ■ • ■•":. Mr. Massey vfns raising a point of order as to • this statement, when tho Speaker ruled .that the word' "gang"■: must be withdrawn. . - . . : Mr. Laurenson' withdrew the expression. :•»• ■' It was; a: mostr objectionablo : ■ word, . Mr» : v* Speaker added,

MR. HINE AND THE PREMIER.* Probably, tlie Prune Minister follows any ro« marks made, by Mr. Hino, M.P. for Strattord, > closer than those-of any other member of tha House. Last night. Mr. Hmo had only timo to : :i = utter onn or ttvo sentences. 011 a Bill"whoa «..v: Sir Joseph remarked: "I said nothing. of tho kind.'- Mr. Jlino \vss so amused at tho sharp- , ' - ncss of tho interjection that ho was unable:to ■..■■'■a ojuress.himself furtherfor quite half.n ininuto.; , - Whon the general merriment which had been.: occasioned subsided, Mr. Hino remarked, npolo«: gotieally, that „h« had really understood tho Prime Minister' to mako tho statement ill qnos-: i • turn." "I don't know what I have done, ho., added, "but; almost every statcnicnt I niako. ; • hero arouses lu£ ire." (Laughter.);- ; ;

THE LAND QUESTION. Messrs." T.'E. Taylor and- D. M'J-aren tavv . been invited to addross a meeting l at Hastings; - on tho landquostian ns soon'as possiblo.. ThoyV do not think,'httwovcr,* that they will bo ablf ' to leavo the House during • tho. session. Mr. M'Larcn has Tecoircd otlicr. invitations to address meetings on . this subject. "

Mr. Brick is: asking tho Government whal" stops mo being taken to erect a gaol at Pal- • moistou North; The great progress of PalmoN - " ston N6rth as' a centre, stafes Mr. Buick, ■■■■■ makos extra police accommodition an absolute 1 necessit"' -' " '