PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12016, 12 July 1902, Page 6

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

[BY TELEGRAPH,SPECIAL' CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Friday. A SETTLER'S ADVANCE. In asking the Minister in charge of the Advances to Settlers Office whether he would make arrangements by regulation or otherwise to keep the legal expenses charged to small borrowers within reasonable limits, Mr. Massey quoted a case of what ho considered overcharging which had occurred in his own district. He stated that one of his constituents had borrowed £60 from the Department to make certain improvements, but finding it insufficient he borrowed a further £40, and for raising that £40 he received a bill of close on £4 from the solicitor appointed under the Act. Mr. Massey remarked that one of the advantages claimed for the Act was that ib would give cheap money, but he had never heard of a worse case than the one he quoted, where the cost was 10 pel'- cent, of the amount raised. The Hon. C. H. Mills said these accounts were as a rule sent to the Department, in order to check over-charging. In the case quoted by Mr. Massey there seemed to have been a very large percentage charged to a borrower who only wanted an additional mortgage, and he (the Minister) would consider ib his duty to make inquiries. • It was his intention to review all the charges made under the present regulations, in order to ascertain if they could be lessened where small loans were concerned.

•NORMAL SCHOOLS. > In answer to Mr. Hanan, Mr. Mills said the Government were considering the establishment of four Normal schools in the four large centres in the colony. These,' he thought, would be sufficient to meet present requirements. IMPORTED FRUIT TREES. Mr. Mills, in answer to Mr. Flatman, said large quantities of fruit trees were imported from the Commonwealth. Mr. Flatman urged that a duty should be put on such imported trees. Mr.' Mills said the matter would be considered "when the tariff was revised. He would make inquiries in regard to the inspection of such trees. ' THE CORONERS BILL. The Coroners Amending and Consolidating Bill, read a second time in the Legislative Council, contains most important provisions, one effect of which will be to do away with many of the large number of unnecessary inquests that are now held. I and another, as the Hon. Colonel Pitt pointed I out, to abolish the present system of coroners 1 and : coroners' juries. Every stipendiaiy magistrate, by virtue of his office, would become a coronerunder this measure, and in his absence the jurisdiction conferred on him could be exercised by a justice of the peace. The coroner would be empowered to make a preliminary investigation, and would only hold a formal inquiry if he deemed such necessary, but if a justice made the preliminary inquiry, and in his opinion no further inquiry was ■ necessary, lie would report to a stipendiary magistrate, who would direct what course should be followed. : A magistrate acting as coroner. would have power, during or after an inquiry, to issue a warrant for the arrest; or direct the prosecution, of a suspected person as if. he were acting under the provisions of the . principal Act relating to indictable I offences. : If, however, the coroner was a justice, he would have to report %to a;, stipendiary magistrate, -; who would act as though lie himself) had conducted : the inquiry. Except for this condition any coroner holding an -inquiry.would have the same power as a stipendiary magistrate hearing an information for an indictable offence. The Bill also ; proposes to repeal several earlier Coroners Acts, and all appointments made thereunder of coroners - and -■• deputy-coroners would be revoked. It would also repeal section 3 of the Payment of Jurors Act, 1899, which makes provision for the payment of jurors on inquests.' THE OPPOSITION. ?;-■ A meeting' of the members of the House, opposed to the Government was held this ■ morning, Mr. J. W. Thomson in the chair. The official report of the meeting states that it was decided to pursue the same course as was pursued last session in not forming any party organisation or electing a. leader. At the same time members generally expressed ■; the opinion that ; they would individually criticise the policy and financial administration and measures introduced by the N Government from the point of view of the welfare of ; the colony, while ; doing their best to facilitate the progress of business. RATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUES. Reference was made by the Acting-Pre-mier at a deputation this morning to the Rating on Unimproved Value- Act Amendment Bill, which on the ' face of it proposed to make that system compulsory. That, said Sir Joseph Ward, was hot what was intended. Before the- Bill was printed the Cabinet i had decided : that there should be no endeavour to make it •' compulsory, as the people had, he thought, a right to •decide ' the - question for themselves, and it would be a mistake to force such a system on any part of the colony. The clause was inserted in the Bill by mistake.

EXPERIMENTAL FARM FOR THE . NORTH. As the' experience gained on Government farms south of Auckland is of .no use to the Northern settlers, Mr. R. Thompson to-day asked the Minister for Lands whether it was the intention of the Government to establish an . experimental. farm iat Ivamo, near Whangarei. The! Minister replied in the . affirmative, and said ;if it had not been, a question of funds it would have been started already. However, he would have it, taken in, hand as soon as possible. TE KUITI TITLES. . If the . Government would - take steps to establish a township at Te Ivuiti, : Mr. Lang predicts that it would become one of the most important inland towns in the colony. He pointed out this afternoon that the settlers had no legal titles to the land, and were simply squatting 011: it. He said it was remarkable that so much progress had been made in the face of the difficulties that the settlers had to contend against, and asked if the Government won' take steps as soon as possible to establish a. township. The Minister said the. land was -in the hands of the native owners, and it was extremely difficult to acquired jtie intended, however, to ascertain if there was any land in the neighbourhood that could be secured for the establishment of a township. SECONDARY EDUCATION AT WHANGAREI. Mr. R. Thompson wanted to know whether the Government - could make arrangements for the free education in the Whangarei High School of all those pupils who have passed the sixth standard examination in the public schools in the Whangarei district, and who may desire secondary education.. He explained that a promise : was made for. the establishment of a secondary school if a certain number of pupils . could be obtained, : but, it was difficult to get that number. . He thought it would we a great boon to the "people if some provision could be made at the High School for those children who desired secondary education. The Hon. C. H. Mills said the: matter ,was under the consideration of the Department. .

ELECTRIC TRACTION *IN THE NORTH.

A' r. R. Thompson asked the Minister for Lands if lie would take immediate steps to secure the Wairua Falls, in Whangarei County, for the purpose of supplying electrical power for the working of electric tram lines in that district. The member for Marsden informed the Minister that if the Government were not disposed to take this matter up it was proposed that a local syndicate should secure electric . traction for the district. The Minister stated in reply that the Government had already secured from the native owners 77 shares of the 145 shares in the land containing the falls, so that they had already taken some steps in the matter. Mr. Thompson said he thought it would be found that the natives were reserving the fall, and had never offered them to the Government. The land that was offered was the surrounding block. The Minister promised to inquire further.

SETTLING THE LAND. In asking the Minister for Lands whether the Government will concentrate their energies on the settlement of the waste lands of the Crown in the North Island, Mr. Witheford said he could not understand the Minister's apathy in regard to the settlement of the Auckland province. He urged that it would be a splendid thing to put a number of the returned troopers on the laud. The Minister said they were fully alive to the necessity of settling the land and had done a great deal last year, but some of the blocks in the North were very rough. . Referring to Mr.-Witheford's remarks about the returned troopers, the Minister said it would be better for them to be in Africa than to be placed on some of that rough country without capital and without

GOVERNMENT INSURANCE DEPARTMENT.

The annual report of the Government Insurance .Commissioner for the year ended December 31, 1901, states that during the year 4414 proposals were dealt with for the assurance of £878,897, of which 3196 proposals for life insurance, asuring the sum of £630,346, were completed. ■ The total income was £444,000, being £14,811'.in excess of the previous year. Three hundred . and thirty - five policies, representing £122,471, became claims during the year through death ; and 157 endowment policies, representing £42,389, matured. The total amount paid by the Department since its inception in 187*0 was £2,165,305. The assurance and annuity fund on December 31 last amounted to £3,285,416, being an increase during ,the year of £145,459. . In the accident insurance branch the premiums amounted to £11,856, of which £3780 was reserved on account of unearned premiums. Compensation paid amounted to £2428. After meeting expenses there remained a balance of £315 to be carried forward, and considering that in addition to ordinary expenses and claims, the whole of the initial expenses of establishing the branch had been paid out of premium income of seven months, and that ample reserves had been made for outstanding liabilities, the result, remarked tho Commissioner, must be regarded as highly satisfactory and encouraging. • INTERESTING TO CATTLE OWNERS. This afternoon, when replying >to Mr. Field, who wanted the sheep tax abolished, the Minister for Lands said lie thought it might be lightened from the sheep-owners' shoulders by reducing it and placing the amount taken off on the cattle farmers by way of a cattle tax. '

JOTTINGS. Mr. Lang is' urging the Minister for Railways to . appoint a stationmaster at Taupiri. , 1 Mr. Houston will ask the Minister for Railway's to provide proper accommodation at the railway station at Kawakawa. Mr. Herries intends to move for a return, of the cargo carried by the schooner Countess of Ranfurly, and the freight earned. > Messrs. E. J. Legrove and Briggs have ' received the - appointments of committee reporters to the House of Representatives.' Mr. Herries is moving for a return showing the number of men employed between January and June on the Paeroa-Wailii railway. -- * Mr. R. Thompson, has been re-elected chairman of the Waste Lauds Committee, and Mr. Synis, of . the A to L Petitions Committee. ' Mr. Palmer will ask the Minister for Lands if ?he will take steps to have the Paeroa Domain vested in the Ohinemuri County Council as trustees. 'V Mr. Lawry has been elected chairman of the fetock Committee; and Major Steward has been re-elected chairman of the Reporting and Debates Committee. . Mr. Lang to-day presented two petitions asking that the Counties - Act be brought into operation in Kawhia, in order to give the settlers some form of local government. , Mr. Bollard is asking the Government to give a small bonus of Id in the £1 to any person who will manufacture into preserved fruit not less than 100 tons of fruit grown in the colony in any one year. . : Mr. Herries asked the Government if they would place a sufficient sum on the estimates for erecting a native school at Atiamuri. . Mr. Mills said he would make inquiries, and see what could, be; done. • Mr. Lang is to c ask ,- the Minister for Public • Works if his - attention has been called to a Press . Association telegram," in which. it states that there j are several hundreds of unemployed in Auckland, and will he provide work for : them on the North Island Main Trunk railway. Mr. Napier to-day suggested to the Minister for Lands the advisability of allowing the public free access ; for. recreation purposes to the island of Motuihi, in the Hauraki Gulf. In doing so, he said, it would be. a very favourite resort for the public and yachtsmen if the island were thrown open. The Minister replied that as the island was reserved for quarantine purposes it could not be thrown open, but ho thought there could be no objection to. the public being allowed on the island on certain holidays, and he would have inquiries made upon this • point.