SATURDAY, JULY 28.

Otago Witness, Volume 02, Issue 2420, 2 August 1900, Page 33

SATURDAY, JULY 28.

Ono of the mo=t important measures dealt with this session, as far as the farming community is concerned, is the Noxious Weeds Bill, -which passed through committee on Friday night, with certain modifications. The question was discussed in the most friendly spirit, and the debate was entirely free from party bias, being mainly carried on by about a dozen expert farmers, of whom about half were from the Auckland province. The provisions of the bill arc less drastic than the proposals contained in previous Noxious Weeds Bills ; indeed, it is hardly possible to conceive of a more moderate measure, _ if there is to be any legislation at all dealing with noxious weeds. The Hon. T. Duncan, the Minister in charge of the bill, is himself a practical farmer, and no one knows better than he does the difficulty of attacking the evil without inflicting serious hardships on farmers. He was most conciliatory, and was quite willing to agree to any modification which those who had a practical knowledge of the question thought reasonable and desirable. As an additional safeguard, an amendment was inserted which gave a farmer who considered that the circumstances of his case made it ruinous or impossible to give effect to all the provifcions of the bill the right to lay his case before the inspector, who is to have power to modify the requirements of the act in special cases of this kind. The bill really applies only to blackberry, sweetbriar, and Oalifornian thistle, though other plants may be declared noxious weeds by the local authorities of the district. All that is required is that the plants shall be kept cut or grubbed up, so as to prevent them from flowering.

PERSONAL.

The Hon. John M'Kenzie is not progressing so rapidly as his friends could desire. He takes no further interest in -oolitics, and has Eent his son, Mr Duncan M'Kenzie, up to Wellington for liLs papers.

MONDAY, JULY 30.

It is understood that a strong atlemnt will be made to cut down the Governor's proposed salary from £7000 to £6000. There is still strong opposition to the proposed large increases m Ministers' salaries.