POLITICAL NOTES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 592, 9 August 1913, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES.

In replying to a question in the House on Wednesday the Hon. J. 1 Allen exposed the common fallacy that a teacher's salary is dependent immediately upon the average attendance. The questioner was Mr T. M. Wilford, and the reply was: —"I presume the hon, member means to imply that the teacher's salary is directly dependent upon variations in the average attendance. This is a common fallacy, but it is altogether incorrect in fact. It has not been the case for several years. A fall in the average attendance as a general rule doe 3 not, under the regulations, affect the grade of a school for two or three years, and the teacher's salary, by the Act, i 3 maintained at the same rate for two years after the year in which the school falls in grade. Consequently four or five years must intervene in general before a fall in the average attendance can affect a teacher Special provision respecting the effect of epidemics, on the average attendance was made by Order-in-Council of February 13th, 1911. Quarters in which epidemics occur are not reckoned at all in computing the average as an index of the size of schools. I have not heard of any substitute for the average attendI ance, as defined by the regulations, i that is comparable with it in ateadiI ness ard fairness."

In a democratic country the member or parliament must expsct to find himself considerably tied by the demands made upon him by his constituents. These are wont to regard him as being largely designed to attend him to their convenience and generally are far from bashful in making persona! demands upon him. With Parliament in .session members, especially country members, are sometimes subjected to special inconvenience. Country electors visiting the capital almost invariably include in the sightseeingprogramme a visit to Parliament House. On such occasions their members, who may be keenly interested in a debate which is proceeding, receive notes with request for tickets, seats, etc., and a few minutes "in the lobby." To be obliged to leave the House at such a moment is frequently most annoying, as important points may be missed, but with pressure of "votes" in view, attention to electors may hardly be neglected So considerable- has the inconvenience been of late that members are generally wishing that their constituents would have more consideration.

The provisons of the Treaty of Waitangi are being discussed by the Maori conference which is at present sitting in Wellington, with a view to seeing how far they have been infringed by subsequent legislation regarding the native land question. The Government, the delegates contend, wants to "Europaanise" their holdings and give the Maori the freehold. The "wis,e" Maoris, so it ia stated, do not want the freehold, for they are opposed to selling their lands. They also want to protect the foolish members of the various "hapus" from parting with their holdings. Further than that, under the Native Land Act. 1909, five Maoris can sell a block of land, irrespective of the number of owners, and the conference wants this altered. The Land Board, also, has power to lease idle lands for s<) years, but the conference thinks this should be reduced to 21 years. At the end of that time the Maori would, perhaps, want to work the land himself, and he should be given the opportunity, if he so desired. The present system only encourages him to sit down and wait for his rent, and makes him thriftless.