POLITICAL NEWS.

North Otago Times, 3 September 1910, Page 4

POLITICAL NEWS.

.■- 1 . (Wellington Post.)'

-The Dim and Distant (?) Futura.During the debate on the principles of the Debt Extinction Bill- last evening, Sir Joseph Ward took a glance into the future. A question had been raised as ta whether railways and post and telegraphs should be excluded fsom' the operation of ;the Bill, but this was strongly cornbatted by Sl.tr Joseph. He pictured the possible development of flying machines for passenger traffic,, while he maintained that the existing.railways, whether operated .by'electric or other power, would always be used for goods traffic. In .many cases the use of electric tramways had changed the operation pf whole railwav systems. Contingencies of the kind had to be looked for in the future Then as to post and tdegraphß, no one could forecast the possible uses of the wireless system He mentioned that when he was last in Amenca a leading scientific man had said to him that m \ few years it would he possible for a man in that aountry tp connect with the exchange uj Wellington and ring up any house in the city. Developmental possibilites in connection with . the two. servi«s,he had named were wer<

moiis; Sinking fiiads' bug&t to 'be provided in 'connection with railwaya and. telegraphs, Thei principle of the" Bill, he said in 'conclusion, was that of providing a sinking fund in connection with,evsry loan•• which ' did not possess one already.' ". '!' -A Head for Lauds- '..';

\arious. members have lately been urging .that the Department of Lands . needs ■ closer Ministerial attention, Sir Joseph-Ward hold 3 the portfolio,' but it has :•■ been submitted in the House that, his duties as Prime Mi-', nister, Colonial Treasurer, and Eoßt-master-General cannot permit him to give land all the thought and«energy for whieh it calls.;. Last night Mr TV E. Taylor returned ( to this subject. '. He remarked that land demanded the solo attention of .a Minister who should not be harassed or perplexed with any other departmental work. '.. Mn Taylor, discussing certain land that .was to be offered for closer, set-, tlement, held that it would be an advantage if the Minister , examined the area himself. : Mr Poole; "He would be electioneering then." Mr Taylor: Well, that sort of electioneering could be forgiven. —Spectacles at Exhibitions.— 'Mr J. V. Brown (Napier) amused the Representatives for two or three minutes yesterday afternoon. • Just ,efore the Exhibitions Bill was passed he suggested that the Hoii'si Jiould put in a safeguard against the machinations of sellers of speccacles for defective eyes at exhibitions, Mr Brown's' words simply l.mned a picture of conscienceless persons, begus oculists, lying in wait for the gullible public, taking the people's money and ruining their eyesight. Mr Brown, however, quickly withdrew when the Hon. J, A. Millar indicated that it was possibk. "Ow.fur anybody to sell spectacles. 1 it would be necessary to pass general legislation, if it was desired to ihcck the selling of spectacles by per-, sons whose knowledge of the human c.ye was meagre.

-Postal Department.The 'Post and ■ Telegraph Amendment Bill, brought down by Sir Joseph Ward, has been circulated. It gives the Postmaster-General wider powers of delegation, and then goes on to refer to section 197 of the principal Act, dealing with the making of regulations in respect of the department. The principal Act provides in this respect that additional salaries are to .be paid to officers who have children. The Bill proposes that the maximum salaries so fixed shall only apply to those officers whose children are under the age of fourteen years..; The Governor (which means the Government) is given extended powers in regard to the ap-' pointment of officers' requisite for the purposes of that part of the Act relating to the construction and regulation of electric lines, aud in many cases in which administration is involved the ' secretary is substituted for the superintendent, The Bill also makes an alteration iu the fifth schedule of the main Act, which fixes salaries and increments. It proposes to omit all references to the superintendent of electric • lines (whose salary ranged from £750 to £900), and.to the assistant secretary and inspector (whose salary ranged from £7OO to £800), and to substitute : Assistant secretary, minimum £750, maximum £9OO, one annual increment of £IOO and one of £SO ; and chief telegraph .engineer, . minimum £7OO, maximum £BOO, two annual increments of £SO each..