POLITICAL NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4103, 16 July 1900, Page 3

POLITICAL NEWS.

.MINISTERS’ SALARIES. Considerable dissatisfaction is now said to exist am one; the members of (lie Government party in regard to tbo proposals contained in the measure before the Honso for inereasiiur the salaries of Ministers. It is openly stated that the increase under the terms of the Hill is in excess of what was agreed upon at a caucus of the party io the early days of the session, and ii. section (if the members do not at present feel at all inclined to concur in the Ministerial proposal. A caucus of (he party will ho held to-morrow to discuss (he matter, and unless the details are then satisfactorily arranged, the Mill is likely to meet with considerable oviposit ion. EAYMENT OF MEMBERS. Tiro member for Parnell (Mr F. I,awry) considers it an anomaly that tho members of Parliament representing Wellington and the vicinity should receive tho same Honorarium as those representing constituencies in the far north or south. Ho urges that a professional man in Wellington, for instance, can attend to his ordinary business as well as bis Parliamentary duties without dilfieulty or expense—that, in (net, his business may he enhanced bv tbo fact of bis being a member; but that a. member from another part of Iho colony is prevented from personally attending to his business during tho session, that be loses a portion of his honorarium even if be obtains leave of absence, and that while Parliament is in session bo lias to keep up two establishments. On tho other hand, a member residing in Wellington or the immediate vicinity has only to keep one house going, and has no need to apply for leave of absence. Mr Lawry is therefore introducing a Bill to differentiate between tho salaries paid to tho two classes of representatives, and a lively debate may be expected when tho measure comes before the House for its second reading.

TAXING MILK SUPPLIERS. Much has been said and' written of I ado regarding the injustice of taxing suppliers of milk to any co-operative dairy factory, and only last week a deputation of Wairarapa. factory managers waited on tho Minister of Agriculture to ask for redress. Tho Minister then said that, it necessary, he would introduce a Bill to give effect to their washes, with which ho sincerely sympathised. It would appear a remedy is provided by a measure which Mr Wilford has introduced, and which was read a first time in the House on tho 3rd of this month. It is styled' the Land and Income Assessment Act Amendment Bill, and its operative clause is as follows:—“Tho income of a. co-operative dairy factory company (meaning thereby a. company formed for the purpose of manufacturing dairy produce from milk supplied exclusively by its members in accordance with its articles or rules) shall be exempt from tax in so far, but so far only, as such income is derived from tho ! sale of such produce.” Tho Bill will come on for its second reading on Wednesday, and as there is a general consensus of opinion in favour of the principle, there is every probability of its being placed on the Statute Book this session. VALUATION OF LAND ACT. The Government Valuation of Land Act Amendment Bill contains some definitions which will be of interest to those concerned. “Capital value” of laud moans tho sum that the owner’s estate or interest therein, if unencumbered by any mortgage or other charge thereon, might be expected to realise at the time of, valuation it offered for sale on such reasonable terms and conditions as a bona fide seller might bo expected to require. “Improvements” on laud means all work actually done thereon by the. expenditure of capital or labour by the owner or occupier of the land, in so far only as tho effect of such work is to increase tho value of the land, and the benefit thereof is unexhausted at the time of valuation, but shall not include work done on or for the benefit of the land by tho Crown or oy any statutory local body. “Laud” means all lands, tenements and hereditaments, whether corporeal or unoorporcal, in New Zealand, and all timber or flax growing or standing thereon, and all minerals; I 'metals and precious stones contained therein. “Unimproved value” of any land means the sum which the owner’s estate or interest therein, if unencumbered by any charge tnereon, and if no improvements existed on it, might bo expected to realise if offered for ffde on such terms as a bona fide seller might bo expected to require. “Value of improvements” means the sum by winch tho improvements on land increase its value. The Bill states that it is not necessary to prepare a general valuation roll, but prescribes that a district valuation roll shall bo prepared for each special district, and may be revised by tho Valuer-General at periods of not less than two years. In , the intervals the Valuer-General may make such alterations as are necessary to bring the entries up-to-date, and may also make alterations in land leased as are necessary for the purpose of correctly assessing the interests of the respective owners. Notice of alteration is to be given, and objections are to bo heard before a Stipendiary Magistrate. The definitions quoted above are to apply to the Rating on Unimproved Value of Land Act.

CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS. The Civil Service Examination Bill, which has been introduced in -.the Legislative Council by the Minister of Education, is to amend the law, relating to tho examinations in the case of cadets. Clause 2 repeals section 8 of the Civil Service Reform Act, 1886, and in lieu thereof enacts that no cadet appointed after tho passing of that Ajct shall receive more .ttyiu £2OO per annum unless he has‘‘passed an examine lion to be prescribed by regulations to bo made under the Bill by tho Gover-nor-in-Council. Tho examination may he different for different departments of tho public service, and in the case of each department the subjects of examination may have reference to the sper cial work of tho department. An examination as to tho whole thereof or any one or more subjects thereof, conducted by fin university or other examining bony, may, if the regulations so authorise, ho accented in lieu of the examination under the Bill. Nothing in tho Bill is to affect any salary for any period prior to tho passing of the Bill, or apply to any cadet who. has passed tho Senior Civil Service Examination. METALLING COUNTRY ROADS. The member for Masterton (Mr A. W. Hogg) asked the now Minister for Lands if he wore aware that a large number of settlers, especially Crown tenants, were suffering extreme-,hard-ships owing -to the want 'of * , good metalled .roads, and whether, seeing that in many parts of the North Island metal was scarce and had to be carried over long distances, ho would provide traction engines and speciallyconstructed waggons for the use of the road-makers; also, would ha endeavour

to have the votes for met ailing expended before tho season for sucli operations was over? The Minister of Lands said in regard to the first part of tbequestion that it was a matter of expense, as every local hotly in New Zealand would require one of those waggons. As to tbo second part of tho question, he thoroughly agreed with tho suggestion.

WOOD-PULP INDUSTRY. The. Hop H. Feldwick asked in the .legislative Council on Friday whether the Government would consider the advisablcncss of offering a bonus to encourage the manufacture of the first 1000 tons of paper-makers’ wood-pulp from the hushes of the colony that had been cut out by sawmillcrs. In reply, tho Minister of -i.uucation said that the information at tho disposal of tho Government unfortunately tended all in one direction, and that was to show that not only would! the setting up of plant for the manufacture of wood-pulp not c a success, but it would also mean tno absolute loss of any capital that was put into the industry. A gentleman who reported to Parliament on the. matter in 1895 stated absolutely that every penny that persons in this colony might put into the production of woon-pulp would be entirely lost. Tho Government did not see any possibility of encouraging this industry with any reasonable prospect of satisfactory results.

CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION. In view of the coming debate on the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act Amendment Bill, it lias been resolved by tho Legislative Council, on tho motion of tho Hon George McLean, that tho following return bo laid on the table of the Council:—(l) Disputes filed in each year which have come before tho Conciliation Boards since the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act came into operation ; (2) disputes in each year in which tho Conciliation Boards succeeded in effecting a settlement; (3) disputes in each year in which tho Conciliation Boards failed to effect a settlement; (4) tho number of days which each case occupied in hearing before tho Conciliation Boards; (5) disputes in each year which were referred to tho Arbitration Court after hearing by tlio Conciliation Boards;. (6) the number of days each ease o< copied in hearing before tho Arbitration Court; (7) cost of salaries, fees, office and other expenses of tho Conciliation Boards in each industrial distinct while tho Act has been in operation ; and (8) cost of salaries, foes and other expenses of tho Arbitration Court for tho colony during the same period: tho return to show separately the individual cases in each industrial- district, with tho foregoing particulars. REDUCED RAILWAY FARES. There appears, said tho Minister for Railways on Friday, in answer to Mr Field, to bo a great deal of misconception as to what has been done with regard to tlio reduction of return fares on our railways. Tho concession made, ho went on to say, amounted to 9 per cent., and the return rates in New Zealand wore nowlower than in , any of tho Australian colonies and in England. Instead, of giving a further concession in this respect, he thought the next concession made ought to be in the direction of making long-distance journeys very much cheaper. Until the present system had had a fair trial, no matter what pressure was brought to bear, no further reductions in return fares would bo made, and he was sure tho country was satisfied, with tho concessions already granted.

VOLUNTEERa’ RAILWAY PASSES. In answer to the Hon Colonel Pitt, it Was stated by the Minister of Education in the Legislative Council on Friday that he could not hold out any hope that the system in regard to volunteers’ railway passes now in existence would bo departed from. Passes for the railways would continue to bo charged against tho department to which they belonged, including tho Defence Department. It was only fair that the Railway Department should-be able to show the work it did, and what that work was worth. Ho was informed that the Defence iDepartment never refused, to give railway passes to volunteers in uuifonh and on duty. But that department considered that the present system for tho issue of railway passes to volunteers should remain unaltered. JOTTINGS. Mr Lawry is going to introduce a measure providing that no member of the Legislative Council or House of Representatives shall b© eligible to take a seat on any administrative body as the nominee of the Government. Mr O’Meara is urging the Government to amend tho Local Government Reform Act to reduce the number of votes that can ho recorded by any county ratepayer to one. Mr Wilford is continuing his agitartion for tho duplication and straightening of the Wellington to Hutt railway line, and is now asking the Government to place a sum of money on the Estimates for the purpose.