POLITICAL NOTES

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 99, 23 October 1913, Page 4

POLITICAL NOTES

"DAVEY'S AISLE" "I'll steer my barque through Davey's aisle," is a line which the Wellington passenger and conductor ' will be able to say or sing, according to one wag. By a peculiar turn of fortune's wheel, one of the quietest members of the House of Representatives, Mr. T. H. Davey, of Christchurch East, has been lifted into the public eye, and he Beems disposed to blush at finding himself famous, in a new word, "Daveyise." At least, he submitted modestly during debate that he had not sought praise at any time since 1911, when his clause for the interior passage first agitated the Wellington City Corporation. This ,was in reply to a suggestion — as he understood the words — by Sir Joseph Ward that Mr. Davey believed himself entitled to sole credit for the reform. At the conclusion of his speech 'the Leader of the Opposition did give praise to th© pioneer work done by Mr/ Davey, and added : "I don'tknow whether a compliment extended from me is acceptable or not ; that is a matter of indifference to me." *In a personal explanation, Mr. Davey mildly objected to the "little sting which he had not deserved." The incident seemed to reveal some slight "feeling" between Sir Joseph Ward and one of the Liberal Party. A QUEER DEDUCTION A grave member of the " Reform " Party, Mr. Bradney (Auckland West), has found— to his satisfaction — an objection to municipal enterprise. He said, gloomily, in the House that he had been charged a penny for a short ride to Thorndon Station and threepence for a bag which he carried on his knee. 'His complaint implied a belief that this one incident was an unanswerable argument against public ownership of tramways. ACQUISITION OF LAND The Lands Committee, reporting on the acquisition of the fee simple of renewable leases in Hetana Hamlet, reported that it was of the opinion that the State has received full value for its interest in the land, as proved by the Valuation made by_ the most competent land valuers obtainable, and that the statements made by several newspapers to the effect that £30,000 worth of land had been parted with for £3000 had no -foundation in fact.