POLITICAL NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11305, 2 September 1922, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES

PRESS GALLERY NEWS "LIVES AT STAKE." ft ATT, men on the main trunk. Mr M. J. Savage asked the Post. Raster-General in the House yesterday if he would favourably consider the matter of making provision for safeguarding tho lives of t-h© moil mon- on the Main Trunk express by , placing between their van and the engine some vehicle that would \ act as a butter. At present the mail van was the buffer for the whole of the train, _ ana already two mail men had lost tlieu lives in accidents on the line. The Hon. J G. Coates said that in 1918 two men lost their lives on the mail van, because, he believed, their van was next to tho engine. On that occasion the Railway Department was approached, and the Postal . Department adduced every reason it could as to why there should be some buffer. Immediately the Postal Department heard of the recent Drury accident it again put the matter before the Railway Department, and that was where things stood at present. He hoped to be able to state the result of these communications in the course of a few days. AN ELECTORAL PROBLEM. LIGHTHOUSE PEOPLE AND INVALIDS. Mr T. W. Rhodes (Thames) addressed a question to the Prime Minister as Mimster-in-Charge of the Electoral Department. He wanted to know if the law could be amended, in the direction of making it,, practicable for electors employed at lighthouses to have their votes recorded. _ At present, he added, they are practically disfranchised. Mr Rhodes also raised the question of provision being made for patients in hospitals to vote. The Prime Minister replied that ho would be glad to see that all possible facilities would be granted to electors at lighthouses. There were very great difficulties in the way and a satisfactory scheme had never been arrived ' Mr Rhodes said that the difficulty would he 'overcome if those people were treated as absent voters. Mr Massey said that as regarded the patients in hospitals the medical profession was very strongly opposed to allowing patients to be interfered with. '. ■■ Mr Witty raised the question of the electors at the Chatham Islands. Mr Massey said that he had instructed the department some time ago to see what ooukl be done, but he had not yet received a report. HIGH FEES. FOR DUPLICATION CERTTFIOATES. The Minister foir Internal Affairs has intimated his intention of revising naturalisation fees, and yesterday afternoon Mr T. W. Rhodes asked him to consider at the same time charges for duplication certificates. At present the charge was £5, which was outrageous. He suggested 5s would be a much more reasonable fee. TbeHqn. W: Downie Stewart replied that lie'diet not know "how the charge of £5 had come to be made, and. explained that as a matter of practice, when it was proved that the certificate hod been lost inadvertently, only a nominal fee was asked. » ————— ILLITERATE CHILDREN. NEW ZEALANDERS WHO CANNOT READ OR WRITE. Replying to m question, the Hon. C. J. Pair said that the method of advertising the., correspondence 'schools was In’ circular to the education boards. 'The deportment proposed to give every consideration to the correspondence system, and it had been arranged that a number of posters should be utilised. Hie experiment, which had amply justified itself, was with the idea of educating the isolated backblock families, the children of lighthouse-keepers, and so oh. At present the work was being conducted by Mias McKenzie., and she had a roll of 209 children. Some illiteracy had been discovered, and it was not uncommon to find children, in the baokblocks who could hot read or write. Already Miss McKenzie was overworked, and he hoped to be able to secure her some assistance in the matter of the best thing that had "been done for the backblock children for some time. PRIME MINIBTER GETS A BOUQUET FROM MR MASSEY. “There is one peculiar feature of this session/’ said the Prime Minister, in the’ House, last night. “We have been two months and a day in session, and we have had five no-confidence motions. Those five motions were negatived. They became votes of confidence in the Government/’ Mr Holland: By your own party. Mr Massey: I thank hon, members. Dr Thacker: You are throwing bouquets at yourself. "THE BOMBARDMENT." ABUSE OF THE STANDING ORDERS. What is known in Parliament as the bombardment was complained of in the Moose of Representative* yesterday afternoon by Mr. C. E. Statham. The House had been bombarded with questions for an hour. Many of them were questions Without notice which should net allowed only if they are of an urgent nature. Mr Statham pointed this ont, and asked if. an abuse of the standing orders was not being committed, and whether the Speaker should not rule as to whether or not the questions asked were matters of urgency. Mr Speaker said that he had frequently brought the matter before the House, but it was a diffioult thing for a Speaker to rule on the spur of the moment that a question was or was not a matter of urgency. He thought It ™ fcr the Minister concerned to move m the matter. He understood that in the House of Commons all such questions were submitted to the Speaker before the House met. Hie question of tho revision of' the standing orders having been raised, the Prime Minister said he was very strongly of tho opinion that revision was necessary, and he hoped the matter would come before the House next ession.