POLITICAL NOTES.

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 October 1910, Page 3

POLITICAL NOTES.

fBY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL TO THE STAR.]

OLD SOLDIER'S CLAIMS. WELLINGTON, This Day. “We have not got the whole of the reports in from Magistrates,” said the Prime Minister to Mr Taylor yesterday, referring to old soldiers claims, “and we cannot deal with them meanwhile.” Mr Taylor remarked that it. was extraordinary to hang all the claims up for the last report to come in. Meanwhile many of the old soldiers might die. POETICAL PRESSURE. Mr Malcolm asked the Prime Minister yesterday for a ruling on the length to which he thought members might go if they desired to express their appreciation of,a member of the Defence Department. The Prime Minister said that a member could go as far as he liked, but if a member came to him and wanted an officer promoted over somebody’s head or wanted an application made the pressure would discount the chances of the man’s promotion or appointment. There was no reason why a member should not give a testimonial in the usual way. FRUIT FOR LONDON. WELLINGTON, This Day.

The Nelson shipment of apples to London, on which the Government granted a bonus, was successful, according- to a statement by the Minister of Agriculture in Parliament this morning. The weaknesses and the strong points of the method of shipment had. he said, been discovered, and the Dominion was to be congratulated upon having demonstrated that it could place fruit in marketable condition on the London market. The Government intended considering the 'wanting of bonuses to further shipments. LOW-PAID' VALUERS. Messrs Buchanan and Field called attention to the fact that only two out of 26 valuers employed by the Department obtained over £3OO a year. They said that the State was running too great a risk by underpayina its valuers, on whose reports depended the amounts advanced on the securities by the State. The Hon. Mr Buddo stated that as lnc.nl authorities had unanimously asked that the Department should continue their valuations this would be done. There were only nine valuers getting less than £290, and they were recent additions. Mr Buchanan wished to emphasise by a reduction of the vote his view that many district valuers arc underpaid. This was negatived bv 34 votes to fourteen. PROFITABLE ROTORUA. “Does Rotorua pay?” asked Mr Wright unon the vote of £42,306 for the Tourist Department. The Hon. Mr Millar said that the hnb'pee sheet showed that the town nearly •'•’id its way directly and by the people who were attracted by it to New Zealand it paid enormously.