POLITICAL NOTES

North Otago Times, 5 August 1903, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES

By Telegraph, (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, August 4, -Government Life insurance.Mr Duthie has always insisted that the Government life insurers have not received all that they have been entitled to from the Government. Whether Mr Duthie is right or wrong it is not 101- me to say. He has, however, determined to bring the matter before the Housi, and has set tho Minister in chargo of this Department a ticklish question to answer. Mr Duthie) asks if the Government will now make good to tho policy holders of that Department the loss inflicted upon them in May, 1898, by, having placed to their credit three per cent debentures at par for a sum of £625,900 then due, £131,600 ' of, which had carried 4 and £494,30i014i per cent interest. Will the Government, Mr Duthie asks, replace thesethree per cents with dobeiiturcs carrying such rato of interest as t& be saleablo at par, and also pay to tho !ifo insurance account the arrears of interest which, if paid at the rate of four per cent, would, since the dato mentioned to May of this year, amounted to £31,295, This is not likely to bo done, as it is understood the transaction was a plain business deal between tho Government and the Department. -The Late John M'Kenzto.— Writing to-night of tho loss Sir, John M'Kenzie was to the colony, a loss, that grows with time, tho Evening post says outside his own colony. Sir John M'Kenzie was not so wcllr known as some of tho statesmen who have left their mark on Now Zealand history, but within it ho was probably the chief vitalising force of tho party that has held sway here for thu: past twelvo years. The Parliamentary history of tho last three years proves what a bulwark of strength his masterful personality was to the administration, lie laid so well tho foundation of his progressive lokid policy that it has not been possible in the short period which h a s .elapsed fince his retirement to tajurc it fatally ; but there are abundant signs of the master builder's absence. Tho first notable illustration of this occurred when the ten per cent.' rebate was granted to Crown tenants, and since then things have gone steadily, from bad to worse, until now, the Liberal party is helplessly divided on. the qucstionof land tenure, and tho Government has no Minister ofLands energetic and capable enough to mjirshall the party for its Onward march The most that the Premier can do is to •" mark time." After this it w o uld appear as if honest Tom was not in it,

-Mutton at With respect to the cablegram which appeared this morning Mr H. C, Cameron, the New Zealand Produce- Commissioner, n o w in Wellington, has made a statement.- The cablegram stated that the- scarcity of frozen lambs from La Plata induced importers of La Plata meat at Cardiff to purchase the cargo of New Ze a land meat by the Hangatira. Tho meat, which had not been unloaded, was sold cheaply to r c ta lers on condition that they also purchased LaPlata meat. Mr Cameron thinks that La Plata importers sold tho New Zealand meat to retailers at cheap rates with a two-fold object to induce retailers to push the salo of River Plate meat and at the same time to depreciato the market price of the New Zealand article, and prevent future (business at high figures. —Jottings.— Mr Carroll this afternoon presented a, number of petitions favorable to compulsory closing on Saturday after noon'.- "■"■»^;}

Mr Lang wants to know if tho Government will introduce " a Local Government Reform Bill this session,; and circulate it to the local bodies. Bcforo the debate the Premier promised a deputation of Canterbury members to-day that if the Canterbury Education Board sold an unsuitable site in its possession and devoted tlie funds to buying a new site for a technical school he would givp a subsidy of £3OOO. Tlie Financial Statement is expect* ed on Friday night.

• PROTECTION OP GASWORKS; To tho Eciitor. Sir,- , '- " Oamaru lies in a beautiful bay, Where the soft breezes play alway.' 5 So sang a forgotten Oamaru poet'.Surely Oamaru has changed since then to be a Very wild bay. 'Any man with the least sense, looking tit tho effort to protect the gasworks must admit that it is throwing monoy into the sea. Far better scti about f!io erection' of new gasworks at once, for nothing can save the prcsont buildings.—l am, etc., INTERESTED.