POLITICAL NOTES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3294, 12 August 1911, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES.

“ASKING FOR BILLETS.’* AN INTERLUDE IN THE HOUSE. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, August 11. “Probably no member of this House,” said Mr. Herdman this afternoon, “could rise and declare that he had never been applied to for a Government billet.” Mr. S. W. Russell (Avon) : Can you say so? . Mr. Herdman: I have been approached time and again, but I always send them to a Government supporter—say the member for Wellington Suburbs—and tell them he will get them a billet. Mr. J. P. Luke (Wellington Suburbs) : They never mention that you sent them. CISBORNE-OTOKO SECTION. RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK. Mr. W. D. S. McDonald will ask the Minister for Railways whether anything further has been done in regard to providing additional rolling stock for the Gisborne-Otoko section of the Gisborne-Rotorua railway.

A TARIFF QUESTION. AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND. Mr. Buxton (Geraldine) will ask the Acting Prime Minister whether he will take the necessary steps to safeguard the agricultural industries of the Dominion by endeavoring to equalise the tariff between Australia and New Zealand on agricultural products.

THE COMING CAMPAIGN.

OFFICIAL LABORITES. AND SOCIALISTS.

The following official labor nominees are already announced: —Wellington East: Mr D. McLaren, M.P. Christchurch South: Mr G. R. Whiting, general secretary Bootmakers’ Federation and president Canterbury Labor Council. Christchurch East: Mr H. Hunter, general secretary Drivers’ Union. Invercargill: Mr H. J. Tarrant, president Soutland Typographical Union. Grey: Mr W. Russell, Mayor of Grey mouth. Parnell: Mr J. Mack, general secretary Raihvaymen’s Union. Other selections mil be made within the next few weeks. In Wellington the party proposes to contest every seat. In, addition to the Labor Party campaign the Socialist Party and Miners’ Federation will also he active. The two latter bodies will probably act in combination in the running of candidates. Amongst the Socialists already announced are Mr F. Cooke, in Christchurch, and Mr J. Savage, in Auckland. The Miners’ Federation talks of running Mr P. H. Hickey for Waihi and Mr P. Webb for Grey.

“HOLDING ON.”

“UNWISELY RAPID ALTERATION.”

There were some light passages in the House while Mr Fisher was twitting the Government with an unwisely rapid alienation of Crown lands. At one stage ,annoyed by hostile interjectors, the member for Wellington Central remarked that the Government had had on opportunty of hanging on to 50,000 acres at 10s 4cl an acre in the Mokau Block, and had failed to do it. Mr Witty: “They have held on to these benches long enough anyhow.”

THE PAHIATUA SEAT.

A DISSATISFIED CANDIDATE

Mr S. Bolton (says the Woodville “Examiner”) is not satisfied with, the decisions of the Reform Party in this district with regard to their selection of a candidate to run in the Opposition interest at the general election. Mr Bolton states that he will contest the election against all comers as hn independent Conservative unless Mr Masses persuades him to stand down. RAILWAY APPEAL BOARD. THE RECENT INQUIRY. In reply to Mr W. H. Field, the Minister for Railways stated: “The summary in the Wellington newspapers of the 2nd August regarding what transpired at a sitting of the Railway Appeal Board in Dunedin came unut-r my notice. The officer representing the Department did not offer the appellant a- precis of the evidence; neither was the precis of the evidence useless or misleading. The precis was transmitted from Wellington to the. appellant in accordance with the practice that has been followed from the inception of the Railway Appeal Boards. The action of the Department’s representative has the sanction of the Department; and I am not aware that any attempt was made to hamper the railway servants’ appeal before the Appeal Board. On the contrary, the Department’s representative appears to have rendered every assistance. STATE BOARDING SCHOOLS. EDUCATION MINISTER’S VIEW. The Minister of Education, in answer to Mr E. H. Taylor, stated that in his opinion; every' secondary school which has a considerable area of agricultural or pastoral land around it, should have recognised' boarding-houses where the pupils could be lodged under proper supervision at reasonable rates. The Minister suggested that the system of boarding scholarships given by the secondary schools might be extened. Fie estimated that the number of qualified country pupils left unprovidedl for would not be greater than 150, and the cost of providing board scholarships would not exceed £6OOO a year.

JOTTINGS. Sir James Carroll states that the report of the Representation Commission will be; published in the Gazette in terms of the Act without reference to Cabinet. He understands that the preparation of the plans is well forward. The defence regulations were laid on the table in the House of Representatives this afternoon. In the House of Representatives this afternoon a despatch was read from His Majesty the King to the Governor, conveying to Members of the House of Representatives his appreciation of their message of congratulations. ' “I honestly believe that tire system upon which the Maori elections, is conducted is not at all creditable either to the Government or to the members of this House.” —Mr Massey.