LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 55, 29 November 1918, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

When tho Raihvnys Statement was before the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon members from all parts of (ho country took advantage of the opportunity to urge the .Minister to let them have back the railway trains (hat. had been taken from them on account of tho war reductions in (lie (inie-lable. The Minister said that now that the war was over and a number of rnilwayinen were being released from camp, it would be (he 1 desire of the Department to restore all tho facilities to the public of which they had been been deprived in the past two years. It would not be possible to do this all at once, but as soon as possible it would be done. Tho Department did not want (o have to stand the abuse which had been directed against if for any longer than was necessary, nor did sai'y losing the revenue entailed by the it want to go far any longer than noeesreduction of services.

The Government is at .'prcsonfc making inquiries in England with the object of securing for the use of fanners in New Zealand any surplus supplies of barbed and plain wire which may bo obtainable.

An alleged pi'eferenre given to a whisky cargo was tho subject of an inquiry by Mr. L. M. Isitt in'tho House of Eeprosentatives. fie asked whether Ihe llimutaka at Liverpool left cargo which had been waiting in the sheds a month and took on board whisky which had just arrived. Mr. Massey replied that the Customs Department was making inquiries, and that a report would be submitted later. Tho Hydro-Electric Power Bill, introduced in tho House of Representatives just before midnight last night, gives authority to local bodies, with the approval of the Government, Io undertake the development of water-power. The permanent Police Force in New Zealand has lost through influenza U constables and one senior-sergeant. Relief for beneficiaries from, the large fees at present payable for. the grant ing of probate on letters of small estates has been decided upon by the Minister of. Justice (Hon. T. M. AVilford). The law at .present provides that on an estate, not exceeding £20 tho fees shall be five shillings, on an estate not exceeding ifilOO- thirty shillings, and on an estate exceeding .£IOO sixty shillings- After consultation with the Judges of the Supreme Court the Minister has decided upon the following fees:—On an estate not exceeding JE2OO, five shillings; on an estate not exceeding .£SOO, ten shillings; and on an estate over 4:503, sixty shillings. Referring in the House of Representatives to the conservation of white pine problem, the Prime Minister said-.— "On August. 5 test regulations were gazetted imposing restrictions on the export of timber. The obje.ct of these regulations was to ensure that out of the timber produced in New Zealand the demands for New Zealand's requirements should be satisfied before any timber was exported. The necessary, statistics have jiow' been collected by the Board of Trade, and the quota of white pine to bo reserved by each mill for Dominion requirements lias been fixed. I propose to give full details to the House later." The 'Prime Minister declared yesterday in the House of Representatives (hat he could not adopt the very interesting suggestion of Mr. W- Downie Stew,ni'l, M.P., as it was embodied in the following question —"Whether, in view of the postponement of the general elections and of the changes in the personnel of the House and of the Cabinet since the National Government was formed, bo will submit to a ballot of the House the names of the individual members of the Cabinet in order to see whether such individual apart from the Cabinet as a whole, retain the confidence of the House, and thus also test incidentally the efficacy of the principle of an elective Executive?"

The \ Postmaster-General (Sir Joseph Ward) promised the member for Motueka (.Air. Hudson) in the House of Representatives that he would cablo to the Imperial authorities asking wjien the restriction on the dispatch of code cablegrams might be lifted. Ho said that the removal of the restriction could lie done only with tho authority of the Imperial Government, which had not yet moved in the matter as far as ha know.

Recently a pamphlet containing adverse criticism of hydro-electric undertakings was issued by Mr. Low, managing engineer of the' Auckland gas works. Mr. J Craigio (Timnru) mentioned this (pamphlet in tho Houso of Representatives, and suggested that Mr. E. Parry, the Government's Chief Electric Engineer, should be asked to reply to tho points raised before he left New Zealand. Ihc Minister of Public Works (Sir William Eraser) said ho was glad to have tho matter mentioned. Mr. Parry . had already replied most completely to the statements made by Mr. Low. Members need not be at all alarmed by any of the statements rnado by the gas engineer. The Minister added that he intended to have Mr. Parry's reply published.

The payment made to jurors was referred lo 'by the Minister of Justice (the Hon. T. M. Wilford) in the House of Representatives last night. Ho said that the matter of increasing the rate of payment was under his consideration at present, and lie was awaiting information on the subject from the Justice Department. He admitted that the amount was quite inadequate. It was true" that a juror was serving his country, and was supposed to make 'a sacrifice, but it was unfair to ask a juror to act for nn amount which could not suffice for the needs of his family.

It is announced in the Gazette, that Palmer Street and portions of Moxham Avenue and Goa Street arc exempted from the provisions of Section 117 of the Public Works Act, 1908.

The Gazette notifies that a certificate of origin and interest is required m respect of all .goods imported into New Zealand from Finland.

Tho Minister of Education has declared the Deceiving Home, Ferry Road, Christchurch, and the Industrial School, Mount Albert, Auckland, to be probation homes for children.

- The following telegram has been forwarded to the Prime Minister by tho Otago Labour Council:—"lt being authentically reported that only ono representative for New. Zealand has been invited to the Peaco Conference the Otago Labour Council vehemently protests against tho National Cabinet sending two representatives at tho country's expenso, and urgently requests that the proposal 1)0 reconsidered-"—Press Assn^

On account of tho postponement of the sailing date of tho Moana, the - Earotoii"an reinforcements, which have been located at the Lower Hull for three weeks past, will not leave Wellington until to-morrow.

The police yesterday received information from-Mrs. C. W. Nash, Main Road, Knrori, that her husband, Ernest Charleton Nash, had been missing from home from 8 a.m. on November 27. Inquiries made at places which Nash had said he was going to visit had revealed no trace of him. He had had a slight touch of jnllueiua about a week before. ' Fears are now entertained for his safety. Following is a description of tho missing man:—Age, 40 years; height, sft. Gin. or 7in.; sallow complexion, (hick black hair, rather thick-set build, wears light grey coat and vest (working clothes), dark trousers, felt hat, light overcoat, light, black lace-up boots, light shirt, soft cullar and a tic; trade, bricklaying.

Members of the House of Represent lives still show some anxiety lest the influenza epidemic may be aggravated by fresh infection from tho Makura, to arrive in Auckland in a day or l'«'«- J'i tho House yesterday Mr. Nosworthy asked the Minister of Public Health whether steps had been taken to protect the people of. the country from the spread of measles, and whether the Government had information as to the nature of tho sickness on board the ship. The Minister said Hint tho Government hud information that there was no inlluenzn on board tho Makura. It was reported that there wore some cases ot measles on board the ship. Instructions and been "ivcii that no passenger was to .bo allowed to land from the Makura until he had gone through an inhalation chamber on the ship. Any measles patients or contacts that were being landed at Aucklnnd would have to go into some institution where they could be quarantined. He wished also to add, in case something might bo said afterwards, that tho disease of measles was at present rifo in Auckland.

Now that the war is practically over and tho precautions against trespassing on Government Defence reserves are no longer nccesssirv, a strong movement is on foot which lias for its object Ihe opening of that stretch of hnrhmir-front road between Shellv Bay (on tho eastern side of IS vans Bay) and Scorching Bay (in tho entrance) (brown open to the public. If that were done, it is argued that Wellington would have, its finest motoring trip restored to it. The road would provide a splendid round trip from Wellington via Oriental Bay, Kvans Bay, Karaka Hay, Seatoun, and _ Minimal', which would be most beneficial to convalescents at the present time. The porlion of (he road referred io was closed bv the 'Defence authorities on tho outbreak of war, and the matter of its reopening is for the Minister of Defence to consider.

No. 89,71>1 I'te. E. 11. Bowery, Details, found guilty by court-martial at Trenfhani of disobeying in such a manner as to show a wilful defiance of authority a lawful command given personally by his superior officer in the. execution of his office, has been sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour for two years.

As it is understood that a number of children have been loft destitute through the death of their parents during the epidemic, (he Education Department, Indirection, of tho Minister of Education, has, through its Infant Life Protection Branch, circularised the mayors of the larger towns in tho Dominion in order to ascertain as near as possible the number of children who would require guardianship other than that of relatives. As soon as the information is available, an endeavour will be made to provide in a comprehensive, and systematic'manner for all urgent cases.

In our advertising columns Messrs. Vcitch mid Allan announce that .their premises will close at G o'clock instead of !l to-night (Friday), and asks their customers and friends to shop early.