POLITICAL NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 50, 27 August 1904, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES.

■ ■ ■ a» ■ COOK ISLANDS FINANCE. Being dissatisfied with the Government's financial methods with respect to the Islands public accounts, Mr. Duthio is asking tho Minister in charge of tho Cook Islands whether he will explain why the system of audit initiated after the defalcations of 1901 has been abandoned, and no special salary since provided for an independent auditor. He makes pointed reference to the past irregularities in thes>e accounts, and accompanies his many questions with an enquiry as to whether it hns again become the practice that others examine each other'n ' accounts ; and, if so, why such certificates are not published? He also wanta the Minister to explain whether the officers filling the positions of Postmasters, Customs officers, Registrars, and other senior positions are now men trained in the public service of New Zealand ; or, if ' not, what were their special qualifica- • tions for appointment, and. how are th« minor duties, for which salaries are vofa cd. now grouped? JUDGES' SALARIES. The Judges' Salaries Bill, introduced by the Premier yesterday, proposes to> increase the salary of the Chief Justice to- £2000, and the salaries of the five Puisno Judges to £1800 each per annum. The salaries at present are £1700 for the Chief Justice, and £1500 for each of tb.fi Puisne Judges. CHINESE IN SOUTH AFRICA. Yesterday afternoon, after the Hon. J. Rigg had led off with an anti-Chines* motion couched in hard-hitting terms, the Attorney-General gave notice in the Legislative Couucil to move : — "That this Council deeply regrets the introduction of Chinese labour into the Transvaal without the expressed and direct sanction of the white population; by vote, having first been obtained, and without responsible Government having first been* granted." By the way, tho phrase "Chineso slavery," which appeared in th« Hon- Mr. Bigg's motion, published yesterday, was objected to by the Hon. tho Speaker (Sir A. J. Cadman) as not being proper language for the Order Paper, and the mover, in deference to ths J Sppaker's exorcise of his discretion in such matters, substituted for slavery thq euphemistic term "indentured labour." A PARLIAMENTARY PICNIC. The next Parliamentary picnic will bti held on 10th September, when the Minister for Public Works, accompanied by a larga Parliamentary Party, will visit Taihap* to celebrate the opening of the Maim Trunk Line as far as that lively township. On tho 12th the visitors will ba present at the opening of the new can* tilever bridge across the Rangitikei Riven at Mangaweka. THE PLEASURES OF LIFE. The pleasures of life of country school teachers bulked largely in yesterday's d*. bate on the Education Estimates. A pant ticularly mournful case was related by Mr* Remington. The hero is a fairly young; man who has been engaged to be married! for three years, nnd who cannot afford to abandon his state of single unblessedneas. He shares a room with two otheM men in a country boarding-house, and en«> joys tlie amenities of civilisation by eH* ting gloomily in his room,at nignt after his day's work, listening to the sonms" otf his fellow-boarders. . LAW v. EQUITY. A brief debate took place in the Hourti" yesterday on the report of the Petitiouu Committee ou the petition of Mr. Gerard Mueller, who asked for a pension on account of his retirement from the position! of Assistant-General Surveyor and Coin-lnissione-r of Crown Lands for Auckland.. The Committee reported that the petitioner was only prevented by a techuicalitj 1 from receiving his pension, and it recommended that, if tho pension could not bft granted without a special Act, the* <}ova eminent should bo requested to make such, provision. The flaw in the okini of Mr. Mueller—who served under the Westlnni Provincial Government, and lias sine* served under tho Colonial Government— was that for a particular eighteen month* out of thirty-three years kis salary wa« paid by the Wellington province. In re* ply to criticisms, the Premier said <Mr. Mueller's was not an isolated case — there were any amount-, of similar case*. So fas as. the Government was ■concerned, it would like to grant Mr. Mueller n »pen« 3ion, but the law must be carried out. M*. " Kidd said that in six analogous caw» special Acts had been 1 passed -to grant pensions to persona who had leas claim than Mr. Mueller. Sir William Ruwolt said he knew of a cabe in which v man was debarred from placing his case bo-fora the Supreme Couit. He urged that 1h« Government should not stand on technicalities, and that the Supreme Court should deal with, cases like JUr. Mueller'* Sovetral other members endorsed this view. THE LICENSING BILL. Yesterday tho Premier announced thai the Licensing Bill has now been completed. It was to be submitted to Ministers for their final approval to-day, and ba hoped that it would mako its appearance in the House on Tuesday next. TO BREAK THE TRUSTS. The Trades Monopolies Prevention Bill, introduced in tho House, yesterday, is' in. the main a replica of the 'measure of last' I year. The articles which «re affected by the Bill, however, have be*n extended* to include tobacco j no doubt as a result of the recent manipulation of the tobacca trad© by the Tobacco Trust-. The defini. tion of "trad* monopoly" has also been extended in a moat important particular— ■ inasmuch ns a new sub-section has beei» added to provide that "tcade monopoly"' includes "any agreement or method of trado whereby the supply of any gooda for retail sale is restricted to any persons or class of persons, or any perse* or class of persons is precluded from pur. chasing any goods for r«t«il sale." THE CATLIN RAILWA2. A dopulation of Otago aiembsrs vrjiito ed on the Minister of Public Works thif morning rogarding the extension of the Catlm's Railway They urgou t)-o Mmister to givo the line the most favourablo consideration possible when frain* ing his Public Works Estimate*, and represented the necessity of utilising the timber availably in tlie district. Tlia Hon. Hall-Jones, in reply, said ho recognised tho importance of tho work, ' but tho /ate of progress would depend on tho amount of mnnoy available. H% would ask the Cabinet to give the matter favourable consideration, in com* * parison with other parts of the colony. JOTTINGS. "The right hon. gentleman who now has the pleasure of reading the evening paper," was tho way in which Mr. T. Maoken^w referred to tho Premier yesterday after noon. The Premier is of opinion that it woute be a danger lo allow the colony's mal« teachu's to drift away from tho service, as they have l>efcn drifting. Replying last evening to an enquiry bj Mr. l>iold, who wanted to know when tlw Government would carry out its promise to provide a training college for Wei lington, tho Premier said that the matte* was a most important one. Certain pro> posals — tho details of which he was un? able to give the House — had been mad( to the Education Committee on the sub. ject, whicn had not been lost sight of. The. teachers' classification scheme »im> ply damns' a man with originality an^ ability. — Mr. Laurenson. A large increase in female teachers if any couutry is detrimental, says Mr, James Allen. In America the great proportion of female teachers has resulted ii£ the feminising of the youth of that coutti tiy t