POLITICAL NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXVI, Issue 45, 21 August 1903, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES.

THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT. The Labour Department came under review in the Hou&e yesterday afternoon. Mr. Taylor led off with an attack on the Department, which he regarded as a most excellent department for the ofiicials connected with it. The Trades and Labour Councils in their annual reports condemned the Labour Bureati, and complained that it did not get the statistical information which it ought to get. The amount of independent labour distributed by the department was practically nil, und he urged that the department did not give a real value for the money spent upon it. It cost many thousands of pounds a year, and the supervision of the factories was far from satisfactory. Several members spoke on the subject, and then the Premier, who holds the portfolio of Labour, Replied, urging that- the department had done its work economical^-. A. good deal of the expense incurred in sending men* to -work was recovered from the men, and the department also receives about £2000 in fees under the Factories Act. The Government proposed to extend the work of the department, and the House would be asked to give the department power to collect the statistics which it cannot now. collect THE BUSH LANDS BILL. The Lands Committee yesterday reported its decision with regard to the Bush and Swamp Crown Land Settlement Bill, which, it will be remembered, the Speaker referred to the Committee after its second reading, in opposition to the desire of the Premier. The Committee "returned the Bill to the House, having no recommendation to make." In presenting the committee's report, Mr. Hogg, the Chairman, said he disagreed with it. When the Bill reached the Committee, he said, the Minister for Lands moved that it be returned to the House, the Committee having no recommendation to make. To that an amendment was moved by Mr. Harding that consideration of the Bill be deferred until the next meeting. The amendment was lost by five votes to eight, the voting being : "or the Amendment — Messrs. Harding, Hogg, Lang, J. W. Thomson, and Vile ; Against — Hon. T. Duncan, Messrs. Bennet, Platman, Hall, Lawry, R. M'Kenzie, M'Lachlan, and Wood. ■ Mr. Duncan's motion was then put and carried. Mr. Hogg went on to say that his reason for dis° senting from the report of the Committee was simply this : that in accordance with the order appointing the Committee they were supposed to "consider all Bills and petitions affecting the lands of the Crown, and to report generally upon the principles and provisions they contain." Now, in the present instance, this Bill had not been considered, and in his opinion the Committee had not carried out either the mandate of the House or of the Speaker, who Had referred the Bill to the Committee as "a Bill affecting the waste lands of the Crown." The Minister for Lands said his object in moving that the Bill be referred, back to the House was that it should be proceeded with without delay, more especially as it had been read, a second tims by the He-use after a long debate, without a single dissentient. At this point the Premier left the Chamber, and the Junior Whip, Mr. Flatman, "talked out time" for the remaining ten minutes. The matter will in all probability come up again at an early date, as until the report of the Committee is adopted the Bill remains off the Order-paper. COST OP LABOUR BUREAUX. There are at tJie present time 187 labour bureaux in the colony, and the amount of salaries paid to In®2>ectors and other officials of the Labour Department is £4374, exclusive of amounts paid for extra clerical assistance and bonuses to police officers acting as Inspectors. For the rent and cleaning of offices £145 was paid during. the year ended 31st March last ; the expenses of administering the Factories and Shops Act totalled £140 ; steamer and railway fares of Inspectors and agents amounted to £570, and the travelling expenses of inspectors, agents, and others were £595. The expenses of inspecting shearers' accommodation amounted to £173 ; firing and lighting cost £14, stationery £13, and sundry accounts, such as for typewriters, bicycles for inspectors, stores, etc.. totalled £260. THE COUPON SYSTEM. The coupon system in vogue among shopkeepers in all parts of the colony was the subject of a discussion in the House yesterday afternoon. A number of petitions for and against the system had been considered by the Petitions Committee, which reported that it had no recommendation to make. Mr. Taylor spoke strongly against the system, which he regarded as in the nature of a lottery, while Mr. Fowlds took the opposite view, and considered that it would be political tyranny to prohibit it by legislation. The Minister for Justice could not see any evil in a system under which a coupon, by way of discount, was given for each article purchased. Mr. Hanan regarded the system as being a means to some extent of imposing upon ignorant people, and he declared that there are complaints about it from the North Cape to the Bluff. On his motion the House by 37 votes to 18 referred the report back to the Committee for further consideration. OVERWORKED. Mr. Houston thinks it strange that we cannot frame such a Bill as the Shipping and Seamen's without .having the Minister or the Governor-in-Council doing all the work. He fears the Minister will be "kept up o' nights." It is too much work "for any Minister to take upon himself, and he sympathises with the Minister. The next Minister might be an old man, and too much work might bring him to an untimely grave. Mr. Houston seemed to bit every nail except the big one — that peg by which every means of power and patronage is firmly nailed to the door of the Cabinet or it first cousin "the Governor-in-Council." MARLBOROUGH REQUIREMENTS. v A Marlborough deputation, including the Mayors of Picton and Blenheim, waited on the Premier and the Minister for Public Works yesterday with a request for various local works — the pushing of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, improvement of the wharf at Picton, a Harbour Board at Picton, improvement of Wairau River, and a Harbour Board at Wairau. In effect the Premier said the railway would not be pushed on till the land was acquired, because the pushing on of the railway enhanced the price winch private owners required of the Government, as illustrated in the case of the Flaxbourne Estate. Also, the Government expenditure on the suggested improving works could hardly be made, as the amount for public works is being kept hard down. The Premier did not object' to the creation of local bodies with added powers, as such a thing relieved the Government of responsibility and expenditure. NO TIME FOR TRADES COUNCILS. Judging from some remarks he made in the House yesterday, the Premier, to use a colloquialism, " has not much time for the Trades and Labour Councils." Mr. Taylor, in attacking the Labour Department on the ground that it did not fulfil the functions it was expected to fulfil, quoted the Trades Councils as having condemned the Department for not collecting certain statistical information. In reply to this the Premier " went for " the Trades Councils, remarking that in none of its legislation had the Gov ment been advired by those bodies, v o, he declared, looked upon themselves as superior to Parliam°nt, while each Qouu-

cil contained three or four Ministers in its ranks. (Laughter.) It would be much better if the Trades Councils would deal with the matters of which they had knowledge, instead of becoming simply political organisations. He went on to say that he had got on very well with the Trades Councils, but he was surprised that an attack on the Labour Department should come from that source. It would show the officers of the Department that they could not expect much gratitude from that quarter. STATE COAL FOR THE STATE. The first instalment of coal from the State coal mine has arrived here, and is now being experimented 1 with in the precincts of Parliament. The Minister for Mines has had half a ton sent up there, and yesterday it was being burned in the fires in the lobby, while a trial of it has been made for cooking purposes at Bellamy's. The coal burns clearly and brightly, and members express themselves very pleased with its apparent qualities. • "KING" MAHUTA. Petitions still continue to arrive froni the Maori people protesting against Mahuta being gazetted as "King." The latest comes from the Arawa tribe, and in the course of it they say : "It would not be right to publish in the Gazette that Mahuta is the King of all the Maori people in New Zealand. On no account do such a thing as that ; but puonsh it in this manner, that Mahuta has entered the Parliament of New Zealand as member for the hapus of Waikato alone. . .#. 'As we look upon the matter this is a direct trampling by Waikato upon the kingship of King Edward VII., who is themana in New Zealand at the present time. . . . And we also further say, do not appoint Mahuta to be the head of all the Councils of all the Maori tribes in New Zealand. But appoint him as adviser to the Waikato Council alone ; the same as other Rangatiras who have the right to instruct or advise each the Council of his own individual district." LAisD FOR SETTLEMENTS. The annual report of the Land Purchase Inspector {Mr. A. Barron) under the Land for Settlements Act was presented to Parliament yesterday. During the year ended 31st March, * about 150 properties were offered for sale, aggregating 740,871 acres. The Board dealt with 108, and recommended the purchase or exchange of 59, containing 404,426 acres. Negotiations were completed with the owners of eleven estates, containing 29,910 acres, which cost £142,460, and eight estates, containing 82,696 acres, valued at £208,708, were acquired, but not wholly paid for within the year. The estates wholly paid for during the year are : Argyll (Milboume and Te Reinga), Hawkes Bay, Spotswood, Taranaki, Linton, Longbush, and Tablelands, Wellington ; Kokatahi, Weptland ; Ecclestqn, Mead, Chamberlain (Opawa), and Squires, Canterbury ; Windsor Park and Duncan, Otago. The total completed purchases for the year comprise fourteen estates, containing 69,273 acres, which cost £349,452. Besides these negotiations were completed for the Biekerstaffe Estate (Colbeck's), Auckland ; Wigan (Takapau), Hawkes Bay ; Normandale (Western Hutt), Wellington ; Annan (Highfield), Canterbury ;. and St. Helen's (Kenton), Otago. For workmen's homes and small farms near towns two properties were purchased and opened for lease, with rather disappointing results. The properties purchased last year, and offered for lease during the year, also failed to find 'anything like full occupation. The Inspector says : " I believe workmen find it more convenient to live near their work, and that few care to undertake the trouble or cost of living out of town unless there? are frequent, rapid and cheap means of communication," The following is a summary of the transactions of the Land for Settlements Acts to 31sfc March last: Purchased or exchanged and opened for selection, 497,683 acres, prime cost £2,250,961 ; paid for, but not opened for selection, 42,990 acres, prime coßt £215,818 ; purchased, but not paid for or opened, 60,152 acres, prime cost £208,708; total, £600,825 acres, , prime cost £2,675,487. Under negotiation, 320,638 acres, prime cost £1,038,160. The income for the year amounted to £120,967, and the outlay, for interest on money borrowed vis £93,599. There are also 19,544 acres not yet let, -valued at £3401 yearly, and 8338 acres taken up by roads and reserves, from which no revenue was derived. The result of the year's operations shows a profit of £27,369. The accumulated and invested credit balance up to the end of the year is £117,546, besides tincollected rents on 31st March last, amounting to £10,489, but a considerable part pf which has since been received. The arrears are "principally in Taranaki, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Marlborough, and Southland, the greatest being in Hawkes Bay, but three large estates account for more than half of the whole indebtedness. JOTTINGS. "I've got a boat of four or five tooa I use nqw and again. I'll put a match to it if this becomes law. I can't afford a. certificated master." — Mr. Houston on the Shipping and Seamen Bill. Mr. Houston: What is a ship? Mr. Millar: A ship is any vessel not propelled by oars. Mr. Houston : That is not according to Webster. Mr. Millar: No, but it is according to the shipping Law, which is of much more importance in this question. The Carterton Post Office will be opened on Monday. Several members of Parliament have decided to attend the ceremony. Parliamentarians have formed a Savage Club, which will give concerts on offnights. The Hon. J. Carroll is president, the Hon. .Mr. Carncross and Mr. Herries vice-presidents, and Mr. A. L. D. Fraser secretary and treasurer. "The Labour Department in my district has been useful in providing work for the scallywags from Australia, but no honest hardworking settler could find employment. If the Department has cost little, it has cost as much as the benefits it has given are worth. — Mr. Symes. The Premier yesterday threatened to keep back returns till the end of the session if every time formal returns were presented a lengthy discussion was to follow. 'Ihe Premier {referring to Mr. Taylor's complaint about the Labour Department) : The hon. gentleman in his attack showed a gross ignorance in respect to this matter. Mr. Taylor : If you want to save time you had better be civil. The Premier: I know that the Estimates have yet to be considered.