POLITICAL NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 11052, 2 September 1896, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES.

FFrom Oub Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, Sept. 1, COPYRIGHT TELEGRAMS. The Copyright Telegrams Committee met this morning, but adjourned till tomorrow, at the request of the Manager of the Press Association, who explained that he was communicating with his directors. THE MEMBER ROB WALLACE. The Exporting Debates Committee reported to the House this afternoon that the doctor’s certificate respecting the health of the member for Wallace had been lost, and that no blame was attachable to anyone for its omission from Hansard. Mr Hall-Jones, who read the certificate in the House, informed the Committee that it had boon lost or accidentally mislaid, and had , nob been handed to Hansard. RAILWAY , RESERVE AT ASHBURTON. : In asking the Minister of Bail ways if he would state his reasons for refusing.’this .request-of the Ashburton Borough Council to have part of the Railway in Fast Street planted, in uniformity with other reserves between the railway station and the bridge, Mr H’Lachlan said that the matter was one of urgency. This was the only portion of the raibvay reserves that was used for revenue purposes by the Department. The Hon A J. Cadman, in reply, said that the late Eailway Commissioners had given up 92260 from the reserves now planted, and if the portion of the reserve mentioned in the question was given up for a plantation a further loss of 9159 would result. He did not think he was called upon to make this sacrifice. Another reason for refusing the request was on account of the expense which would be incurred by the present occupier if ho wore compelled to shift. LAND FOR SETTLEMENTS, In asking if the Government had received offers of land under the Land for Settlements Act in the Eangitata electoral district, and if it was its intention to purchase any such land, more especially in the neighbourhood of Tinwald and Springburn, , Mr Maslin said that there was no district in Canterbury in which land for settlement was so urgently required as in the Eangitata district. Not a single acre had been acquired there under the Land for Act. If the present settlers could get portions of good land to work on, with their present holdings of poor land, their operations would be more remunerative. There was a large number of persons in the neighbourhood of Tinwald who were desirous of taking up laud, but none was available unless it was purchased by the Government. At Springburn a large number of settlors were engaged in bush work, which would soon be finished, and they would have to move further afield unless something was done to procure land for them so that they could become permanent settlers. Ho asked tne Minister if no land was under offer to put the compulsory clauses of the Act into operation. The (Minister of Lands said that there had been several offers of land in the Eangitata district, all of-' which had been examined by and reported on by the Land Purchase Board. One estate contained excellent land, but was burdened with large expense in respect _to buildings which would be of little use to small settlers, consequently the Board could not recommend its purchase. One or two estates wore found to consist of poor land which was not wanted by settlers in that part of the colony. For another estate the Government had offered ■£l7 per acre, which had been refused by the owner, and the Land Purchase Board could nob recommend the Government to offer a higher price, as the rent would have been so high that selectors would not have taken the land up. Further efforts would, however, be made to get land for settlement in that district. SYDENHAM BOROUGH LOAN BILL. The Local Bills Committee, on the petition of E. M, Taylor and 110 others, piuying that the above Bill should be so amended as to make it compulsory on the part of the Sydenham Borough Council to take a vote of the ratepayers before giving effect to the proposals contained in the measure, reports that the amendment made by the Committee in the Bill, reducing the sum to be borrowed to the amount of the overdraft, seems to meet the objections of the petitioners. KAIATOI POST OFFICE. Mr Buddo to-day asked the PostmasterGeneral if he would place a sum on the Supplementary Estimates for the election of a suitable post office at Kaiapoi. In doing so, ho said that the present building was situated out of the main line of traffic. The sale of these unsuitable premises would, he held, bo sufficient to defray the expense of a new building. The Premier, in reply, intimated that the official report respecting this matter was to the effect that the present building afforded ample accommodation for public purposes, and that new offices would not be required for three years. He said that the fact adduced by Mr Buddo had not been considered when this report was prepared, and he would ask that further information should be procured respecting the matter. SUNNYSIDE ASYLUM. In replying to questions asked by Mr G. W. Eussell respecting the management of the Sunnyside Asylum, the Hon W. HallJones said that certain patients were told off to scrub the balls at night, but they finished such work about seven o’clock, when they got some supper. It was much better for the patients to work in the garden than merely to exercise in the exercise yards. They had half-holidays in summer time. They started work at nine in the morning, bad one hour, and a half for dinner, and finished work at 4.30. They had plenty of time between4.3oand bedtime to clean their boots. The baker at the asylum was till recently also a warder, and supervised the scrubbing done by the patients between six and eight o’clock, and had never objected to do this. William Hope had only been taken on at the asylum on May 1, last. He was of delicate constitution, and, falling ill, informed the superintendent that he would be unable to continue bis work, and the superintendent had taken on another man. FURTHER BANKING LEGISLATION. As indicated at the commencement of the session, it is the Government’s intention to bring down legislation to make proper provision for the payment of dividends on the 92500,000 worth of preference shares held by the Government. It is also intended, I hear, to include a provision .to increase the Board of Directors of the Bank of New Zealand by two members, the opinion at present being that Wellington influence practiQally dominates the Board. MISCELLANEOUS. According to a return furnished to the House, the cost of the recent Timber Conference was 92580 os 2d. The Hon W. J. M. Larnach is to ask the Premier whether lie will have placed on the Supplementary Estimates .£IOOO towards securing a number of Eocky Mountain sboeji and goats from America, those animals being admirably adapted by Nature to live and flourish on the high country on the West Coast and portions of Canterbury and Otago, and whether ho will ask Sir James Hector as to the suitability and use of those animals being introduced to New Zealand for acclimatisation. Mr Hogg is to ask the Minister of Railways whether it is the case that the cost of carriage of dead meat by rail is largely in excess of .the freight for live stock, and if so, will he consider the expediency, in the interests of consumers in large centres and producers in the country, of reforming the existing tariff.