POLITICAL NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1226, 7 September 1911, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES.

PROPOSED TAUPO RAILWAY. A petition Was presented to the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon from the Taupo Totara Timber Company, formulating tho company's pioposals for an extension of its railway from Putaruru to Mokai and to Taupo township. The petition asks tho House to recommend the Government-to issue an Order-in-Council empowering. tho onnpany to purchase and dispose of an area ot Native lands in tho districts to be affected by the PutaruruTaupo railway, not exceeding 200,000 acres, as an additional asset of the company, and thus enable the line to be completed and tho work of settlement in the Taupo County to bo advanced, and to extend its tramway from tho present line to lake Taupo, in tho Taupo township. - COUNTRY TELEPHONES. Mr. .Buchanan asked the PostmasterGeneral "Whether he will reduce tho yearly charge of .£4 to tiro or more subscribers on' the one wire in the conntry districts, who, ill many cases, have erected long distances of telephone-line at their own cost." The reply was that tho matter would bo considered. ' Speaking in the House, Mr. Buchanan said that tho chargo to country telephone subscribers in England was .£3, and in. Australia £2 10s. tinder tho Canadian system settlers could get advances for telephono purposes from the local bodies. He hoped the Government would introduco a short Bill for this purpose this year. Sir Joseph Ward said that tho rates quoted .were in addition to tolls or charges fcr each com- . munica-tion. The New Zealand flat rates were tho lowest in tho world. COUNTRY POSTMASTERS. ! The satisfactory condition of the postal ' revenue, disclosed by tho annual report, ; has led to a suggestion by tho Leader of : tho Opposition that, some of tho profits of the big State business should bo dis- ; tributed in the form of increased wages i to the hard-working members of the service. This afternoon Mr. Massey got notice of a proposal th'at the PostmasterGeneral should make arrangements to give moro adequate salaries to country postmasters. MR. FOWLDS. Mr. Fowlds does not seem to have found a regular place to sit in sinco he left the Government benches. Ho entered ■the chamber just after the sitting opened yesterday, and sat down, beside Mr. Poole, but Mr. Russell soon beckoned him to his side, remarking that. Mr; Lauronson, who usually sits there, was absent. It was accordingly from' that place that tho . ex-Minister ' rose" to present ono or two petitions. Ho walked out soon afterwards, and>he did not reappear duriiyr tho afternoon or evening. "' It is assumed that Mr. Fowlds will retain the prefix "Honourable," as tho right to do so is usually accorded to ono who has been a; ' Minister .for threo years or niore.' • ' A WELLINGTON BILL, The Local . Bills Committee doe 9 not Tyish.to be a party to allowing tho Wellington City Council to authorise charges for admission to . reserves. Tho clause, which was inserted in tho Wellington City Empowering and Amendment Bill for that purpose, has been struck, out by the committee, which reported the Bill to the House yesterday. The clausc, as introduced, empowered the council, under coTtain limitations, to make bj;-laws fixing reasonable charges for admission to sports grounds, zoological gardens, mu- , seums, and aquariums, owned or con- ' trolled by the council, and whether or not situated upon a public reserve. —— i STATE COAL MINES. ! A proposal .is being made by Mr. Taylor ! (Thames) that tho Government should j open a , State coal mine in the North Island, in. order that the peoplo in the j north may havo the same facilities for j obtaining cheap coal as aro enjoyed by thoso in the South Island. He suggests that, if it is inconvenient to adopt this course, the Minister for"_ Mines should open a State Coal Depot in the north. ■ HUTT RAILWAY AND ROAD. j Mr. Herdman has given notice to move ' for. the production of all plans, specifica- 1 tidns, and estimates supplied to the Gov- ! ernment in connection with the works au- < "horised by the Hutt Railway and Road ' Improvement Act. 1903. ' Mr. Luke gave notice to ask for in- 1 formation as to tho total area of land 1 reclaimed, tho area to be used for rail- ' way purposes, the area available for sale, ' the. total length of permanent way, and ■' the total length of road formation. J f SALE OF POISONS. 1 A largo number of communications have p reached Mr. F. Lawry, Chairman of the c Stock Committee, regarding ,the proposals E in the Sale of Poisons Bill. In view of the interest taken in the matter, Mr. £ Lawry has decided that he will not sub- ] . mit the Bill to tho committee for a week, •_ in order that all the comment's on .its j proposals may be considered by the com- t inittee.-. c t IS THERE A MONOPOLY? - f Mr. Fisher is apparently of the opin- » ion that, cartage for the Government in r Wellington is the monopoly of a small t number of- carrying firms. He is asking t for full details of all contracts made with- r in the last three years, and for the re&- 1 son "why' the present arrangements have 1 boen kept confidential." . 1 l I POSTAL CLASSIFICATION. j Mr. Wright asked tho Postmastor-Gen- ( era! yesterday afternoon when tho Post t and Telegraph Classification List would ■, bo presented to the House. Sir Joseph ( Ward replied that he would lay it be- i fore Parliament as soon as it was com- ( pleted, which would be before very long. ] _ . j ■ QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Mr. Newman asked whether tho Government would this session introduce legis- I lation to facilitate the construction of s light railways by private enterpriso or by c local bodies, the Government to have the 1, right to acquiro tho samo at a price to 0 be fixed by arbitration. j Tho Hon. R. M'Konzie replied that tho T Government had tho question of facilitat- c ing the construction of branch railways 0 by private enterpriso at present under j consideration. However, all tho necessary c legal machinery required to effect tho purposo mentioned appeared to bo providcd under tho District Railways Act, ;i 1903. ,■ * 1; In reply to Mr, Poland, who suggested j 1 that a Royal Commission should thorough- « ly investigate tho co-operative labour sys- g tem on public works, tho Hon. K. M'Kcn- ti zio said: "Tho Government does not at a present consider, it necessity to appoint a tl Royal Commission tc inquiro into tho co- w oporativo system of constructing public g works. Doubtless complaints will bo mado h from tinio lo timo by interested parties of waste and extravagano: on. the ono hand, and on the other hand that the men on such works aro insufficiently paid, no matter .whether the system be co-opera- s tive, day labour, or contract." k