POLITICAL KOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 34, 9 August 1905, Page 5

POLITICAL KOTES.

A POINT SCORED. The Premier was absent from the Chamber for a few minutes yesterday afternoon, and something happened which he- did *iot like. Mr. Jas. Allen asked leave trf lay on the tablo the letter writtea by Sir John Hall to the Christchurch Pi-ess, which was published also in the other papers of the colony, denying that he or his colleagues used the "memo" system for domestic messages. That passed off quite simply, leave was given, -Mr. Allen read the paper and so got its contents into Hansard, and then he suavely moved that it be printed. The Ministers present had nob had a word to say on the subject so fur, but the Premier arrived just at that moment, and asked if leave had been given to lay the paper on the table. "Yes," was the reply. "It wouldn't have been given if I had been here," huffishly remarked the Premier, and the House, amid laughter, ordered that the ofiending paper be printed. ASYLUM ATTENDANTS. The condition of things as far as asylum attendants are concerned is, according to Mr. T. Mackenzie, very little improved. Changes in the staffs are, he told the House last night, still of very frequent occurrence, there is no uniformity of salaries and allowances, and the employees asked that they should be given equality of treatment, and allowed to know the maximum position they might 'attain in the service. The Minister in charge of Mental Hospitals (Hon. W. Hall-Jones) said from conversations he had had with employees they were satisfied with the recent increase of salaries, and he did not think that there was any large number ot employees leaving the service. The pay of the artisan was being gradually adjusted. ADVANCES TO SETTLERS. A Bill to consolidate the Government Advances to Settlers legislation was brought down by Governor's Message yesterday, and read a first time. Several amendments to the existing law are proposed. One is that the Department shall be administered and managed "under the direction of the Minister." Another proposed amendment is that the Advancesto Settlers Account shall be charged, "without further app'-n^iation than this Act" (which means that\he payments will not come up for discussion on the Estimates) the costs and expenses incurred in raising the loans raised for the purposes of the Act, interest, any moneys required by the Colonial Treasurer for the redemption of short-dated debentures in respect of moneys so raised, all moneys required 4o be advanced on mortgage, sinking fund, and the expenses of management.- Provision is also made for the establishment of a sinking fund, by putting aside onetenth of the interest received on advances, and the sinking fund is to be reinvested on mortgage. The limit of advances on leasehold property is increased to threefifths. In regard to fixed loans, it is provided that the mortgagor may at any time repay any sum not less than £5 in reduction of the principal sum. ' Another provision is that the Land Board shall not, without tho consent of the Superintendent, forfeit or cancel the mortgagor's title for breach of conditions, or accept any surrender, without giving the Superintendent at least three months' notice. Notwithstanding forfeiture, cancellation or surrender, the mortgage will remain a, first charge on the improvements. A report on the position of the Office is to be presented to Parliament within fourteen days after the commencement of each session. Unpaid instalments of mortgage may be sued for by the Superintendent. AN EX-CONSTABLE'S CLAIM. Ex-Constable John Howley is petitioning the House for compensation and relief. His case is that one Janes Kepnedy was charged on 27th February last with keeping a brothel, on the strength of a report made by petitioner and other police officers. The case against Kennedy was dismissed, and petitioner and Constable Gibson wgfe charged with perjury, but found not guilty. Petitioner was asked to resign from the force, and did so. He claims that he acted in good faith, and that he was honourably acquitted by a jury, and that thprefore he is entitled to costs and compensation. GOVERNMENT ADVERTISING. Replying to Mr. Massey-last night, * the Premier denied that any partiality had been shown in the distribution of the Government advertising. Ministers did not know anything nbout the advertising ; it was left to heads of depaitments. His own opinion was that there was too much advertising by -Government, and the cost was becoming too heavy. Following up this statement, Mr. Hawkins gave an instance of alleged favouritism in regard to Government advertisements. Before he became a member of the House, he said, Government advertisements were, on the score of economy, withdrawn from the Pahiatua Herald, of which he was then the owner. Then ho was returned to the House, the paper passed out of his hands, and in a very few weeks the Government advertisements were again returned to the Herald. Further, he said, only recently another paper had been started in Pahiatua, that beslavered the present Administration. That paper was placed upon the list of papers •to which Government advertisements were to be sent before tlie first issue appeared. Why? Because ■it was a Government paper pure and simple. When the public money was used to pay papers for beslavering tho Government, it was time for members to speak out. A MINISTER REBUKED. For the second time in his Ministerial 'experience the Minister for Customs has had to undergo the unpleasant experience of a publio rebuke at tho hands of his political chief. The fact that he charged the colony 30s a day by way of travelling allowances while he was on the Mapourika trip has already been made the subject of comment, and' the matter was referred to by Mr. Mots last night. Hiß point was that such, ■allowances were only chargeable wihsn Ministers were travelling within the colony, and that the Minister had no right to charge £75 for his trip in the Mapourika to Tahiti and Samoa, which were outside the colony. The Premier said if he had been the Minister the amount would never have been charged. A mistake was made in charging that amount against Ministers' travelling allowances. Later on. the Minister for Customs, in the Premier's absence, said he intended to go into the matter fully on another i occasion before tho close of the sesI sion. THE BUTTER INDUSTRY. A deputation comprising members fromi pll parts of the colony waited upon the Minister for Lands last night with a request for a reconsideration of the Government's resolution to withdraw the subsidy of 2d' per caso paid for the cool storage of butter. Tho deputation repiesented that the withdrawal of the subsidy might prejudicially affect the dairy industry. Tho Minister, in reply, said that tho eubsidy had only boen continued from last year 'because there had been a slump in the butter market. Those interested in tho industry had then agreed that if tho subsidy were continued' for a year they would bo quite content then to let it lapse. The butter industry was now in a flourishing condition, and there was no case whatever to causa the Government to reconsider its determination. He was of opinion that the cold slorago rate of 7d ,\vns too high, and it should be reduced to 5cL.