POLITICAL NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11303, 31 August 1922, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES

PRESS GALLERY NEWS THE HIGH RENTS QUESTION. m/bats raised in the house. Yesterday afternoon Mr G. "Witty (RiccartonV again mentioned in the House of Representatives the question of the high rents that are being exacted from tenants of dwellings, lie mentioned the oaire of a man who for nine hftd rented a house n't £1 2s 6d pel- week. Six months ago the rent had been raised to £lO a month, and now the tenant had been notified that it was to be increased to £2 17s 6d per week. Mr Witty understood that the landlord had done nothing to the bouse but that the tenant had papered some of the rooms. The tenant had three children and his wife had been an invalid for years. It seemed a shameful thing if this was allowed to go on. The Hon. G. J. Anderson sard that the matter was one for the T.aboilr Department, and if the particulars were given there the matter would he investigated. THE NEW RAILWAY STATION. WHAT PROGRESS. “What stage have the negotiations in connection with the sea-wall at Thorndon reachedasked Mr P. Fraser (Wellington Central) of the Minister for Railways yesterday. Mr Fraser added that the Minister would remember that the last that the public heard of the matter was that the railway, city and Harbour Board engineers were to have had a consultation. Since then nothing had been heard. Air Fraser said that he was particularly interested in this because if the preliminaries respecting the wall were got over the work would absorb a number of the unemployed. The Hon. D. H. Guthrie replied that there had been no unnecessary delaly. The character of the work entailed the closest examination and much consultation by the engineers. There had been more trouble regarding the foundations than the public generally knew. There had been no unnecessary delay, and the Harbour Board and railway engineers were in constant consultation respecting the work. MAIN TRUNK EXPRESS. AND ITS TIME-TABLE. Mr R. AloCallum (Warran) asked in the House yesterday if the time-table of the Wellington-Auokland express train could not be altered so that the train for Auckland could get into Wellington before the north-hound train moved out, this to avoid the holdinguo of the incoming train at Ngaio or Khandallah far considerable periods, sometimes as long aa twenty-fire minntes. He also suggested that the Railway Department might consider bringing the express into Wellington early enough to snit the convenience of those who desired to hare only an hour or so in Wellington and return the same day. This proposal might not meet with the approval of the Wellington hotel and boardinghouse keepers, but he thought that the convenience of the travelling public should be considered first. The Hon. D. H. Guthrie said that the time-table had been very carefully arranged, and the point was that it would not be possible at present to •ocommodate both the Auckland expresses at once at Thorndon station. The Government did not intend to spend a big sum of money to increase the accommodation at Thorndon station as the new station was to be constructed. Until the new station was built the present arrangement would have to stand. The department had made arrangements for the trains to cross at Ngaio, and the sole reason for that was the lack of accommodation at Thorndon. THE EDUCATION ACT. AMENDING BILL UNLIKELY. Air T. K. Sidey (Dunedin South) •eked if the Minister for Education could inform the House if he intended to bring down any legislation amending the Education Act this session, ana if «o could he a little further and give an indication as to whether it was intended to alter the Act so as to affect in any way the control of secondary education, or whether it would contain anything in regard to junior high school proposals. The Hon. C. J. Parr replied that he was not able to say positively without reference to the department that there would be no Bill this session, but he thought that there were no matters requiring legislation this session and that no measure would be brought down. MANQAHAO. DISTRIBUTION OF CURRENT. Sir J. P. Luke (Wellington North) desired to ask the Minister for Public Works whether the Government has completed arrangements with the different Electric Power and Distributing Boards in relation to the distribution of electric current from the Mangahao enterprise and setting out the voltage allocated to each board? EVENING FUNCTIONS. LIQUOR IN RESTAURANTS. Dr Thacker (Christchurch East) lias given notice to ask the Prime Minister whether he will remove the restriction imposed on the consumption of spirits ana other alcoholic beverages in restaurants at ordinary evening* functions, such as reunions, smoking concerts, dinners, wedding parties, etc. Such consumption, he stated, is carried on at functions in outside halls.