POLITICAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13501, 27 July 1907, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES.

THE DEPUTATION CURSE. A SHAMEFUL WASTE OF TIME. [BY TELEGRAPH.SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] - Wellington, Friday. No wonder Ministers kill themselves! The deputation curso has set in worse than ever this session, and for the past few days the Premier's life must have been a burden to him, whilo on Monday tho Hon. Mr. Millar has to receive no fewer than nine deputations. He will be kept going from ten in the morning till about five or six o'clock in the evening. Apparently tho Minister will have barely time to swallow his lunch. Undoubtedly the time of Ministers is shamefully wasted by inconsiderate callers. . Most of the requests could be made just as well, or even better, in writing, and many of them could even be dealt with Dy the heads of Departments. PETROLEUM DEPOSITS. The Minister for Mines, in his annual statement, makes the following remarks regarding petroleum : —"No further discoveries of petroleum have been recorded since that at Moturoa, near New Plymouth, referred to in my last annual statement. Several companies have been formed, and boring operations are being actively carried out, but up to the present time no considerable supply of high-pressure oil has been proved, although the quality of that flowing at the prospecting company's well is satisfactory. Prospecting operations are also being carried on at Kotuku, near Lake Brunuer, on the west coast of the South Island." CHARITABLE AID. In 1899 the amount spent on charitable aid was £93,070; the following year it fell to £77,602. It has now gone, up to £103,272. The amounts spent by the principal boards last year were: —Auckland, £17,001; Wellington, 14,228; Ashburton and North Canterbury, £16,302; Otago United, £15,393. THE CIVILISED " MAORI. One phase of the influence of civilisation on the Maoris is illustrated by the Native Land Commission, in their report on the King Country native lands, presented to the House to-day. The report says: " The Ngatimaniapoto say that although they sold their lands to the Crown at a sacrifice prior to 1900, the purchase money enabled many of them to build modern dwellinghouses; but the proceeds of the recent sales were absolutely squandered. In one case, a young Maori received over £500 for his interest, in land, and he promptly invested £300 in tho purchase of three racehorses of doubtful speed, and secured a complete racing outfit and the services of a trainer. Motor cars are not yet fashionable in the King Country, otherwise these prodigals might have invested in that direction.