POLITICAL NOTES

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVII, Issue 8562, 17 August 1904, Page 1

POLITICAL NOTES

By Telegraph. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Wellington, August K>. The Ilmi. Sir \V. ,1. Steward gave notice to-day Ik a.sk Ihe Commissioner nf Telegraphs oil what terms and eondition<> |]io Department will establish telephone cum-miiiiic'-iiuii. bel.v.'oen (Jlenavy and Kedeliir. (Nolo. —It is usual |i> require a. guarantee of a certain number of suhserilier", and Hi*) object nf ihe (pii'stion is to ascertain! how many guarantors -would be required and tlio amount of subscriptions, etc., in thit catc.) Thete was a revival tn-day in the pofitions again:.!, the introduction of liquor to llm islands and those asking for an omjuiry into tlie causes of lunaey, and protesting against the islignia placed on '.Mr Ifiitl by the Committee of last year in tho matter of the ballot, papers. 'Them was also a, petition from Auckland pronouncing iho ■employment of barmaids to be immoral, and asking t'nat it should be. mado also illegal. Several petitions were, submitted, too, about I'mcc, asking for another licensing poll. These w'civ very largely signed indeed, but in th.'> faco of l.ho acceptance of the I'l ivy I '■•tinrir.-i \erdict of the Xcwiow:. Commote;. I !!..•■.• have not a hep?, 'the Newtown piil>!i,-.ii,< have e.\e|l a, petition complaining thai the. Wellington t'ilv Council has made I hem pav tlnO fill! £.lO. tlioiigh the Liivusing C'., mini it text expressed the i pinion that tiny ought to be all..wed a ivducl u.,i proport ion,it;' to the, time dm in.; v. iich li.ey w.,r.'. closed. A large, fiuetinn of the temperance, p.aiplo petitioned lint the priu;:ijil.'s of leuipeiMiico hygiene lie taught in ihe nelnajls of (he country. In tIM Shop,; Hill Mr Scddoii lias giveik i.niv. >.: lo move: "'J'hal, on the day ap-pa-inkd for 11,.' ucnevi-.', tle.cli.ai of memIceis of the .Itohm' of JUiprrKcnlalivos held next after the. passing of this Act, and simultaneously therewith a poll of tho electors shall' be taken in. each etcetera.! district on ihe uiiesiion. whether or not tlio weekly half-holiday shall be on Saturday throughout that dit.trief." The report of flic Co;iiniboi,..)iß.|'.s under "Th© lUvp.'mil of .Statutes Act, 11395," placed on Ihe table to-day, roporlw dealing with ni consolidated Bills, comprising 173 of the existing Acts. The result will nwt he submitted until the- consolidation of th* •whole o: the Statute. Hook is completed, tu the matter of Iho public and general Acts many diilieulties and defects havo teen met with in the course of the. wink, and, as some of them are not within tlio si. ope of the Couimissionons' authority, lhe.y recommend special legislation, s.i that tlio r»Mill. may l>o inoorporaied by them. These- refer to tlio following :■—Animalß Protection Acts, in. whi-h repeals hivo been made that ought not to havo been mad-3; tlio tabulation Ite'crve Acts, in ■which the 'casing provisi >ns are ooiillioiing; and some of them antiquated ; the Native Land Acts, in which there are doubts; tho Civil Service .Acts which contain I ho principle of cla.ssilic.ations wid h .nv impossible. In the Public Works Acis alike I here aro m'ovisioti.s for .street widening lo pu/./Jc Iho Court of Appeal. Certain iiiiprovem.i nIH are suggested in tlio Criminal Code Act, the chief of which extends I lie line.! of complaint from olio month to three. I!inform lty is lveomnieiided in the practice of making rules of Court. It is suegnsl ...l that this should be a, principal Mauling loan Act citing all the. machinery provisions, so that, the usual loan Acts should he. confined to ;i single clause specifying the amount authorised, Ibo machinery to depend on tlio principal standing Act. Tlio modus operandi of the Coimn.isiiioiic.is in specified as just. The n'creiary (Mr 'J'. Ol'lilU" collates each co.usolidal ill;; statute:, the Commissioners peruse the result, and the. meelinc- finally settle the result a.s a w:i •'<;. As the pi'c ':■■ involv"" lime and li"',l,l 0 it. will I"' s.ii'c time before the Consolidated Statute Hook will bo ready. Mr Kll'o return of the voters of local; bodies gives iho number possessing th* fraixhisc a/ : - -Canities 71,023, n.a.t d>Irkls 32,P0.5, town districts hoSo, total 108,361. Of these the possessors of Iwo votes or muf air.:- Count :<■;. Y.'iO?.. : .'I dr-triei; .'.Trl. town districts 267, folal 11,443. The holders of two yotes are; ■Counties 7389, road districts 3920, town, districts 101. total 11,490, and of olio vet ■■- -('..nut'- s 66.1352, road districts 24 f.39, tc-.vu districts 1001. total G5,428. Tin report of the last Inspector of I'ri-nns for Ihe year chronicles an increase, of 86 prisoners over tlio previous year it* the priE.'iii population, due chiefly to tho infinx of undesirable- persons attracted from other ci-uidries bv the prosperity of tho colony. The health of the prisoners wjih generally good. There, were nine deaths fiom natural causes duly certilied by a, 0.-mp-tenf authorilv. The cost of tlio prisoners was. per "bond, £l7 14s 4d, iucludin" staff supervision t£2B ss), mamteintm." ' r> - 1 " 1 17s Alt and incidentals (£3 11-, lidi, the ligmcs being slightly in <'X-c-ess of ihe preyoius year in eor.ncrpienco of the rise in prices. Tho tree planting operations continue satisfactory, and thcuo will socn be a total of 176 employed under ig oPie'os, Ihe. cost being about £3 lc-s p»r head than in the ordinary priiairt. Disciplir? i- tnaintained without, punishment in tliese tree-planting prisons. 'J'h« liaidoKod -riminals aro kept separate. There are few complaints from tho inmates and na e>cai'c:;. Of the probation system there is a review from the. imeption. which shows that 85.12 per cent, have dime weilf while oniv 2.3 bave escaped. This comprises 1565 persons. Last, year 110 persons wore -placed no probation, savour tho colony £3960. "Comment," eays tlio I* specter, "is needles.*."