POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15646, 27 June 1914, Page 11

POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES

i. - —: —■"" , LEGISLATIVE GOUNOIL. PENDING APPOINTMENTS. A LIVELY SITTING. . [BY TBtiGBATn.— correspondent.) Wellington, Friday. The Primo Minister informed the House of Representatives this evening that the appointments to be made by the Govern ment to the Upper House in order to onsuro the passage of the Legislative Council Reform Bill wou'd bring its strength up to apro.ximately 40 members. Mr. G. W. Rußsell: That mean* you are going to appoint twelve' Mr. Massey: I am not ablo to say definitely just now. Enough members will be appointed to bring the council op to a strength of 38, 39, 40, or, it may be, 41. Mr. Witty: Couldn't you squeeze in another one and make it 42 ?

Mr. Massay: I should not be at all sur prised if tho hon. gentleman camo along and asked me to keep a place open for him until after the election! Mr. Witty: Not ,yet a bit! Mr. Wilford (speaking to the Prime Minister) : Don't you think the whole place has outlived its usefulness? Mr. Massey: No. I don't think that! Mr. Wilford: That's what you said in 1901!

Mr. Massey: I am not the only member who has changed his views sinco 1901, or since 1913! (Laughter.) A Member: Don't bo hard upon him! Mr. Wilford: He's hitting Mr. Fisher! Mr. Fisher: Ho is thinking of the soft pedal. Mr. Massey: As a matter of fact, I was thinking about the soft pedal. The hon. gentleman is playing on a different instrument now. RACING RESTRICTIONS . The Gaming Amendmont Bill, to be introduced by Mr. Hunter (Waipawa), is similar to that introduced by him last year. It proposes that tho number of totalisator permits to be issued in anv ono yoar should bo increased from 250 (the presont legal maximum) to 2M, and that these 30 additional permits shi.tild he distributed in the proportion of seven teen to cv.irtry racing clubs, ten to hunt clubs, and three t'i m Uinq clubs. T»s.. year the Bill passed iu eeeond rendinit in tho House of Representatives by <13 votes to 17. By the timo this had been accomplished, however, the session was far advanced, and tho Bill made no further progress. LOCAL ELECTIONS BILLS. Two Bill* relating to local elections wore given notice of in tlm House of Representatives today Jiy the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher. One of llmin, the Local Elections Proportional Representation Dill, fflvea nnniiolpulltloi the option of substituting the system of proportional repmiontalion. if they so desire, fur ibn methods of election now In vo({ii«, A I law on somewhat similar lines was passed I in the ltnpcriiil Poi'liiimont some time , ago, and a number of mnniclpnlili«n Imvn t«Ken wlvaiitftfle of it« provlsitßl and adopted proportional representation. Last yesr a deputaton from the New Zealand i'roportlonnl UoprMentatlon Irfsguo waited upon the I'rlmo Minister and asked him to give proportional representation a trial in municipal elections. Mr. Massey, nt the time, seemed to think the idea o g"od one, and said that it had not previously occurred to him. The other new measure mentioned Is the Local Election and Polls Amendment Bill. This, it is understood, proposes machinery amendments of minor Importance. ' EXCLUSION OF ASIATICS. The Immigration Restriction Amend ment BUI, of which the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher gave notice, today, has not vol been circulated, but it Is understood that it relates to the exclusion of Hindoos and other Asiatics from New Zealand, and that its provisions arc drastic. LAND SETTLEMENT. A point has been mado during the recess by member* of the "flying squadron' on to hind aggregation, ami statements have also been made that the graduated tax ha/i been Inell-'clive. This statement received Its death blow In the Bouse this evening whim the Prime Minister pro. mised tfl give a return to Parliament showing that during the last, two yean no fewer than one mid a-half million »n« . of land had be"n subdivided in Now Zen- , land. That, said Mr. M««ey, had never | before boon done In the history of tho country, It hud been Accomplished to a huge extent through the graduated Ux that the Government had provided. in the Hawko's Bay diMrict fllone, 366.000 acres of land previously held in large , blnckfl liad boon cut up into farms averaging about 120 seres. THE RETORT COURTEOUS. Speaking upon the introduction of his Public Sorvico Amendment Bill in the Houbo of Ropresontativce this afternoon. Sir Joseph Ward was strewing llu point that in appeal caeos the Government should allow appellants the services of a lawyer, when Mr. E. P. Lee (Oumnru) interjected i " Would you give it to tho railway servants!" Sir Joseph Ward i Y<* I would. Mr. Loo: Did you do it when you were ill IVWOI?' Sir J so h W/i d i No i th-'ro wow lot* of thing? t nt I was not able to do. 1 llftv • not been able to provide tho hon. gentleman with judgment, Tho Hon. F. M. B. Fisher i No, you never had any to cp^irc Afl/r l.h« laughter which this retort drew forth had subsided, Sir Josqih Wind replied that if a ball-it were tel«-n In regsnl to tho Judgment of tho Minister of Marl"o li« W'-n'o Ixt judgwl "til of his position sltojjHhor. THE EDUCATION 1111-L. Mr. Ilimter, tiiftnlirr for Weirwwa, this aftenifHrti Intorvlnwod the Minister (or KflucAllmi and plncwl linfifo him lb" v|rw»i of the lPtv\m* of llfiwlc«*» Hoy in rcfpr"noo to Mm nrovlnlmiii limy winh In i poo Inrbidwl In ill- Kdiirallfin \W\ to be I Inirnrlilrerl tlii« «"'lon, Mr Alh'ti linn promised to consider vtrv rnrofii!!;; l! 1" suagestiori" made by the lorn In of Hawke's Bay. SIR JOSKPH WARD INTHCNANT During his s|»oo''|i In tlm llnusn ln-pl|fhl Sir Joseph Ward nloppnrl suddenly and Indignantly remarked Unit someboffy on the other Biilo of the House wns multerlntt iiway in his sent, end Unit he considered if a Minister wanted to snv anything he should got up and say It instead of " (fronting away" in his went The Hon, W. Frnner Interjected that nil bo tiiwl sold was "No! No 1 No 1 " and he repealed It fiJr Joseph Ward ; " I iiiniorstiMMl the hon. gentleman te nay 'Nonsonso! Nonsense I Nonsense I'" Mr, Frstiftr: I did not, Mr. Fisher: Thai is what h» should have said (I/ftiighter.) ENROLMENT OK EI.EOTOIIrI. J f , llu H/diwi u, night Mr, W. A. Velti-h (Waiigmtul/ mild Him winm other means should he got of enrolling olwUirs than try nollciNWi and letUtr-eiirrlers. In Wit. njjfttiui the letter c«rrl«rs »mo not old Mwugh. He win- pl/nw) at a dlsailvnolaun, he said, as compared with the Uefoi'tn Pertv, which, ho alleged, had largo funds, The Hon, W, Frawr: The Opposition fflfiv lifl« never Ix-eu short of ftimls, At 60 election the brewers have found It lor themOntKwitlonists i Oh I Oh I Mr. Froser 1 I know II Is m. They have told me so. The Hon. F. M. B. Fisher said the system being adopted was equally (alt to all

candidates. He was astonished that an .:>»r ourable member should' suggest that 10 letter-carriers were incapable of this work. ... .. Mr. Voitch said he did not say they were incapable. What he said was that they were not old enough to sign the declarations. . , Mr. Fisher said there was provision for that in the l Act. The returning officer could appoint them to do the work. BAY OF ISLANDS SEAT. The position of the Reform Party in connection with the Bay of Islands electorate was referred to by Mr. G. W. Bussell (Avon) in the House to-night. tie read an extract from a communication from a Bay of Islands correspondent which was published in the Mew Zealand Herald of Juno 10, in which it was stated that it bad been reported that Mr. Wilkinson had been informed Ihut his name was on the list of suj: :d appointments to the Legislative Cental, but tint he had stated that if tho offer of a saat in the Uppor Chamber were mado to him he would refuse to accept it. Mr. Masse? : Wbn said that! ' Mr. Russell: The New Zealand Hbhalp. Mr. Massey: Was it not made by a correspondent? Mr. Russell did uot reply to this question but, asked: " Do you deny that Mr. Wilkinson's name was on the list?

Mr. Massey: No one has soon that list but myself. Mr. RiiFeelli I am told that the list contains 400 names.

Reforenco was also made by Mr. Kusnoll to tho portion at Palmerston North, where Mr. Buick and Mr. Nash are both announced as Reform candidates. '' lam told," be said, " that Mr Buick'e namt was also on the list. Is that truer"

Mr. NLiasev: Ask Mr. Buick. Mr. Rus«>ll : He is not in the chamber just at the mc/mont, I am sorry to e&y. The Hon. Jaa Allen, in subsequently re ferring to Mr. Russell's remarks, said that neither Mr. Wilkinson nor .Mr. Buick had been offered a seat in the Legislative Council. PUBLIC SERVICE DEFALCATIONS. The hope was recently expressed in the Public Service Journal" that legislation would be introduced ihia session to abolish tho system under which defalcations by individual members of the Public Service have to bo made good by the ret of the service. This bono has borne early fruit, for tho Hon. A. L. Herdman gave notice to-day to introduce tho Civil Sorvico Offi cors Guarantee Repeal Bill. STATE FOREST RESERVE. The ..ccrr., ... prop in to ..iih.iniw froi, r-„-serYiitnn n'l r,r".i i.f .131 acres, a ortion of a State forest roserve in tho Otamatoa County, nbout aeven miles from Papnroa. The reason given for Iho withdrawal is that the bush on the land has beon destroyed by fire. It is proposed to open tho li.nd for settlement, its value being estimatod at from 20s to 35s on aero,