POLITICAL NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 15124, 13 October 1909, Page 8

POLITICAL NOTES.

[From Oun CoitßEsraxDKXT.] WELLINGTON, October 12 LINCOLN COLLEGE.

When the Canterbury College and Agricultural College Act Amendment Bill came up for its first reading in the House this afternoon Mr Craigie explained, in response to a question, that it was designed to give South Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Societies a representative of their own on the governing body of Lincoln College. Mr G. W. Russell raised the point of order that the measure should have been introduced as a local Bill, so that it would not render the whole scope of tho original Act open for discussion in the House. The Speaker said the point could be raised on the second reading of the Bill. Mr Taylor took advantage of the opportunity to air, a grievance, coin College was, he _ suggested, . .;re easily accessible to men who were recent arrivals in the dominion than to young men belonging to New Zealand. Ho resented that sort of thing. He suggested that when the Bill was in committee he would move an amendment with tho idea of giving the first place to the colonial. The second reading of the Bill was fixed for November 4. FARM LABOURERS. The subject of accommodation for farm labourers was broached briefly by Mr T. E. Taylor this afternoon. Generally he complained that in man. parts of Canterbury the accommodation is bad, and that the Labour Department, when appealed to, did not take the necessary steps to have the condition of things improved, because, said the authorities, they could not move about without the authority of the Minister. The Hon J. A. Millar made short work of the objection. The Department, he said, had instructions to enforce the law wherever" there was a breach, but he suggested that it would be more feasible for officers or the Department of Agriculture to seek out offenders aiid lay complaints than for officers of the Labour Department. Wherever there was a breach of the law, he added, prosecution would follow.

TOURIST AND HEALTH RESORTS. According to the annuali report of the General Manager of Tourist and Health Resorts, the oversea tourists last year numbered 8982, an increase of 380 on the number for 1907. Tho value of the tourist traffic in 1900 was estimated to be £IOO.OOO. On the same basis last .year's traffic was worth £449.000 to the dominion. The Department's direct revenue was £23,787, an increase of over £20,000 on the year. The treatment of indigent patients at Haiimer and Rotorua cost £SOO, and another sum of £4OO was lost on the treatment of Friendly Society patients. The manager thinks that this annual loss should be charged against Charitable Aid Boards. The district offices of the Tourist Department dealt with 44,890 inquiries. In his covering report the Minister combats the popular idea \that tourist and health resorts are maintained for the benefit of oversea tourists, contending that 75 per cent oi' the visitors are New Zealand residents. Mr Mackenzie reports on the special efforts he made last year to inaugurate cheap " trips for the many." There is now.under consideration, he r.c.ds, a proposal for the issue by the Department of tickets available for use over all the travelling routes of the dominion, by steamer, railway and coach. the idea being that when a tourist lias decided upon the tours he" shall undertake he will bo able to buy his tickets without leaving tho office of the Department. TEACHERS' SUPERANNUATION.

At the end of 1908 tho number of contributors to the fund was £931, whose annual contributions amounted to £3.3,057. Seventy-one male contributors are over sixty yoars and fiftythree female contributors are over fifty years. Five pensioners retired during the year. The revenue account shows that'during the period from April 1 to December 31, 1908, the contributions totalled £27,146, and interest yielded £2373. The balance left to the credit of the fund account, after paying out £5328 in allowances and £1683 in refunds of contributions, besides £26 commission and £4 law costs, was £84,471, of which £82,932 was tho amount held by the Public Trustee for investment. AN OPPOSITION WHIP. By the unanimous vote of the Opposition Party Mr R. H. Rhodes has been elected to assist Mr C. A. C. Hardy as Whip of that section of the House. THE BIG DEBATE. The debate on the Address-in-Reply was opened this afternoon. Mr R. W. Smith, tho new member for Rangitikei, was deferential, and experienced members looked very kindly upon his maiden effort. Mr Buxton, who followed, made an excellent impression, speaking with evident knowledge of affairs, and with marked commonsense. The leader of the Opposition, following the custom, took up the burden, accusing the Government of all the crimes in his now familiar decalogue. There was some dissent when he declared that the past winter in Wellington had witnessed hardship and poverty a.s pronounced, in proportion to population, as any to be found in Old World cities. The Minister of Education, who replied, was in excellent form, and the debate proper thus opened brightly, with excellent speeches from both sides. Mr Fisher, the "baby" of the Opposition, spoko almost as if he had been sitting at Mr Massoy's feet for a decade, and was subsequently handled without gloves by Mr Poole.