POLITICAL NOTES

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 30 September 1925, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES

JOTTINGS FROM THE HOUSE.

DEAR BRAN AND POLLARD. / AN EXPLANATION, FROM OUR PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER. WELLINGTON,‘ Sep. 30. Some figures relating -to the price of bran and pollard 'before and after the last agreement with the wheatgrowers were quoted :in the House to-day by Mr. Sidey, who asked the Minister for Agriculture if ho, considered the present prices’of brail; -polLa'rd were justified, when flour was; with the Minister’is ccinCurrence, reduced by £1 per ton. The price of bran was £6 and pollard £7, font on tine price of flour being reduced' the price of bran was raised to £8 10s and pollard to £9 lCis. In the interests of the poultry industry, Mr. Sidey suggested that- if the Minister, on investigation,.was not satisfied that the present prices were justified, would he secure reductions in ■bran and pollard. The Minister for Agriculture replied that when., the agreement was made by the millers to d pay an increase of fivepetnce per bushel to the wheatgrowers, it was only possible to -reduce the price of flour by raising the price of bran and pollard. The whole position was looked into and outside competitive prices .examined at this time, and the Government was satisfied that the position was satisfactory and the prices were ieasonafole. To keep the price of flour down and to pay 5d more for wheat, the only course was to pub up the price of bran and pollard. HALF-CROWN PENSION INCREASED.

* On the motion of Mr McCombs (Lyttelton), a return has been presented to Parliament showing that the number of. old age pensioners in receipt of the. extra 2s 6d a week, as provided by the Pensions Amendment Act of last year was, at July 3T, 1925, 6374. , MEJKLE CLAIM REVIVED. John James Meikle, who was wellknown as a regular petitioner to Parliament over a long .series of years, has revived the practice. The Public Petitions Committee, on several occasions, suggested that the Government should pay Air Meikle an annuity of £4 weekly for the remainder of liis life. The petitioner states that, on August 20, 1924, he was notified by the Prime Minister that Cabinet had decided to take no -action in the matter. Air. Meikle received .£2,500 in 1910 from the State as compensation for wrongful imprisonment-. He liad claimed,.. £IO,OOO and signed the receipt under protest. He is now 82 years of age. and is. penniless. HOSPITAL BOARD LAW. -

The principal clause in the Amend-.-l ment to the Hoispiitlals and Charitable : Institutions Act, introduced relates to the - recoveries by one hos-• piit-a.l board frp-m another in respect to relief granted to residents in the disThe Minister for Health stated that the hospital boards complained -that the original clause gave considerable trouble, and as operation would foe- restricted, the Bill provided that a hospital board would .not he liable for relief to- a resident of its district given by another board, unless the former board had consented to -such relief andi it was shown -to the satisfaction of the Minister that -such relief was urgent v required. ' A board may: appeal to the. Minister where, it considers the expendituire to be ulireasonably high. Another clause enabled a--new contributory district, other than county councils, to he included in a hospital district by order-in-council. - >