POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12420, 1 August 1902, Page 6

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

(Frou Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, July 31. FACTORIES ACT. The Factories Act Amendment Bill which is being introduced in the Legislative Council provides that the working hours of boys or women may not be extended unless the occupier of the factory has first obtained a permit from the inspector, who mayi refuse it if he thinks the extension would be hurtful to the health of the persons concerned. The minimum wage clause in the principal act for young persons is amended by providing that not Ices than 5s a. week shall be paid during the first year of employment for every person under 20 years of age, with an annual increase of not less than 3s a week during every succeeding year of employment in the same trade until he js 20 years of ageHABEAS CORPUS ACT. The Habeas Corpus Extension Bill introduced by the Minister of Education gives the right of appeal to the Appeal Court by a person confined on the return of a, writ of habeas corpus. Security for costs shall not be required from a person so appealing, and the higher court may discharge or let to bail the person confined or restrained. Where a judge or the Court of Appeal orders the discharge of a person so confined, such order shall be final and without appeal. EXPENDITURE OF ROAD GRANTS. As the result of the meeting of country members held yesterday, when it was desired to approach the Government and impress upon them the necessity of making road grants available as soon as possible after they are appropriated in order that the money may be spent at the proper season of the year, a deputation, comprising Messrs ,1. W. Thomson, W. H. Hemes, ,]. O'Meara, and W. Field, waited upon the Acting-Premier and Minister of Lands, and asked them to give effect to the wishes of the meeting. Both Ministers expressed sympathy with the object indicated, and said that the Government would use its best endeavours to spend the. money voted as far as ways and means allowed. They also promised that as far as possible authority would be given to local bodies to proceed with the works at the earliest

possible time. . JOTTINGS. , * | "Wo hive got plenty of opposition and i plenty of lifo in it, but we haven't the'*: numbers for voting," said Mr Pirani when twitted as to the weakness of the Opposition. " If you arc true steel we are double steel."—Mr Stevens. " Forty pounds steal," > interjected Mr Atkinson. KINDERGARTEN WORK. Mr R. Reynolds and 18 others recently asked for a pound for pound subsidy for the maintenance of the perfectly-equipped kindergartens in the colony. The Petitions Committee reports that inasmuch as tho jroblio schools system of the colony provide* for good instruction and exercises by the kindergarten system, it has no recommendation to make. AMERICAN ROLLING STOCK. This evening Mr G. W. Russell strongly ! condemned the action of tho Government in importing engines and railway carriages from '. America. H« said we had not made an., effort to meet our own requirements. Ho j was not aware that ono hour of overtime ! had been worked in the workshops, or that ' : two shifts kept going in order to '. construct our own rolling stock. If two ' shifts had been worked wo would have had ■ thousands of artisans and mechanics pouring J; into the colony. The engines brought from I America wore too heavy for our lines. Seven j of them were lying at Addington for weeks, j' •Mverod with canvas, and workmen were

i busily employed on Sundays pulling up the : tracks between Clirietcliurch and Lyttelton and Uhrotelmrch ami Islington and putting j down heavier metal to bear the increased I wiiiyhl. At . Oainaru, when one of these j engines ran , into «, sidiiiß, the track I "spread."—(A. Member: "Yes; and tho : driver got a mark against his name for it.") Continuing, Mr Russell said that oaeh of • the .carriages from America cost £196 more than they could have been built for in our own workshops. Yet within a year, one ,; by one. these carriages had been taken into ' Addiugtoh to bo torn to pieces and recon- ■ strutted on the New Zealand pattern.