POLITICAL NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 15268, 21 August 1913, Page 1

POLITICAL NOTES.

[From Our Parliamentary Reporter.]

WELLINGTON, August 21. The Marine Department's annual report states that during the-year 94 inquiries into casualties to ships wore held, 86 beintf preliminary and 8 magisterial inquiries, The casualties on or near the coast of Next Zealand numbered 103, representing 45.00 C register, as compared with 10{ (46,815 tons) in the previous year. Thirty, three lives were lost, as compared Avith twa the previous year. Twenty-five of tho total were tho master and* crew of tho dredge Winchester, which left Wellington for Sydney on April 6. 1912, and has not since been heard of.

Ihe numbers of the men engaged and discharged at the various ports of tho Dominion last year total 20.554 and 20.378 resDectively. The engagements at Duncdin and Port Chalmers totalled 2,879, the discharges 3,022, the fees being £437 13?. The Church of England Trust Bill, promoted by the Anglican Bishop of Wellington, was read a first time, _ The following Bills were read a first time :—-River Boards Amendment (Hon. Mr Herdman), Land Drainage Act Amendment (Hon. W. F. Massey). Local Elections and Polk Amendment, Counties Amendment (Hon. Mr Herdman), and Science and Art (Hon. Mr Fisher). In regard to the Science and Art Bill, the Hon. Mr Fisher said that it proposed to set up a Select Committee to inquire into tho question of a site for the Dominion Museum and Art Gallery, and the constitution of a, Board of Science and Art, whose functions would includa that of dealing with liifitorical documents. Mn.ITARY TRAINING. In answer to Mr Webb, the Hon. ."J. Allen said that it was quite true that some youths had been sent from the West Coast to Ripa Island to undergo detention for failing to comply with the provisions of the Defence Act. He was not aware that » youth named Burns, who had servd a term on the island, had been rearrested on tho Lyttelton wharf and eent back for •further detention. It was quite true that a good many youths had not complied •with the law, but he did not think there were thousands of them. It was a difficult job to get hold of them, but there was no discrimination. Regarding the case of Burns, he would make inquiries. ABSURD VALUATION. During a discussion on Ministerial replies to questions, Mr Clark expressed hope that an alteration would be made in connection with the system of purchasing large estates. He cited a sale of land in the Oamaru district, and said the Government valuation was £7 15s pea - acre. Th< Land Purchase Board gave £2O an am for it, and the land was booked with another £3 an acre. It. seemed to be tho custom to call in the Government vainer, but in this ca.se the board deliberately left him out, and called in an outside man, wb<t did not know the value of the land. If a system was going to be kept in--force which was going to confer a benefit upon the landowners and penalise the tenants as iii the ca.se cited, he sincerely hoped tho Government would in something that was in the interests of the country and for the advantage of the tenant, so that hu miaht have a fair chance to make a. decent living on tho land. With regard to ths purchase referred to, he would, if he had anything to do with the man who made the purchase, give him three minutes' notice to get out of his present system.