FRIDAY, JULY 18.

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

FRIDAY, JULY 18.

Tn the Hou3e of Representatives today tho Shipping and Seamen's Act Amendment Bill was read a first time. Select committees were appointed to consider the Government Railways Superannuation Bill and State Fire Insurance Bill. In the evening the debate on the second reading of the Loan Bill gavo some members an opportunity of getting off the speeches prepared for tlie financial debate. REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. In reply to questions Ministers stated: I That the Government arr> considering the advisability of bringing down legislation to validate all hona fide purchases of Native land with a Crown grant foundation. That it was not the intention of the Government to confine future appointments to the Stipendiary Magistrate's Bench to barristers and solicitors only. That tl.e Government would make inquiries as to the arUinability of publishing a law k-t for Nr-w Zealand | That the question of bringing down a superannuation m home for pribon officials was under consideration. That provis-ion had been made in the Electoral Bill to restore electoral privileges to men who had been absent from New Zealand on military service in South Africa. That the Government could not Bee its way to allow members of private rifle clubs and civilians to compete at the New Zealand Rifle Association's meetings. That theio wad no necessity to hold an inquiry into the circumstances which led to the steamer Ellen Ballance being picked up and towed to Lyttelton by the Rotomahana a couple of weeks ago. That further inquiries were being made into tho loss of certain articles by returned Scuth African troopers at Some 3 Island. That a. text book of forestry was beinut

1 I compiled, and woxild ba published as sooa as possible. GRIEVANCES OF ASYLUM ATTENDANTS. A deputation of. mcmb.ers representing districts in which lunatic asylums are situated waited on the Minister of Education this morning, and urged on him the necessity of providing that the pay of attendants at asylums should be increased and that they should be worked shorter hours There wera preseut Messrs Bollard, G. W. Russell, and W. H. Field. Mr Russell said there were numerous complaints from attendantß at the long hours they were compelled to be on duty. It might ba said their work was light ; but the Minister, from his knowledge of the trying nature of the work, would admit that it was harder than physical work. The skilled! attendants, too, aid not receive the rate of pay given to porsons in similar positions outsidV. The deputation also asked for a Board of Appeal, to which attendants couldi appeal from the judgment of the medical superintendent on the same lines as tihe Railway Appeal Board, the Minister having the power of veto over the board. Further, they asked that a Pension Fund should ba provided for asylum attendants. Mr Field remarked that at present asylum attendants w ere working 3910 hours a year, as compared with 2472 hours worked by the ordinaryworking man. He believed many more cf the best attendants would l«»av© shortly unless a better state of things was brought about. Mr Bollard said attendants als 3 complained of the Irregular manner in whic'.i they were paid. ' "The Minister, in reply, said ho was inclined to think that the pay did not compare 6o badly with other services, because the attendants got rations, . board and lodging, etc. He admitted the hours were long, and it w : as_because of that the men got so many holfdays and relief ■ from duty. They got their full day off* ■ every fortnight, and 28 days in the year. He would consult his colleagues, and if they were prepared to add one-third tothe staff an eight-hour day could be provided, but that would mean increased accommodation, which was already very circumscribed. With regard to the Board of Appeal, hi* difficulty was that he did not see what a. man's position would be jf he was. say, dismissed and the board reinstated him. Ifc would be a. very uncomfortable position. However, he would consult his colleagues, and sse if he could bring a scheme forward. The Pension Fund was against the sericral principle of the service, and only obtained in regard to the police. He would rather have it brought in in connection with a general scheme. A VOLUNTEERING ITEM. " Is the Government suffering from tightness of the ohost, and are they jeopardising the credit of the colony by the non-payment of these trifling sums?" demanded Mr Geo. Fisher in his most brusque and emphatio manner when asking the Acting-Minister of Justice — (1) Why the winners of prizes varying from 4s to £] 10a, won at the Trentham prize-firing competitions held on June 3 last, have not been paid the amount of the prizes won? and (2) Why the volley-firingr leturns for last year (ending February 28 last) have not yet been gazetted? The Minister denied that the Government require medical treatment for the complaint indicated by the irrepressible junior member' for Wellington. He explained that the volley-firing returns would be found in General Orders a fortnight ago, and the Trentham prizes would be paid over in a day or two CHARL.TON SETTLERS. Mr M'Nab asked tho Minister of Land* if any promise had been given to the Charlton settlers that a chain reserve along the banks of the present stream will be closed, and a like width substituted along the banks of the new channel, and if "-o, when does be purpose taking steps to effect the change and di-spose of the present reserve? Tho Hon. Mr Duncan relied that legislation would! be required. Mr M'Nab asked if he had any objection to legislation if the settlers along the newly-cut channel gave the necessary amount of land Mr Duncan said he would have no objection whatever. JOTTINGS. "On one day— namely, on November 1, 1929 — there will be 29 millions of our bonds falling due in London." — Mr Russell (Riccarton) in the financial debate. "They will nevpr bo paid," interjected Mr Flatman. Mr RuEeell reiterated that we should not mortgage the birthright of our children to such an extent that they would become hlaves to the money-lender. SATURDAY, JULY 19. THE POST OFFICE SAVINGS BANK. Speaking on the Loan Bill on Friday night, Mr Prrani gave some interesting figures. The following remarks bear on the Post Office Savings Bank: — The Actings Premier has said that the moneys deposited) in the Post Office Savings Bank are tho savings of the people. Tl-eh, if anything ought to be safeguarded, surely it is tho money of the people in the savings bank. How has the present Government safe* guarded the interests of those depositors?, At the time the late Mr Ballance died thd interest they paid to depositors was 4£ pet cent, up to £200, or 4 per cent, over tnafc' sum. Oqe month after the present Premier assumed the position the rate was reduced to 4 per cent, and 3i per cent. In 1896 m further reduction to 3£ per oent. and $ £4g

.cent, was made, and in 1897 the rate was reduced to 3 per cent, and 2£ per cent. That reduction was necessary because the "Government was using the funds to float .debentures on terms they could nofc get elsewhere. Last year, for instance, £250,000 of 3£ per cent, debentures matured, and "Were converted into 3 per cent, consolidated stock at par instead of at the market rate, \rhich was at least £15,000 less than par if we take the value of our 3 per cents, at 94, but our loan hardly netted 91. Besides that, £100,000 of the Post Office Funds •was invested in 3 per cent.* debentures at par under the Aid to Public Works Act, an additional loss to the bank of £6000 at least. One bad phase of the position of the bank is the fact that almost the whole of the funds are locked lip in Government securities, over £2,250.000 of which is not quotable on the London Stock Exchange, and can hardly be called negotiable securities. Out of £6 350,000 of Savings Bank funds only £65,000 is free to meet the demands of depositors. The surreptitious system of borrowing the funds of the bank on debentures, and converting them into consolidated stock at Home, which is unquotable, is not in the interests of >he depositors, of the investors, or of the colony generally, for, of all the Government departments, surely the Savings Bank fund 9 should be invested in securities which could be realised in times of emergency. JOTTIXGS. " The widow of the late Mr J. A. Hendoreon, the colony's first poultry expert, is ■petitioning Parliament for some recognition of her husband's services m laying the foundntion of the present success of the poultry industry. ' The Acting-Minister of Defence understands that the Imperial Government held over the matter of Bending captured Boer gun 3 to the colonies until the war had ended. He assumes New Zealand will get its fair share of these mementoes. The Department of Lands is prepanug a treatise on imported and native trees and plants suitable for gTowmg in the colon)-.