POLITICAL NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXVI, Issue 20, 23 July 1903, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES.

STATE FIRE INSURANCE. One Government supporter, at any rate, fails to reaii&e the sincerity of the Government on the subject of btate fire insurance. Seven years in bucces&ion, /eaid Mr. Tanned', last night, a Bill dealing with. State Fire Insurance has been before the House, and year after year it has been simply kicked into the ' tvastepaper ba.-ket. Last year some evidence was taken on the subject by a Committee, but "what opinion the Government had formed from the information might be gathered from the reference to it in the Gov&rnor's Speech, which was as follows: — "My Ministers are of the opinion that a State Fiie Insurance Department couM with advantage to the colony be established, and that, by enabling those insuring to participate in the profits, good busine.s would en.yj-'."*Mr. Tanner chaiaet'erised this as "the most colourless statement ever laid before the House." It pledged the Government to nothing, and, in his opinion, tho Government intends nothing. FIRE-RAISING EXTRAORDINARY. Some interesting remarks on the subject of fire-raising by boys are contained in the annual report of the Commissioner of Police : —."The increase from 26 in 1901 to 66 in 1902 in the cases of arson," he says, '-appears somewhat alarming, but it is attributable to the action of two boys, aged fifteen years, who amused themselves by roaming around Auckland and setting fire- to places for the mere pleasure atlorded them of witnessing the lire brigade turn out. These two boys were the cause of no less than forty-two fires. They were ultimately aireated, convicted, and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment each. This fire-raising mania is becoming very common. Quite recently there hare been five cases, in addition to the boys named above, and in two of these cases the culprits, when caught by the police, were, at the instance of their friends, committeed to asylums' as lunatics to escape the disgrace of a conviction for arson. It is to be regretted the parents abstained so long from taking action, thereby endangering the lives and property of their neighbours. If this indifference, which is so prevalent on tho part of many parents, as to the manner in which their offspring spend their spare time, especially after working or school hours, continues, it will become a moot question if, as a matter of equity, the law should not be made to cast* upon parents responsibility for the mischievous acts committed by their children." OLD PROVINCIAL OFFICERS. The case of Captain Leach, of the Westport Harbour Board's staff, was under review by the House yesterday afternoon. Captain Leach was originally in the service of the Provincial Government, then in the General Government's service, acd lastly in the service of the Board. This session, as on several previous occasions, he petitioned the. House for £191 compensation on his retirement from, tie Government service when he entered: the employ of the Board, and the Committee, as on previous occasions, recommended the petition to the favourable consideration of the Govern-, ment. To this Mr. , Colvin moved to add "That the Government bo requested to give effect to the recommendation of tho Committse." This was opposed by the Premier, who urged that to lay down such a- precedent would involve, the colony in an expenditure of £30,000 or £40,000. The payment of compensation to officers of the Provincial Governments who subsequently came into the employ of the General Government had never been recognised. Mr. James Allen contended that the whole question should be submitted to a Committee, which, should lay down the basis on which such claims should be deaft; with. Mr. T. Mackenzie ,stated that compensation had been given in cases in which the application had been able to bring sufficient influence to bear. After some further debate Mr. Colvin's amendment was lost by 38 to 30, and the report was referred to the Government for favourable consideration. THE TOTALISATOR TO, REMAIN. Once again the House has given its verdict as to the totalisator. The machine will remain, the proposal to abolish it having been negatived last night, after a less than usually interesting debate, by a large majority— 34 to 14. The division list was as follows: — For the Bill (14)— E. G. Allen, Arnold, Bedford, Ell, Fowlds, Harding, Hogg, Jennings, Laurensou, Sidey, Steward, Tanner, J. C. Thomson, J. W. Thomson. Against the Bill (34) — ¦ Alison, Baume, Bennet, Bolland, Carroll, Colvin, Davey, Puncan, A. L. D. Frasei, W. Fraser, Graham, Hall, Hardy, Herries, Kidd, Lang, Lawry, Lethbridge, Major, Massey, M'Gowan, R. M : Kenzie, M'Lachlan, Millar, O'Meara, Parata, Pere, Reid, Remington, Russell, Rutherford, Smith, Witty, "Wood. Pairs.— For— Taylor, Kirkbride, Houston, Hall-Jones, Flatman, Vile, Aitken, T. Mackenzie, Willis. Against — Lewis, Witheford, Hanan, Field, Mander, Rhodes, Duthie, Herdman, Buchanan. ELECTRICAL TRAMWAYS. A matter of considerable interest to Wellington was brought up in the House yesterday afternoon. The authorities at Wellington, Christchuroh, and Dunedim had petitioned the House for a remission of duties payable on the appliances for the electrical tramway systems about to, be installed in those centres, on the ground that such machinery and appliances cannot be made in the colony, and the Petitions Committee expressed the opinion that these tramways are public works for the public benefit, and! recommended the Government to place a sum on the Estimates* to refund the amount of duty. Mr. Taylor, Mr. Millar, and Mr. Aitken pointed out that tlie tramways are in no sense a private undertaking, and that any profits will go for the benefit of the community as a whole. The Wellington City Council, said Mr. Aitken, decided to spend as much as possible in the colony, but the colonial tenderers for the boilers could not supply them until sis montiis later than outa-ide firms could, and the Council therefore decided to accept the tender of a Home finn in order not to delay the work. The Premier said that they could not grant these requests after a similar request had been refused to Auckland. Mr. Taylor: A private company owned by a syndicate in London. The Premier : The Uity Council has po-vver to repurchase. Mr. Aitken: Thirty years hence. The Premier went on to urge that if the principle now asked was admitted they would have to admit free all classes oi material, and unless the Customs Act was amended he should' not feel bound to accept the present recommendation as an instruction to put a sum of money an the Estimates for the remission of duly. A long discussion took place on the subject, the result being that so many members spoke that the matter was "l/ilked out" and no vote was taken upon it. • THE BILLIARD-ROOM EVIL. The so-called public billiard-rooms (says the Commissioner of Police in his annual report) are, still increasing rapidly throughout the colony, and up to the present the municipal authorities have failed to pass the necessary bylaws gilving power to regulate tliem, with the result that many of them habitually keep open until the oarly hours of the morning, and occasionally all night. Some of them also open on Sundays. In Wellington quite recently the proprietor of one ot these rooms was brought bafure the Court by tho poliqe, rluirjjed under thft l'olkfj Offense* A.ct* 1884* -with. keeßinj; Mb

place open on Sunday, but the Magistrate held that the statute did not apply, and the caie was dismissed. There ware aboui twenty young men in this saloon when the police visited it on the Sunday in question. As I have before pointed out, the large majority of these billiardrooms are the resort of spielers and other undesirable characters, who inveigle respectable young men into the rooms for the purpose of gambling.* Inspector Ellison (Wellington) strongly supports this view, remarking that "fohese places are frequented by mere boys, as well as persons of shady character. They are practically kept open all night, and often on Sundays crowds of young men assemble in them for questionable purpose?." Inspector . O'Brien (Dunedin) reports to the same effect. RAILWAY SERVANTS SUPERANNUATION. A deputation of members of Parliament representing the four centres waited on the Minister for Railways this morning with reference to the regulations under tho Railway Servants' Superannuation Act. Mr. Taylor said it seemed very clear in the Act that tho whole time served was to count, but the regulations introduced an entirely new element, and made it appear that t'ue time must be unbroken. Such a regulation really superseded the statute law. The Minister for Railways said he was advised by {he Law Officers that the regulation wiis Etrictly in accordance with the Act. He had made 65 per cent, of the temporary hands permanent, so that they might share in the benefits of the scheme, as he v*as desirous that as many as possible should participate, but to allow broken time to count was an, impossibility, and would result in breaking down the scheme altogether, and increased contributions would have to be paid by every grade. • There was something to be said for thote men who were called out during the maritime strike ; they were not altogether responsible, and he was quite l^repared to bring their case before Cabinet. But he was not prepared to make or entertain any proposal for allowing broken time to count generally. JOTTINGS. The Premier : "If I did what was asked I should be called an autocrat. * y Mr. Taylor : "You are the autocrat." Mr. Baume does not think that any person should sit on the Judicial Bench of the colony who is not appointed during good behaviour and at a salary commensurate with his work. The papers laid before Parliament in reference to the Premier's scheme for selling New Zealand meat in Government shops in the Old Country have been referred to the Industries and Commerce Committee. Lady Vogel, widow of the late Sir Julius Vogel, is petitioning the House for £2000, with interest at 5 per cent., the amount which, she \ alleges was due to Sir Julius Vogel for commission on. the conversion of a loan of £1,600,000 in, 1881. The Hon. R. H. J. Reeves objects to the Tied Houses Bill as being the wrong^ thing for a free country. Hon. J. Rigg : How can we be free whea we're tied?