NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1209, 18 August 1911, Page 9

NEWS AND NOTES.

I the mokau inquiry. The Native Affairs Committee is .In i- meet at 11 a.m. to-day to commence its 0 inquiry into the Mokau land dealing?, ii The meeting will bo open to the press. t e 1 MENTAL DEFECTIVES BILL. ' Mr. .1. Duncan is to move, in Co-unil- ' tee. that tho following new clause be added to the Mental Defectives Bill: — . "In every institution or houso the dor- _ mitories or sleeping-rooms shall bo of a • size that will admit of not less than :-ix ' hundred cubic fe-?t of measurement space ; for each person occupying the same re- ' spectively, and in respect of the day or living rooms of such institutions the aggregate floor space thereof shall bo not 1 less than forty square feet for each occu- | pant." QUESTIONS BY MEMBERS. A return showing the amount of rev- ; enue derived from the totalisator tax during each year for the past five years is to bo asked for by Mr. Okey. A Bill was brought down last session providing that members of the Education service who were not contributors to the. Superannuation Fund should be permittea to become contributors, but was withdrawn in order that nn actuarial report might be obtained upon the Teachers' Superannuation Fund. Mr. Arnold is to ask tho Minister for Education whether ii similar Bill will be introduced this session. Mr. Arnold is also to ask tho Minister whether the actuarial report on the fund, promised last session, is ready, and, if so, whether he will supply members of the fund witli copies. Mr. M'Laren lias given notice to ask whether the -Government will take steps to put a stop to a system of indent or contract labour under which coloured boys aro being imported from the Islands for domestic service. Mr. Hine will ask whether th 6 Government will authorise direct connection by telephone between Tariki and Inglewood. Mr. Luke will ask for inquiry as to the alleged need of more continuous police protection at Newtown I'ark. Jlr. Hine will ask tho Minister for Public Works whether a sum will bo placed on the Estimates for the Marco Road, Whangamomona, so that settlers may have access to their holdings. The member for Stratford suggests that, failing tho -practicability of road formation, the Minister might recommend Parliament to facilitate a fair exchange of Crown lands that are accessible to the holdings of the settlers interested, THE WORKMAN'S PIPE, The price paid for tobacco by the working man is, in tho opinion of Mr. H. G. Ell, too high, and ho gave notice yesterday of a proposal that the duty payable on tobacco of which the invoice value does not exceed Is. fid. per lb. should bo reduced by Is.- per lb. The duty on all imported tobacco is, he states, 3s. lid. per lb.-, and in the case of many stick and plug tobaccos, popular among smokers, it is double and treble tho invoice value of tobacco. Tho value of Imperial Ruby is 2s. 3d. per lb., and the addition of duty increases the cost by 155 per cent. Diadem is invoiced at Is. 10d., to which 191 per cent, duty is added, and tho cost of Havelock aromatic, 2s. per lb., is increased by 175 per cent. Among the tobaccos which are alfccted by Mr. Ell's proposal aro Juno and Venus, of which the invoice value is Is. Stl. per lb., and on these duty is paid to the amount of 247 per cent. The value of Lion Twist is Is. 2d. per lb., and the duty in this instance is equal to 300 per cent. CORONATION SUBSIDIES. Some discontent has been expressed throughout the. country at the fact that applications, by local bodies for Coronation subsidies closed on June 21. • Mr. G. W. Russell (Avon) has suggested that the period should be extended to December 31. . Tho Hon. D. Buddo declined to accept the ■' suggestion, remarking that arrangements in connection with a national celebration wevo usually considered before '•thc-rdate cf the event. . .1* • Mr. Russell declaring himself not satisfied with this reply, the Hoa. D. Buddo made a further reference'to Ihe mattcr. It had been decided to meet all claims in which any applications had been opened oven by anliiquiry prior to June 21.- The line had to be drawn somewhere. OPUNAKE RAILWAY. Replying to Mr. Pearce, who had suggested that, having ■ visited the district during the recess, he should have an inquiry held and evidenfta taken as to tho best-route for the Opunake branch railway, tho Hon. E. M'Kenzie said:—"Two' reports have been made recently on tho routes of this railway—one in 1905 and another in 1907. As there.is evidently no .change in the condition since then, it is considered at present unnecessary to investigate the matter further." EAST COAST RAILWAY. Replying to a question by Jlr. J. V. Brown, the Hon. R. M'Kenzie dealt with tho following paragraph that appeared ill The Dojiinion of August 9:—"At a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, held this week at Hastings, Mr. A. L. D. Fraser said that he had the authority of the Minister for Public Works for stating that this year's Estimates would contain a vote of ,£1,200,000 for the East Coast Railway." The Minister said:—"l have had no conversation or communication with Mr. A. L. D. Fraser in connection with this matter. I did, however, state, in addressing a public meeting at "Wakefield, that'the estimated cost of construction of this line from Gisborne to Napier, a distance ol about 116 miles, was approximately X 1,200,000, which may under the present progressive policy of railway construction tatoe from ten to twelve years to expend, and under the less expeditious policy advocated by some members of this Houso might take from thirty to forty years before the line could be completed. Doubtless Mr. Fraser got tho amount referred to in this question from a press report of my speech at Wakefield." REPLIES IN BRIEF. The Hon. R. M'Kenzie stated, in reply to Mr. Okey, that it was not at present, intended to remove the preferential duty from the plant and machinery required for boring for petroleum. The Hon. G. Fowlds said, in reply to Mr. Herdman, that the question of amending the Magistrates' Courts Act, 1908, so as to extend the time within which action may be brought against persons who may wrongfully cause the arrest of persons about to leave NewZealand will be considered when auy amendment of the Magistrates' Courts Act is brought forward. "It is not intended," said tho Hon. G. Fowlds, in reply to Mr. Herdman, "to introduce legislation providing ail Ap'peal Board for the Police Force." In reply to Mr. Ross,_ the Native Minister stated that the Native lands lying between Woodville and Pahiatua—known as Ormond's, Montieth's and Nelson's— were prohibited against private alienation, but the Native owners had so far not agreed to accept the purchase-money offered. Also, in some cases, they urged, they required land for their own occupation and support. The block known as Tahora-iti No. 1 was also prohibited from private alienation, and meetings of Assembled owners will be held as soon as the necessary veluations have been adjusted. The Hon. D. Buddo promised, apropos of a question by Jlr. Ross, that further inquiries would be made regarding Mooro's Puketoi Estate, consisting of 3569 acres, in tho Jlakuri Gorge, as a properly for closer settlement. "The question of au adjustment of the existing tariff between this Dominion and the Commonwealth of Australia, will be considered with a view, of entering into negotiations with the Commonwealth Government during the coming recess," said the Hon. I!. Jl'lCenzie, in reply to a question. "The question of introducing; legislation authorising local authorities to issue auctioneers' licenses at rcduced fees is receiving consideration," said tho Hon. Jlr. Unddo, in reply to Jlr. Ross. The Hon. I!.. M'Kenzie said the question of authori.-ing a private company or person to construct a tramway from the Jlain Trunk railway to Kaetihi is receiving consideration. Mr. T. Jl. AVilford is to ask tho Aot-ing-Postmastc-r-Gcneral to placp a. sum on the Estimates this year to provide a post office at Eastbouraa.