POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15398, 5 September 1913, Page 9

POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES

"TREACHERY SOMEWHERE."

PUBLIC TRUST REPORT.

[by telegraph. SPEClAL cobbespondent.] Wellington, Thursday. Interviewed this evening about the publication in Wellington and Christchurch of what purported to be the report of the Public Trust Office, the Hon. A. L. Herdman said that obviously there was treachery somewhere in the Civil Service, either in the Public Trustees Office, or in tie Government Printing Office. He was having full inquiries made in order to I discover, if > possible, where this leakage occurred.

The position, he said, was that he had been asked in the House by Mr. G. W. Russell (Avon) to lay the Public Trust Office report upon the table of the House. His reply was that the report he received was a crude one, which he had returned to the Public Trustee. In any case there was no statutory obligation to prevent any such, report. NATIVE LANDS. The Native Affairs Committee reported to-day that as a question of policy was involved it had no recommendation to make on the petition of Te Heu Heu, Te Akau, and others that legislation should be introduced to give effect to their desires for the subdivision and survey of native lan-h and advances to Maoris by the State by way of mortgage on their lands.

OHINEMURI RIVER.

The Native Affairs Committee reports on the petition of the Ohinemuri natives for relief for damage inflicted upon their land by the silting up of the Ohinemurji River, because of gold extraction operations, that it is of opinion that the in terests of the natives should be conserved as far as possible and that the petition should be referred to the Goldfiefds and Mines Committee.

OYSTER AREAS.

The Public Petition* Committee has referred the petition of John Dean, Onehunga, that he should be given compensation or a fresh lease to take oysters on the shore of Puketutu Island, Manukau Harbour, to the Government for consideration. CURING CONSUMPTION. The request that the Government should assist Herbert Clapham and 7110 others, of Auckland, to establish _" his alleged remedy for the crre of consumption" has been referred to the Government by the Public Petitions Committee.

CO-OPERATIVE WORKS.

The Public Petitions Committee has " no recommendation" to make on the petition of 80 people that the co-operative system should be continued on the North Auckland Railway construction works. This is a policy question.

PLEA FOR COMPENSATION. The petition of Henry White, Auckland, for a compassionate allowance for services rendered during the Maori War has been referred to the Government for favourable consideration.

PLURAL VOTING. When the House of Representatives was dealing with local Bills to-day, the introduction of a system of plural voting on a property qualification was the subject of much discussion. The amendments proposed by the Local Bills Committee to the Gisborne and Wanganui Harbour Board Empowering Bills were to the effect that the number of votes to which each ratepayer was entitled should be computed on the following scale : "If the capital value of his interest in the property as appearing on the special roll amounts in the. aggregate to not more than one thousand pounds he ehall have one vote. If such capital value is more than one thousand pounds, but not more than two thousand pounds, he shall have two votes, and if • such capital value is more than two thousand pounds he shall have three votes." The Opposition generally attacked this proposal in both of these Bills, but the Government members pointed out that the same proposal was embodied in the New Plymouth Harbour Bill in 1908 by the Ward Government. Eventually the second reading of both measures was agreed to without a division being taken, although Mr. H. G. Ell announced that his democratic principles would force him to divide the House on the question. From the remarks of many speakers it was plain that the proposal will occasion much discussion in the committee stages.