POLITICAL POINTS

Evening Star, Issue 19327, 13 August 1926, Page 10

POLITICAL POINTS

WORKERS' COMPENSATION (From Oor Parliamentary Report ek] WELLINGTON, August 12. The Labor Bills Committee recommended the Government to consider Mr Howard’s Workers’ Compensation Amendment Bill, as it embodies provisions of a similar nature to the proposals of the Government in respect to amending the Workers’ Compensation Act. * * * » SCENERY PRESERVATION. An important clause giving a local authority power to contribute out of its general fund a sum towards the cost of the acquisition by the Crown of any reserve, and the improvement of it, was added to the Scenery Preservation Bill during its passage _ through committee to-day. The addition was made on the motion of the Minister in Charge of the Scenery Preservation Department (Mr M'Leod), who explained that the clause did not give the power to a local body to borrow for tho purpose mentioned. * * " LIQUOR IN KING COUNTRY. The Public Petitions Committee of the House has no recommendation to make on tho petition of 5,955 residents who sought legislation granting the inhabitants of tho King Country tho right to vote on the subject of License or No-licensc. Tho committee adopted this course as it was a matter of policy. *- * * * CONTROL OF GOVERNMENT STORES. Tho expenditure on supplies bought for the State departments by tho Stores Control Board last year amounted to £-1,690,000. Tho policy of preference to local and British industries has been continued, and appreciation of the policy has been expressed by many firms and commercial organisations. There is no doubt that tho board’s policy in this respect has been of great assistance to both local and British manufacturers (states the department’s annual report), .which shows that standardisation of requirements is aimed at. Another activity is an endeavor to secure uniformity of method in ascertaining the cost of motor vehicles. Various departments own over a thousand motor vehicles, of which approximately half are owned by the Post and Telegraph Department. Although most of tho departments have kept a record of running - and maintenance expenses, there has been no uniformity, with the result that the same make of car running under approximately tho same conditions has shown widely varying costs.

* •* * o A POLITICAL JIBE. , Ostensibly asking a question, Mr J. A. Lee (Auckland East) threw a political brick in his query to tho Prime Minister whether many of the details of tho report of the expensive Railways Commission are as unreliable as those details reforing to a train ferry across Cook Strait? * -» -x- ■» COMPENSATION CLAIM.

The Public Petitions Committee made no recommendation concerning the petition of James Callaghan, of Green Island, seeking compensation for loss through tho sale of Ids land to a returned soldier.