POLITICAL NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7264, 21 October 1910, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES

STATE GUAEANTEED ADVANCES

Figures showing the transfers made from one oranch to another of the State Guaranteed Advances Office were laid before Parliament yesterday. At the end of September, £30,000 was transferred from the settlers' branch to the workers' branch, aud £50.000 was transferred from the local authorities branch to the settlers' branch. On September 13th £30,000 was transferred from the local authorities' branch to the native land settlement branch.

ADVANCES TO SETTLERS

During the past two years 795 applies tions were made to the Advances to Settlers Department for loans of over £SOO, of which number 129 were granted. The total amount of the applications wa» £832,712, the advances made totalling £98,165.

COLONEL DAVIES

A FOUE YEARS' APPOINTMENT. CORRESPONDENCE ON THE NEW COMMAND. Correspondence laid on the table of the House yesterday shows that the appointment ot Cofonet E. H. Davies, C. 8., to the command of the iSxth fntautry Brigade command of the Sixth Infantry Brigade General will take effect from October loiH for four years. "I take this opportunity," wrote Lord Crewe to Lord Islington on September Ist, "of expressing the satisfaction of hia Majosty's Government that they have been able to offer to an officer of the Dominion forces this important position, and tbelr appreciation of the .willingness of your. Government that Colonel Davies ahouldj accept the post." The most interesting letter, however, is, addressed by the High Commissioner (Sir W. Hall-Jones) to the Prime Minister. "I; have the honour to stato," it runs, "that; Colonel Davies informs me that in accept-i . ing the command of the brigade hero he, ' has no intention, nor does he desire to sever bis connection with New Zealand. Colonel Davies wishes to continue his payments to the New Zealand superannuation fnnd either upon his New Zealand rate of salary, or 'upon that paid him by the Imperial Government. Ho suggests that his position is similar to that of Colonel! Godley, the recently appointed command-, ant, and states that Colonel Godley's eer-i vices in the Dominion will count towards his pension in tho regular army. . Tbe; command of a brigade here is an appointment for four years only. I priming Colonel Davie 3 that I would snbmit-hiß. views to yon for the Government's r™-, sideration, and I shall be glad to learn the result for communistion to him." The Prime Minister (Sir .Tooepb Wardl. =n tabling the papers. at.»»ed that the y-t'—t T -~rl o~t liQ*.ri pr, n cif» e red by the Cabinet-i ne bad deemed it his dntr to la" *" -w papers on the table imnT-Hin.+eW. As + l --? »«pi i r colonel Dn.vies remaining on, the New Zealand superannuation fwrl w-s, so important, h ft could not rive pn band answer. The Government. ro-iM *--♦; sn-r« to «nv o(h>er drawing the high ImTate of pav being placed on t>? New Zealand superannuation fund nnj tha*. basis. It would be seen whether 1-<S| rould be continued on ♦■he basin of hiT New Zealand salary. There was no ar-!|

rangement regarding any exchange so far as Colonel Oodles' was concerned, and ho wished to make it quite clear that ».".<? Zealand had no opportunities such as the Imperial Government possessed of keeping positions open for o facers who took u? 1 osts in England.

JOTTINGS

Tho Education Committee has reported upon the petition of Mr A. J. Tozer, Levin, nraving for the release of his son. who Is now at the boys' training farm. Weraroa. It recommends that the boy be dealt' with as suggested by the Minister of Education early in the year when writing to Mr W. Field. M.P.

"There are a good many members of shit council, who. 1 will bet, could not name the members of the other House if they met them." declared tho Hon. J. E. Jenkinson in the Legislative Counoll yesterday when complaining of the distance which separates the two chambers in Parliament Building*. Only one small amendment was made by the Labour Bills Committee in the Inspection of Machinery Amendment Bill, which was returned to the House yesterday. The committoe ha 3 excluded the drivers of winzes from the list of men at the mines who are to bo holders of a winding-engine driver's certificate.

The vcrv modest Bill of two clauses introduced by tho Hon. A. R. Guinness to provide a Saturday half-holiday for all miners in gold or coal mines, except where wagC3 men are employed, has been returned bv the Goldfields and Mines Committee ■with the recommendation that it should not be allowed to proceed.