TUESDAY, JULY 15.

Otago Witness, Issue 2523, 23 July 1902, Page 34

TUESDAY, JULY 15.

In the Legislative Council to-day a motion was passed suggesting that suitable provision should be made for the culture of symmetrical and legible hand-writing m schools, many members complaining that this important branah of education was neglected. The Young Persons' Protection I Bill was passed. The Council has adjourned for a fortnight while th-3 financial position is discussed in the other Chamber. I In the House of Representatives today the Loan Bill was introduced by Governor's Message, and after an explanation by the Acting-Premier was read a first time. Questions again took up the remainder of the afternoon session. In the evening the debate on the Financial Statement was opened by Mr J. M. Ihomson, who was followed by Mr Witheford; Sir William Russell came next, and was succeeded in turn by Mr Napier. I REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. In reply to quertions Ministers stated: — That tho Cabinet was considering the advisability of amending a law to enable settlers to obtain froir the State by a simple process the advances they may require for the establishment of dairy factories and creameries., but no decision had yet been arrived at. That it was not surprising there should be some unemployed in Auckland, as several large works were approaching completion, and there had been of late a number of ns>w i arrivals from Sydney, but the Labour De- i partment Lad the names of only 40 married I men on itp books. These would bo sent to j the North Island Main Ti unk railway works. : That with regard U> New Zealanders | settling in South Africa it was considered j by the Government that it would not be a good thing for New Zealand to be unrepresented in the great development that was sure to take place in South Africa, and with respect to what Mr Seddon had done in this connection it was felt that he had been animated by a desire to build up British interests in South Africa, but he had not done anything that would in the slightest degree bo detrimental to the interests of New Zealand. That £1200 will be required to complete the consolidation of tJie statute law of the colony, and if member expressed a desire that this amount should be provided on the Supplementary Estimate* the Government would accede to their wishes. That the Government had no power to interfere in any way with the decision to pay a dividend to shareholders of the Bank of New Zealand. THE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND ASSETS BOARD. Mr Millar tv-day a*ked tho Acting-Pre-mier whether he would make inquiries flora tho directors of the Bank of New Zealand appointed to look after the interests of the colony as to their reasons for agreeing to the suggestion that the shareholders of the Bank of New Zealand should receive a dividend whilst the liability of the colony in connection with the bank ha.- in no material way been reduced 1" Mr MiKar said he had been watching the proceeding* of the As3eU Board very dosely, and he had not noticed j that any provision had been made to fill • up the whole of the £900,000 which was the ' difference between t!io book value and the ascertained value of the properties when tboy took them over. He thought the first thing to be done was to fill up that hoJe and relieve the colony of tho liability before they started paying shareholders a dividend. Sir Joseph Ward ?aid the Bank of New Zealand was governed by an act now on the Statute Book of the colony, and the Government had no power to interfere one way or the other in such a matter as this. The Government was not, of course, responsible for anything thm the bank directors in their wi«dr>m decided to do in a matter of this sort. It would, however, perhaps be only right to wait till the annual meeting of shareholder*, on An trust 1, to pee what reasons there were for th° d-fcision arrived at. Until that meeting had been held he eou'd give th<-> lion, member no nthf>r information corrtruinp auythmg the bank had decided to do in tlii-, respect. PROSPECTING Mr G.lfpdiler as!:e-l tho Mini'-t'-r of Minp« li. m Mew ol LLe aeteeiity foi thorough^

1 prospecting the auriferous areas in the southwestern part of Otago, he would endeavour i to have placed on the Estimates a \ote for I assisting hona fide prospectors and encotiragI ing the opening up of that part of the ' colony for mining purposes. The Minister's reply was to the effect thai prospectors wcr. 1 born, not made. The men who did the best prospecting generally went "on their own." He, however, pointed out that there was already provision for the granting of reasonable assistance. GOVERNMENT VETERINARIANS. There is a good deal of discontent in the Government Veterinary Department because of the poor salaries of the veterinarians. It was expected that thiß year's Estimates would give these officers some increase, but as such is not the case a number aie likely to hand in their resignations. JOTTINGS. The Agricultural Department is very slow to move in the matter of the prevention of anthrax. A scientific authority informs me that unlees some better system of iu.-ppction and sterilisation of boneduai js adopted the North Island i* likely to become a. hotbed of the disease. Only the other day a settlor i-i the Auckland province died from this terrible disease, and another is in hospital eeriously ill. The Cycle Boards Bill i-> to be introduced again this cession by Mr George fowlds. It seems doubtful whether tho Government will take it up, as was hoped last session, but in spite of this fact the bill should have a fair chance of getting through this year. j i ' j ! j j | . ' | ' I