POLITICAL NOTES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10595, 26 October 1910, Page 2

POLITICAL NOTES.

By Telegraph,

(From Our Own Correspondent.) ' Wellington, October 25. —New Zealand Produce.Acre for acre New Zealand can produce more than twice as much of any agricultural co.nmodity as Australia, said Mr Hogg to-night. Competition with Australia! The thing is ridiculous. Tliere is no need to be afraid of Australia. New Zealand with its fine climate and soil and her sturdy-farmers should be afraid of no part of the world. To all of which the Hon. Mr Duncan replied: I have known Mr Hogg for a number of years and never knew him to do a turn of farming in his life. Mr Hogg: I can show you how to plough potatoes. Mr Duncan: You can show us how to eat them. —Government Business. — The Prime Minister gave notice this afternoon to move tliat on and after : Monday, October 31, the House sliould meet at 2.30 p.m. on Mondays for the transaction of Government business only. "What about Saturdays?" said a member. "We will let Saturdays wait awhile," responded Sir Joseph Ward to an accompaniment of hear, hears. —Public Works. — •■Mr Massey sought to draw the Hon. Mr M'Kenzie as to the date on which the Public Works Statement would be delivered, but only secured the oracular reply that the Statement* was in course of preparation and would be'introduced when other business before the House was sufficiently advanced. Mr Massey: Just the reply I expected. ■; Sir Joseph Ward; Just such a question as one would expect from the lion, gentleman! The Estimates have onl; been a few hours out of our hands. | 1 ■ —-Dairy Industry Act; — The Prime Minister gave a favorabli reply-to an Auckland deputation intro duced by Mr Massey, representing a number of dairy companies, who asked that the Dairy Industry Act should b« ;re-enacted.

Sir Joseph Ward said the matter would be favorably considered before the session ends.

—The Ruling Passion.— The member for Chritschurch North fliad; a tilt at the alleged ruling instinct :of;:..Scotchmen when lie spoke upon .trusts last night in Parliament. "I had the satisfaction of bringing the flour:inillers' trust before a committee- of this House eight years ago," he said, "but eleven out of [thirteen were a Scotchman, and tliey had the instinct of Highland thieves in. them. They were good fellows every one of them, but they loved a smart deal, with the result that though I proved it up to the .iiiilt,. that the Association was a trust they all admired a smart transaction, so much that we aid not get the legislation we wanted that session."