POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 14185, 9 October 1909, Page 5

POLITICAL GOSSIP.

[From Otm Paeuamkktart Reporter.]

WELLINGTON, October 9.. THE MILLION LOAN. _ No information has been given ns officially respecting the million and a-quarter loan authorised' last session,” remarked Mr W. P. Massey on the Imprest Supply Bill. “I have been given to understand that half a million was raised locally, and that two further sums of half a million each were obtained by the Prime Minister when in London. I should like to know at_ what cost, rate of interest, price obtained, and the term of the loan.” The Prime Minister ; “There was discount on the money sent out from London, the advance of the million was at par at 3/ rr cent., the term is not yet fixed. Later want to deal with the whole matter. There was discount and no brokerage, and the amount was at par.”—(Hear, hear.)

PARTY AND COMMITTEES. After the tabling of a record number of departmental reports, the setting up of committees was satisfactorily got through yesterday. All committees consist of ten members, and the Prime Minister stated that an effort had been made to provide that no members should be on too many committees, and that all members should be on at least one committee; also that both parties should have fair representation on each committee. The Opposition members _ expressed appreciation of tho Prime Minister in including Mr Massey’s name on the Public Accounts Committee, as well as those of Messrs Allen and Fraser. The Opposition, however, complained that Messrs Fraser and Herries had been omitted from the Mines Comimtttee (on which the only Opposition member nominated is Mr Anderson). Mr Allen suggested that these omissions, following on that of his own some time back, indicated a desire on the part of the Government to eliminate Opposition members from that Committee. The Hon. R. M ;r? nz * e out that there had been nothing personal in these omissions, which were the natural result of a reduction in number from seventeen to ten. A QUIET BEGINNING. The Imprest Supply Bill was brought down shortly after the House reassembled after the dinner adjournment. Mr Mander opened the debate with a disquisition on the deviation of the North Island Railway, and this subject practically monopolised discussion until the House rose unexpectedly 10.20—after passing the ivoo JwT VW granted amounted to £722,000, of which £450,000 is to come out of the Consolidated Fund and £200,000 out of the Public Works Fund, the balance being out of the various minor Government accounts. From the nature of the discussion, which did not reveal the acrid cnticism supposed to bo secreted about certain sections of the House, it is to be presumed that members are waiting for the Address-m-Reply debate as the medium for airing their grievances.

IMMIGRATION. The emigrants embarking for Australia and -New Zealand are much superior in physique and stamina to those proceeding either to U.S.A. or Canada, which points to the conclusion that the coming race of New Zealanders and Australians bid fair to be the pmk of the British Empire.” So said Dr Spooner, after inspecting the passengers on the Morayshire before she sailed from Liverpool in October, 1908, on behalf ot the Immigration Department. The exr^w° CCUrS ? J that department’s annual report, presented to Parliament yesterday. March 0 ntf the year ended if 4 i 953 . s< ! uls reo6 i ve d passages fnr + l ? te f’- i belng an average of 105 a eh of the forty-seven steamers. Their capital totalled £96,056. Australasia re- ™ added immigration owing to reports concerning Canada. Besides the assisted immigrants 712 i whoTh A^ red f ? m BTitain - some’ of lo™ of tiT - travellin g eonces- “ ,n of assisted immigrants, there 32 wives and 826 children of men who had preceded them to New Zealand.

NO-LICENSE AREAS. A return presented to the House of Representatives on the motion of Mr Laurensqn shows that the total number of convictions for offences in the Ashel<f torat -° 0 K? 1901-02 was 230; in 1902-03 it was 215; in 19034)4, it was 123; and in 1904-05 it was 120. The conf<?L drunkenness were 88, 95, 21, to? he f0l oon yearE - 1116 summonses for debt were 299 m the first year of w 6 / cond ’ 384 in the relating to the Invercargill Court shows that for all offences in IM4-06 numbered 810, with 29 committals, and m 1906-08 they numbered 843, with 22 committals. Convictions for drunkenness fell from 313 in the first biennium to 189 in the second. During ontJdt° yea n! after No- 1108 " 6 ® came into operation there were 163 cases of drunkonnes in which the supply of liquor DiKf+i raCelb ° H eouTcee outside the Pro- ■ Tn ono 0860 the liquor was obtained within the area. Of 941 offences of all kinds, 728 occurred within the G™ 213 onteide - Seventy Prohibition orders were granted against persons residing in. Invercargill, and 28 against persons residing outside the district THE LATE CHIEF VETERINARIAN Z^larNi ’? H e Chief Government A... Gilruth, now Y et<H ', lnaT .V Science for the Melbourne University, has petitioned Parliament to grant him an adequate sum of money by way c f compensation for loss W PPO1 r nfcm - ent , ln Sonth Africa and toss of professional prestige, which by of a former Government he was prevented from obtaining. When petitioner was appointed Chief Veterinarian understood that the appointment was to 1 bo terminable by the Government or by petttioner at three months’ notire. In Ik u Government forwarded through the New Zealand Government an offer to petitioner of an appointment as Fh-mcipal Veterinary Surgeon of the pTnm • •° <3 ? r " n ? ont ' at a salary of £I,<XX). nsmg to £1,200 per amium. The ° f te transmit the said offer to petitioner, and in consreuenre he did not receive the i said appointment. I VARIOUS EXPENSES. , ib>ms of expendi-' tnre are detailed m the return known as DL The following may be mentioned , Honorarium paid to Sir Robert Stent, i £1 x N f al T 6 m Lands Commission, veiw ; n* Mr A ' , T - N * ata > £709; travelling allowances for Native Land Com- ; mission Sir Robert Stent £SBO, Mr A. ! T. Ngata £269; travelling expenses for tec some gentlemen aggregated £73, and travelling allowances for the officers cf £ S92: there is an item of £177 for translating the reports into Moon; a snm of £447 was paid to Mr A. L. D. Fraser while acting as Native Adviser to the Commission, being allowanre and travelling expenses; the total cost of the Commission was £5.137. The Welling allowances of Ministers totelled nn’oXV the,T travelling expenses £2,224. Allowances and expenses of to Ministers amounted 1 . .the expenses in connection with the vwut of the American Fleet, not including £3,500 paid to the Reception Committee, totalled £5,760; the cost of the banquet to the Admiral and officers the military review £1,094. There is ako an item of £122 ter the album presented to President Eooseveldt. An item of £214 is charged for payment of special trains for membf® ° f Parliament attending the visit of the Fleet on the Manawatu Railway. A eum of £SOO was paid to the Hon. V. Hall-Jones to cover travelling expenses to London.