POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13385, 11 September 1905, Page 5

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE

OLD SOLDIERS' CLAIMS. , (Fbosi Oup. Own Corbespootent.) ' WELLINGTON, Soptember 10. Speaking on tho subject" of tho claims of old soldiers on Saturday morning, Mr Massoy urged- that tho Government should tako raoi'o active steps to investigate and deal with tlieso claims. Tho colony should not remain in tho debt of thoso old soldiers, who wero too independent to ask for tho old-age pension, and who only asked for tho money to which they wore-justly entitled Mr Hcrrios said it was timo that the Government appointed a commission to inquiro into tho claims of tlieso old soldiers. llr Lang said that unless a commission Was- moro satisfactory than tho last ono it would bo of no use. The last inquiry, which cost £2000 or £3000, wais never hoard of by many claimants until it was too late, and tho only claims, which had been recognised in consequenco of it woro so strong that they could have easily been substantiated without it. Ho considered that when tho Petitions Committee submitted n favourable recommendation in regard to a claim tho Government should act in accordance with such recommendation. '

COST OF THE LAND COMMISSION. Tho Leader of the Opposition on Friday night referred to tho item on tho Lands Estimates "Expenso of Royal Commission on land tenuro of colony £1000," and asked what portion of tho commission's expenses the item represented. 1-Ie reckoned that each member of the commission received about £500, tho mo3fc wilful and wicked wasto of money he had over heard of. He moved to reriuco tho item'by £1 as an indication that tho Government ■should lay before tho Ilotiso a return showing ill detail _ (ho cost of tho commission. Tho Minister said ho could not. give the amount oven approximately. It' might, ho said in answer to a question, have cost £15,000. Mr Huchanan said tho information must bo known within a fow pounds, and it should bo (riven. Mr Massoy's motion was lost •by 27 votes to 19. '

MORTGAGES. Tho mortgages registered in tho colony botween Ist April, 1904, and 31st March, 1905, number 16,442, involving £11,009,512. Tho riitos .of interest range from 2j per cent, to 40 per cent. The mortgages released in tho samo poriod woro 11,919, amounting in tho aggregato to £7,812,657. THE LIGHT THAT FAILED. (( The infinito dullness of tho late night on Estimates" was broken by an amusing incident, wJiicli occurred m the' House shortly before 2 o'clock on Saturday morning, when the whole paraphernalia of the parliamentary proeeduro ' was temporarily " blown out" without ceremony or even notice of motion. Tho subject under discussion at tho timo was tho vole for some river protective works in the Premior's electorate, concerning which Mr Kirkbrido had been displaying an eager thirst .for, information. Some time before this the House, tired out with its week's toil and talk (mostly talk), had started to get inattentive ' and sleepy, and the matter was being debated in a listless kind of way by a small proportion of members. • Suddenly a terrific sneeze from Mr T. Mackenzie, who had just turned up with his snuff-mull, resounded through tho more than half-empty Chamber, and immediately all the lights went out. Members laughed and applauded, whilst tho Premier gravely administered a robuke to Mr Mackenzie; : and hoped tho hon. "member would not do "it ngnin, an observation which provoked another burst of uproarioas hilarity. Meanwhile, tho Chamber was in total darkness, save for tho feeble flicker of a match which a member of the press gallery had borrowed from a fellow-scribe, and, despite ail forms arid precedent, had struck with the laurJable object of shedding a littlo light on tho awesome gloom. . The electric light was, howover, soon restored, and, the snuffmull of the member for Waikouaiti having been confiscated, a handful of members once more settjod down to fchc # Esfcimatcs and the dreamy repose of their fcenohes.