POLITICAL NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1253, 9 October 1911, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES.

THE END OF THE SESSION

None of tho measures required to givo effect to the proposals of the Budget has yet been circulated, and the general opinion .of members is that few, if any, of them will bo submitted to Parliament this session. Towards tho close of last session the Prime Minister definitely stated that there would not be a great mass of legislation to lie put through this year. He said it was not to be suggested that the Government would bring down a largo number of Bills, in view of the very fine programme that Parliament had carried through in the middle session, with its record of 132 .Government, local, and private measures placed upon the Statute Book. Sir Joseph Ward forecasted that tho final session would last about six weeks or, at the outside, two months. That estimate has already been exceeded,' as Parliament has now sat foT ten weeks. When members assembled in Wellington in July they looked forward to twelve weeks' sojourn, but it is probablo that they will not bo relieved from attendance at the House until the early hours of Saturday, October 28. There is little prospect that the business of tho session will bo disposed of within tho next fortnight, as many members who are anxious to return to their electorates are hoping. Old Parliamentary hands agree thai fhrei weeks art, necessary to bring the programme to a close. Only casual mention has yet been made of sittings on Mondays and Saturdavs. but it is not unlikely that members w'ill bo asked to meet on the six working days of the last week. PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. Departmental officers have been extremely busy lately upon the preparation of the Public Works Estimates, and it is anticipated that tho Hon. R. M'Kenzie will present his Statement early this week. Interest will centre in the Minister's proposals for expenditure on new railways, and it is expected that some imporiant announcements will bo made regarding tho development and application of electrical energy. ESTIMATES CONCLUDED. After The Domdtcon closed its columns on Saturday morning, the following votes were passed without amendment;— State Coal Mines, Scenery Preservation, Government Life Insurance, Government Accident Insurance, Public Trustee, State Fire' Insurance, and Native Lands Settlement. This concluded the Estimates, and tho House rose at 2.55 a.m. A COINCIDENCE. Tho Hon. A. T. Ngata replied to a question b\- Mr. Fisher on Saturday morning that the Government Accident "Insurance Department had not joined the association of companies which maintain a uniform scale of premiums. "The rates are tho same?" asked Mr. Massey. "Yes," replied Mr. Ngata. "That is a coincidence," said Mr. Fisher. PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE. When the Public Trust Account was being considered in Parliament early on Saturday morning, Mr. Fisher commented on the fact that there were no regular agencies in Palmerston North or Alasterton, any business in these towns being carried out by agents who were not Departmental officers. This, he considered, was an undesirable state of affairs. The work in these towns was of sufficient importance to warrant the establishment of a regular agenoy, and tho Department should encourage its officers by appointing them to positions of this kind.. Mr. Fisher mentioned that at Hawora, a much smaller (own than thoso ho bad referred to, an agent of tho Public Trustee was stationed. The Hon. A. T. Ngata, who was in charge of tho Account, did not entertain the suggestion. He stated that at Hawora a great amount of Native business was transacted. This accounted for an agent being stationed in that town and not in others of larger 6ize.

EDUCATION OF PRISONERS. Tho gaoler at Invercargill writes:—"l am pleased to state that tho system introduced last year by way of experiment of transferring youths to this prison and providing special facilities for their improvement educationally still continues, and has been attended by markedly good results, the average number attending school being 30. Tho usual standards aro observed, and every youth under twentyfive must attend until he can pass fbe Fourth Standard. After having done so attendance at school is optional, but every youth who has passed is encouraged to hke up some snecial line of study. Quite- a number avail themselves of the opportunity, and they are placed in an advanced class. The subjects taken up are . chemistry, shorthand, electrical engineering, music, physiology, and at least one is studying for his B.A. degree. Some aro continuing their studies by tho help of the usual text-books, while several have with ycur permission becomo pupils of the International Correspondence Schools. School is held on three cveninga per week for two hours; 5.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. bcins devoted to lessons, while from 7.30 to 8 p.m. is employed at physical drill. The ordinary school routine is 'folbwel, including the usual homo lessons. As a proof of success I might state that quite a number of the older prisoners havo asked to be allowed to attend school. On the other hand, quite a number of tho .younger prisoners aro decidedly averse to attending, and those most in need of tuition aro usually amongst the number who have to be given to understand that attendance is compulsory. In all cases where a youth is sent to Invercargill a full report accompanies him ,in which his deficiencies and the best means of remedying them are sot out. I am therefore at once placed in a position which materially assists me in obtaining tho best results. This work can be extended and carried out under much better conditions when the new schoolroom now nearing completion is occupied."

LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL. Unless it is being saved up as a surprise packet for the last days of the session, the long-promised Local Government Bill will not make its appearance before the legislators leave for their homes. This Ministerial promise of a better ordev of tilings has become invested with fragile charms like those of tho rainbow, but, like that phenomenon, it always reiLiins unapproachably distant. Remarks- made by the Prime Minister an hour before, the House rose last year have acquired au amusing interest' during the last few weeks. "We shall have before us next session a Local Government Bill," he promised, "and I have no hesitation in saying that when the House sec that Bill they will insist that it is one of the Bills that should bo put before the country before being given effect to ._ . .for the reason that it will contain important policy proposals that will affect this coun■trv for all time. For that reason the consideration of the Bill by Parliament should not be hurried. Apparently with t view to avoiding an undesirable lmvry, the Prime Minister is going to postpone tho introduction of the Bill for another vear.

WORKERS' COMPENSATION. The Hon. A. Ngata. stated, while the Government Insurance Account wtajj dealt with in Parliament on Saturday morning, that the Department had met about 1000 claims during tho past twelve months in connection with workers compensation cases, and that in only about three instances bad there been occasion for the claimants to go to a lawyer, so far as tho Department was concerned. This was in reply to Mr. Fisher, who had stated that workers were sometimes compelled to waste a large proportion of tho monov received by them as compensation in expenses, or, in the alternative to come to terms more satisfactory to the Department than to themselves., Mr. U. M'Laren, M.P., remarked that industrial unions usually enforced compensation claims, on behalf of their members, without expense to the claimants.