PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4732, 14 August 1902, Page 7

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

THE LUNACY AND CHARITABLE DEPARTMENT. - When the Lunacy and Charitable Department Estimates were before tho House, Mr Pirani asked what-was to be done about tho office Assistant-inspec-tor of Asylums, for which office £750 ajipeared on tho estimates? For years this bad been a purely ornamental vote. Ho considered that the salary of Mrs Neill. Inspector of Asylums, who received only £250, should bo increased. It was stated that she was the best, officer in this. department. Mr Ell said bo was not satisfied with the administration of tho Lunacy and Charitable Department, whioa, m his opinion, was in need of reorganisation. As an indication of Ids dissatisfaction, no moved that tho first vote, Inspector of Lunatic Asylums, £IOOO, should be reduced by £2OO. The administration of this department was antiquated, and out-of-date. They bad old men in tho asylums who were merely suffering from seuilo decay, and ought not to bo there, and they had children in tho asylums who ought to be in some more suitable bomb. In answer to Mr Pirani, the Hon Mr Mills said that no appointment of Assistant-Inspector of Asylums bad yet been made The amendment proposed by Mr EH was lost on the voices. Mr Pirani further called attention to tiio work done by Mrs Neill in the registration of nurses, and said she was doing tins without any extra pay. Ho thought this a shameful instance of sweating. THE LATE MR WRIGHT. A resolution of condolence with tho relatives of tho late Mr B. G. Wright, formerly M.H.R. for Ashburton, was proposed yesterday by Sir J. G. Ward, who moved. “That this House desires to place on record its regret at the death of Mr Edward George Wright, its appreciation ol' his services as a member of tho House of, Representatives, and >ts recognition of the value of his work as a public man in Canterbury, and tenders to Mrs Wright and the other members of the family its heartfelt sytnna+by wv Gieir irreparable loss.” The Acting-Premier said that Mr Wright had commanded the respect of members

both sides of the House. air Aiasm V, in seconding the motion, said tnat no 'straighten or mure liberal-minded cum had ever sat in Parliament. o v

~na more honestly anxious for the woibire of tini country and its people. Messrs Lanrensoi., T. Mackenzie, filat■nan and .Aloredith also spoke in tribute -.x.. tbe memory of Mr Alright, and Hie motion was carried.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN' SERVICE. The Govern merit has instructed Hie Agent-General to give notice to Mr Sieigh of the termination of negotiations for the South African service. This step, the Acting-Premier informed Ml G. J, Smith yesterday, was taken ov cause. of the delay in the signing of Hie contract, and when the Government is informed that the formal notice lias been served the necessary slops will betaken for securing a. service to South Africa. He believed that the colony, had it got the Blue Star service, would have got a very good one: but tlie Government would now take other stops in the mailer, MASTERTOM CADET CORPS, in reply to Mr Hogg, Mr Hall-Jones stated iu tlie House yesterday that the .'lastertrm Cadet Corns could not get the extra capitation to meet certain ■'Mines which had been incurred, as the corps had not qualified.- Air Hogg piotested that it was tlie fault of the Defence Department that the corps had not qualified. It had boon assiduously !:i locking at the door of tho department for months-, and finally was accepted in January last as from iVlarch, 1901. This was at too late a date in the Volunteer vear for qualification, but the members bad to purchase their rifles and uniforms, and bad incurred substantial lia,titles, and now that they had been led into an abyss of debt in this way, tho Minister, said Mr Hogg, with contempt in his voice, was going to put them off with a paltry five shillings. THE PREFERENTIAL TARIFF QUESTION, In reply to Mr Atkinson, who asked yesterday whether tho Government would give tho House an opportunity this session of considering tho question of a, preferential tariff in favour of Lritisli goods, tho Acting-Premier stated hat the Government would await the resolutions passed at the conference in England before deciding whether any action should be taken. _ Until resolutions were known, it would be a mere beating of the air to discuss the question. THE FEILDING ENCAMPMENT TRAGEDY. The petition of R. Crawford to tlie House of Representatives sets out that petitioner is the father of Percy -Matthew Crawford, who was killed at tin A'oluntcor encampment at Fedding on Mm I'JtU January. 1992; that bis said son (a"ed nineteen) worked with petitioner as a blacksmith, and that the petitioner and Ids sou were about to start business on their own account; and turn. ■>y tbo shooting of bis son bo has been deprived of such services, .and therefore lie trusts that tho House may see its way to recommend that compensation bo awarded to him for such dopriiation. THE AGE OF JUDGES. The Minister of Justice was asked yesterday by Mr Hogg whether the Government intended to rc-introdnco the 'till prepared by a former AttorneyGeneral, providing for tho compulsory retirement of Judges of tho Supremo Court, at the age of sixty-five years? [Tie Hon. Mr AtcGowan replied that it was not tho intention of tho Government to bring in any Bill to deal with ■bo Supremo Court. In answer to another question on this subject by Air v Aicara, Air McGowan merely stated that bo'sjiad no knowledge of the ago of any Supreme Court Judge. .jAKiMEM’S COMPENSATION FOR ACCIDENTS. With regard to tho disputed question as to the position of agricultural labourers under tho Workmen’s Compensation for Accidents Act, Mr Fraser asked tiio Government yesterday to bring in a Bill to remove the existing ambiguity on tins point. He quoted the ease in which a -farmer had insured his era..oveos. but when one of bis shepherds broke his leg, the company declined to pv.y. on the ground that the man was not within the scope of the Act. 'the employer consulted a solicitor, who cold mm ho could -not recover anything.

his state of things, Mr Eraser maintained. ought not to continue, either in’ the interests of tho employer or those of the employee. The Hon. Air Hnll-Jones agreed that this was an important matter. There were certain policies in force, taken out by farmers, and yet when an accident occurred, the companies repudiated'their liabilities The matter was under the consideration of tho Government, which would consider whether a Dili could bo brought down this session to deal with the subject. THE STATE COAL Mlf*E. Mr Fisher sought to obtain some further information yesterday as to the intentions of the Government in supplying Goal to tho public. The Hon Mr McGowan said that the operations of tho State coal mine had been delayed because, through an oversight, the Act of last session did not give power for expenditure of money for this purpose. This would bo remedied by an amending Bill this year; and -when this had become law, the production of coal from tho State coal mine could be proceeded with energetically. THE FLOUR TRUST. A new argument in favour of -the San Francisco mail service was advanced by Mr Massey during last night’s discussion on tho Rings and Combines Suppression Bill introduced by Mr Hornsby. In the course of a speech by Mr Massey, he queried of Mr Hornsby “ p>oos tho honourable member know what burst up the millers’ trust?” “I dga’t know that it is burst up!” retorted the member for Wairarapa. “Well, it’s very harmless!” replied Mr Massey, and then be went on to say that the trust was burst up by the San Francisco mail service having poured into this country American flour, and so prevented the trust from raising the price of New Zealand flour to an extortionate extent. Mr Massey then pointed his argument with a suggestion to 'Mr Hornsbv that he should eschew his old opposition to the Sail Francisco mail service, which had done so much to disorganise ono of the combines to which Mr Hornsby so greatly objected.

TROOPERS AND THEIR RIFLES. Thero has been some comment amongst members this session concerning the fact that troopers who have returned from South Africa have been required to give up their rifles and bandoliers. Air Hall-Jones threw some light on the matter yesterday by explaining that the rifles and bandoliers belonged to the Imperial authorities, who had cabled to the Now Zealand Government asking that theso should bo collected from tho troopers.-