THURSDAY, AUGUST 31.

Otago Witness, Issue 2686, 6 September 1905, Page 17

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31.

RAILWAYS SUPERANNUATION SCHEME.

In the Legislative Council on Thursday a number of local bills were advanced a stage, among the measures passed being the Oaina-ru Athenaeum . and Mechanics' Institute Bill and the Havelock Common age Bill. In the House of Representatives on Thursday the voucher incident was briefly referred to, the Premier intimating, in reply to a question, that an opportunity would be given to discuss the report of the Auditor-general. After questions had been disposed of a number of local bills were passed. In the evening the Premier moved that the House go into Committee of the Whole to consider the resolution lie had given notice- of on the report of tho Land Commission. Mau Massey, who followed, finding that the Premier would not take tb.3 amendment he had given notice of as being tantamount to a want of confidence, changed its tenor, and moved a direct chalbnge to the Premier, who declined to say whether he would regard the alleged amendment as a direct want-of-confidence motion. The debate was continued until after 1 o'clock, when, after an exciting incident in which Mr Bedford figured, the discussion was adjourned.

Mr JAMES ALLEN gave notios to ask the Minister of Railways whether he would submit the Railways Superannuation Fund to an actuary for report. THE VOUCHER INCIDENT. ' Mr TAYLOR asked whether the Audi-tor-general's report on the vouch:*; charges would corns up for consideration that day. Sir J. G. WARD said no promise had been made to take the discussion on the report that day. The understanding was that the report and' evidence were to he printed and circulated, and he could assure the House that the matter would be dealt with this se'ssipil. Mr TAYLOR claimed that a definite promise was given by the Premier yesterday that the report would come up for j consideration next sitting day. As far as he could see the prospect was that the Government would never, let the matter

come up again. He wanted an assurance that it would come up, as he felt he must strain every nerve to protect the four members of the civil service concerned. Members of the House were free in their opinion that the upshot would bo the dismissal of the four men who had "sworn they were telling' the truth. These men were honourable, highly-respected citizens, and they had great interests at stake, and the earliest possible opportunity should be given Parliament to consider their case. Mr FISHER urged the Premier to fix a day for consideration of the report, so that the matter could be finally disposed I of. They wanted to face the music, and | did not want any delay whatever. They ' were prepared to *go on with the discussion | at once. The Right Hon. Mr SEDDON pointed out that he had agreed with the Leader of the Opposition and with the House to take the lands debate to-day, and the order of business had been fixed on these lines So far he had exercised great restraint in this matter, and no parliamentary language was sufficiently strong to properly characterise Mr Taylor's action. That hon. member was dead to the finer feel- [ ings of mankind 1 . The Premier went on to I say that he was not going to disorganise the business of the country to deal with a question that had already been dealt with. i We should keep our public life on a much higher* plane, and if they went much fur- | ther on the lines that had been laid down I of late it simply meant that a man who had any eelf-iespect would refuse to offer his services to the country. It would depend on the public whether the depths to which Parliament liad been dragged would be continued. "As ~ far as the officers implicated wers concerned, there had been a situation created that was discreditable to the oivil service. It meant the lowering of the service, which cried out wiih one voice against what had been done. The honourable men in the service felt the position keenly. That, however, would not cause him and his colleagues to do what was unjust or to act harshly. _ The officials concerned would be dealt with in accordance with the rules of the service, but it was quite possible that another course would bo taken. Outside of these men i-ltogiether the report and evidence would be dealt with, but not until after the land question had been disposed of. The fLonse must clearly understand that he was not going to disorganise business, but an opportunity would be given to consider the Auditor-general's report. He was not going to allow those who had wronged him and who had lowered the tone of Parliament to fix the date and hour for tha discussion. With regard to ! Mr Taylor's remarks, he would treat them with the contempt they deserved. He thought the time had come when Ministers should not be attacked by members on the strength, of information gained from sources that were tainted and involved in dishonour. In conclusion, he ! assured the House that an opportunity would be afforded later on to consider the 1 whole matter. KEPLIErf TO QUESTIONS. In answer to Mr Aitken, Mr BEDDON stated that the Shops and Offices Bill was' now being reviewed by the Crown Law Officers. In reply to questions, Ministers stated : That the State Fire Insurance Office obtained, prior to January 4. 1905, what was deemed sufficient reinsurance cover, but, in view of the present position of affaire, no effort would be spared to secure further reinsurance cover whenever opportunity ai-o^e. That it was proposed to include the kingfisher and tern in the list of indigenous birds to be protected absolutely. That instructions had been issued to invite tenders for printing the electoral rolls throughout the colony. That the Point Elizabeth State coal mine had on the whole made good time since it j was opened, and the slackness of work was I merely temporary, a contingency which j ocours in all coa.l mines. That it was not proposed to make any : general increase in the pay of the Police Force. j Tvyo hours' discussion took place on the replies to questions. THE LAND QUESTION. Mr MASSEY asked whether the Premier proposed to treat his amendment on the land question as a motion of want of confidence. Mr SEDDON replied that when in the past he had made any motion a question of want of confidence, he had been told by Mr Massev from the public platform that whenever he {Mr Massey) brought a qucv j tdon before the House the Premier imme- j diafely made a no-confidence motion of it thereby hampering debate and forcing members into the lobby. Time after time that ! had gone on ; and now when ho desired to deal fairly with the Leader of the Opposition, and no<t bring the nower of party in, that hon. gentleman complained. In moving the land resolution, Mr SEDDON said this was a most important

subject, and the same course wps being taken as in connection with, the mail resolutions. They wanted a free and fair discussion on the most important issues thai? had ever been submitted ,to the country. The Leader of the Opposition had adopted! the Government policy. The Government was not boiyid to bring down legislation! either on the advics of a Royal Commission or at the dictates of the Opposition. There had been no evasion of responsibility, and! when they had dealt with the resolution they would know whether there had been" any evasion. Why did not Mr Massey saystraight out that he' wanted the y Crowni tenants to have the right of acquiring the freehold at the original value? Where was his courage? Mr MASSEY: Where is your policy? Mr SEDDON went on to say that thst Opposition were representatives of holder^ of large estates, and also to urge that no good reasons had been shown for departing 1 from the optional system. There were only, about 8,000,000 acres of Crown land and 1 7.000,000 acres of Native land now available for eettlement, and they should bo careful how they dealt with it. The Leader of the Opposition was dragging the House into an alteration of the law, and tho result would be an increase in the graduated land tax. Mr Massey had said nothing 1 , as .to where the revenue was^-to -come from; if the freehold was granted as he proposed.: It' ; couKl-..0nly r 'conie from a graduated lanl tax. Where, he asked, were the Grown, tenants .going to get the £7.000,000 required to purchase ''their .holdings? Tho Leader of the Opposition had every moneylender in the colony behind him in making that proposal. The Land Commission had proved that the land administration was" almost all that could be desired, and ho hailed the result of the investigation with, pleasure. Turning to his resolution, Le said the mind of the House and country was that leases should be for a shorter period than 999 years, and he went on to point out that a mistake had been' mad© for years past in exacting the same conditions from lessees of back-block sections a* were exacted from people who took up land already opened up, and to urge that residence conditions should not be imposed until proper conditions had been made for the tenant. Also, they had to give tho same concessions to old tenants as to those who would in future take up land, and 1 the facilities for taking up land should bei given to people dwelling in towns wh? could not at once fulfil the residential con.ditions, but who desired to make a homo foi themselves. Was it, he said, right that such a question should be made a party question? He went on to say that Mr Massey had invited the Crown tenants to agitate for the freehold in order that they might be taxed. He hoped that Crown tenants would not be lured into the snare and that they would not walk into ic. In conclusion, Mr Seddon urged that the> House should without wasting time go into committee on the resolutions, pass those which they approved of, and enable him to bring down a bill. As to Mr Massey's amendment, he would not place any of his supporters in a false position. They must do a.s they thought best in the interests of the colony arid of their constituencies. Mr MASSEY then moved an amendmenS challenging the Government for having failed to formulate a land policy, and ho asked the Premier whether he intended to accept it as a want of confidence motion. Mr SEDDON retorted, '"When the division takes place I will give my reply." Mr MASSEY went on to" describe the Premier's speech as the most "miserable and contemptible " he had ever delivered in Parliament. Being called to order, ho said it was the most miserable and humiliating lie had ever heard. Obeying Mr Speaker, ho withdrew^ this also, and continued his speech. The Premier, he said, practically said that the Government was afraid to take up a definite position on the land question ; that it was forfeiting its self-respect, but that if its followers supported it thov would be rewarded < at! the other fellow's expense. The position taken up by the Premier was the most miserable he had ever seen taken up by a member in bis position. The Premier had boasted that he was the " Sandow of

•'. - politics."" i rrA -pretty^ Sandow," declared Mr Massey, "and -he' .added .that a better V.. parallel ,would " be- to compare : .him to" the '" Russian- commander "who, after a crushing /,~ defeat,, telegraphed :tb*at -"he had' just - '^Bxecuted "'an -offensive movement to the ' rear." .If John M'Kenzie had been herehe would have .said, '* These" are my proposals, and if the House does .not agree With them I retire -with honour.'' This - .was the resolution of a miserable oppor- ■ , tunist, a man of no political principles, one who was like the subject of the American poet — " A - merciful Providence' fashioned him hollow in order that he might his principles swallow." Turning to the report of. the Lands Commission, he declared that the report was not even in accordance with the evidence, and in that respect it was : an insult .. to., the Governor and 1 to the" Parliament "that . had to consider > it. • Mr/"Massey went on to declare - that the Premier had given his support to jlhe land nationalises .and the single taxers.. ', 'Ho cared nothing for the Premier's threats .with regard to' the graduated tax or anything else, but Crown "lessees were perfectly willing to pay, the, tax if.they^gpt -'^jtHe" freehold, because, then- they woiifl be '1 . independent ot\thV_Premier; and his party/ - "■- 3ie_ was ■ noi' in favour of State ownership.' . iHp "believed ,the land, should -Be in posses'*ion of.as many men as; could make 7a fair s j , Jiving off-it..; "Give." them the leaso : andJ - *ive them the option of the";freeh"old .with 1 ! , It," he 4 remarked.. in. answer, to an-'intgr-jection-rby\.,the.; Premier. Mr M^issey . eon- v eluded -by moving the following amend- - merit : — " The Government having received the report of the commission ap- — _ to inquire into the ' best form of. tenure for, the colony^' and^havjfig l failed to formulate any land policy which .'will grant to the tenants of tho Crown i jbhe right to acquire the freehold of ..their . farms on equitable terms, thereby ■ forfeits ■ Jthe confidence of this House."

/The Hon. Mr DUNCAN said he had just listened -to a miserable speech, y: The (Leader of the Opposition was r simply floundering, and did not know where* he

was. He went on to say that "the late Sir •John M'Kenzie's land laws t were,i Jbeing- - -copied in all ' parts of the wbrld.-^-(Mr MASSEY: ".Then why are you repealing -them?") Proceeding, the Minister said , 'he was not in favour, of giving the option ■of the 1 freehold to the settlers . under the Xand for Settlements .Act. The lands re- - port- of this year, he. ... said,- showed that „ Jherojare. not now so" many - people going - an jfor purchasing -land, and -.he expressed . ihe -Tbelief , that with the right ■of, purchase would' prove to-be the most ! .popular ' tenure. - The great agitation for . the": freehold ' did not" come from the men . ;who wanted to work the land, but it came ¥rom those rwho wanted to sell out 'at a profit and trv^, something else. - , Mr KHtKBRIDE - considered that the Tremier, instead of having his "back to *he door," had his "ear to the ground." and he declared that the Premier's attitude ■was enough to " make the late Sir John M'Kenzie turn in' his grave. The Premier would give the country any land laws that ;were asked for co long aa the people would Heave him on the Government benches: , Mr Kirkbride went on to ridicule the Land , Commicsion as being th© most expensive { farce ever perpetrated, and to argue from . fche evidence -given before the commission . that there was a general desire on the part of the Crown tenants to ac&uire the free- - hold. Mr E. M. SMITH -defended the Govem'ment's land' administration from a lease- . "holder's point of "view, and he defied the I Opposition to say;, it had not been the honest L «ndeavour of^ the- Government -to put the 'land -within reach of the poor man. / Mr WlLFOßDi'said the scope of the land cjuestion was so^ varied, ,the points of dis- , eussion so. many,- and at times so oontra- , "dictory, -iihat it would_ be impossible for the ; Government in -a, series of resolutions, or r eVen jui the of the Leader of the . Opposition, to treat this- question as one - -of no-confidence. He went on to cay he was a !ftr«eholder, - -but believed in the system.- He considered the Premier Jiad taken a bold- and decisive course, in that he had put every member of his party - in the position of having to vote straight - lout on the various issues to be submitted Jto the House. 'Mr -ELL characterised Mr Massey's ■amendment as a - deliberate, bare-faced •attempt to secure the votes of the Crown -(tenants' for the Opposition party. Speaking of the proposal to sell the freehold of Orown land, he said that if a referendum . -were, taken as to whether the land should jbe parted with at the original valuation, -,-ifche -people -would soon answer the Leader ©f .the Opposition. - Mr MASSEY: I am quite prepared to -Jry it. '.'-•• r *Mr ELL":; I hope the Government will • Stake you at your word. - ( >.,?^Mr, JAMES. ALLEN said he never knew _5n the .whole _ history v of the colony,, or of »ny other countr^,""so deplorable a position • ! )bls they had ' reached that day — namely, • ifthat a man calling _himself a leader of ; {public opinion, and whose business as - (.jleader. of the House was to formulate his jpolicy,- should ask the .House to decide tjie matter f° r him, and to enter on a search

itfor a land policy for him. As a matter k>l fact, the Premier would do anything to 'retain .office and the emoluments . pertaining thereto. Constitutional rights had been

•thrown to the winds by the Government, .and a Premier who should lead tbe House -had ' absolutely refused to do co." -If the ■ Premier had any convictions on th.B land question he should have embodied them in a bill- | Mr BEDFORD said he was strongly opposed to • further sale of Crown lands, and he wgp in favour of the lease-hold, with periodical revaluation. There was one man ] who could save the country from the alienation of any more Crown lands. The Premier .was known to be at heart a leaseholder,' but.- because df a strong freehold 1 opinion in the country, fomented by the ! Opposition, he had become frightened. He ' believed if the Premier went to the country lon the. leasehold he would win. They had i a right to expect something better from a Government which .had been in office for 14- years. The fact was the Government ■was . becoming decrepit, and falling into i the sere and yellow leaf. In the course j of further remarks Mr Bedford observed i that the Premier " was content to lie down and take his whipping like a our." On the PREMIER'S motion, these words were ordered to be taken down. ; : Mr. BEDFORD apologised for having used the' word^ "cur," and withdrew it. He had made the remark inadvertently. Mr -Bedford then - withdrew from the * Chamber, -and ,Mr SEDDON moved '.that -tho'.hon. member's explanation be accepted as'xatisfaotory, and thai no further action be taken. ■ - ■ This was agreed 1 to on the voioes. - "Jfr' Bedford having • returned to the Obamberrthe SPEAKER informed him of the. decision d£ the House, and cautioned .hiniv and - members ■ 'generally to be more -guarded- in. the language they used in the -Eealfc , of < debate. "> „ : , . -This closed the incident. -. , The .• debate was -adjourned on Mr -LAURENSON^S; motion. * MAORI REPRESENTATION.— A . j, , DRAMATIC INCIDENT. The question' of . Maori representation- in tne . Parliament of the colony is , probably one that should now engage the serious -attention of the House and of the .country,-, -i The majority of the Maori members- (there are tour of them) are not very much in the House, but they generally troop in for important divisions and vote solidly for the Government, whether they' are acquainted with the subject under , discussion or not. We also have had the spectacle, of a Maori member of the Executive going the length of- advising his ■ people to break the law in regard to pay*ment of the dog tax. Any unprejudiced . onlooker in^ Parliament must from time to time be" struck with the peculiar manner in which" some of the Maori members go about their duties. We had an illuminating incident in the House this afternoon. Mr , Wi Pere was speaking about the Treaty of Waitangi, and threatening fight. "I am only an old man now," he 'said, "and one of the few remaining; but if any fight is wanted I am ready to fight. I can bring 40CO soldiers into the field to take up arms against you, but you must not go for assistance to England." j ". England and the Queen," he said, casting a pitying glance at his pakeha fellow ; .members, "have saved you from cutting i our,, throats i\p to the present time." "Ko ! te helle, te pakeha," he added as a parting I shot by way of conclusion. Members ! pricked up their ears, and the interpreter (Mr Barclay) suddenly halted in his translation. "Ko te helle te pakeha," repeated Mr Wi Pere with increased emphasis, j while some members of the House laughed, I j-and the interpreter still was silent. Mr j Wi Pere, dissatisfied with the silence of j the interpreter, then struck the official on I the head with his open hand and resumed I his seat.- The interpreter took the matter j ; in good part, and the House laughed. No j further notice was taken of the strange and unwonted incident. ;' '" THE KINGFISHER. Following up an interesting letter in the Christchurch Press by Mr Edgar Stead regarding the protection of the kingfisher, ' Mr Ell recently put a question on the Order Paper asking whether the Colonial Secretary would take the necessary steps to have prohibited the taking' or killing of the kingfisher and the tern, both of which birds were becoming very rare in many parts of New Zealand. Sir Joseph Ward replied that it was proposed to include those birds in the list of indigenous birds to be protected absolutely. ALCOHOLIC SWEETS. The Minister of Public Health stated today that it was true some sweets were imported containing liqueurs, eta, but the expense would be likely to prevent children buying them, and they would hardly be' supplied with such sweets by parents. He would make further inquiries as to the addition of alcohol to the cheaper form of sweets. THE CLUTHA RIVER SILTING AT INCH-CLUTHA. Mr J. Allen asked the Minister of Mines whether he had submitted for the consideration of the Cabinet the question of the injury to Inch-Clutha Island by the silting up of the Clutha River. Mr M'Gowan replied that the matter had been submitted to the Government for consideraI tion. Mr James Allen said this was a very large question, and ought not lightly

to be passed over. He read correspond- : ence with the Minister of" Mines showing i that in some parts there had been 3ft or • 4ft of silting up in consequence of mining operations higher up the river, and the 1 position was .becoming serious. Outlets "- from the island into the river were now blocked, and the settlers had to go to the expense of pumping in order to get rid of the water. He had received a reply from the Minister of Mines stating that the Government had no responsibility in protecting the land of the settlers on Inch- ■ Clutha. If they considered their lands 1 were being damaged, it was open to them to obtain an injunction to restrain the mining. If that were done, the Minister had added, the relative positions of miners and settlers could be denned after hearing ■ evidence on both sides. Mr Allen urged that some means should be taken to pre- ' serve tho thousands of acres of extremely ' rich flat land on Inch-Clutha. The Minis- ' ter. he thought, might agree to a compromise, and for a moderate sum of money i construct an embankment that, would keep • the river within bounds. If this were j done, possibly the settlers would .not need \ to take action to stop the mining higher J .up the river. He urged that a competent j 1 engineer be sent down with a view to i obtaining a comprehensive report upon the whole matter. I- < THE DUNEDIN PRISON. j Mr Arnold to-day asked the Minister of i Justice whether it was a fact that warders j in the Dunedin prison had to do six ' months night duty each year, while in other i first-class prisons bhe warders were only re- i quired to do about two months night diiy . in the same pursuit, and, if so, what was Wie . I explanation. The Minister replied: "It 19 • true that the warders have to do morenigiht j duty than warders in other prisons of th© ,• colony, but the disparity is not nearly so J great as has been represented, the difference ' over the whole year amounting in reality • to about two months. The reason for the ' additional night duty at Dunedin ia that the conditions prevailing there are somewhat different from those existing elsewhere. Owing to the distance of the prison as Otago Heads from the city, it was found that tih9 married warders objected to the separation from their families entailed upon them when they were stationed there, and they were allowed to remain at the main ! prison, the single warders being sent to the ! Heads. This distribution of the warders ; has led to an increased amount of night j duty for those remaining in town, but as the | alteration was made in the interests of the I men themselves they should not complain if, in the process of adjustment, they are 1 called upon to inset the department a i little in retusn for the concession they have j | received. But should it be found that any i ' undue anomaly exists the matter will lv* ( inquired into with a view to removing it.'" j I Mr Arnold "also asked the Minister of j Justice whether it wa9 a fact that a short . I time ago, at the close of divine service m | the Dunedin Gaol, a prisoner walked out of i the chapel, down the stairs, through tihe j | gaoler's quarters, and escaped without being j I teen ; that two officers were in charge — t ! one of the chapel, the other of the pate; j that no inquiry had been held and no action taken by the inspector up- to date, j If so, would he take steps to see that the same rules were made to-apply to all officers i and warders in the prison service. The I reply of the Minister was as follows: "The I statement contained in the honourable gentleman's question is substantially coirect so far as the &soar>e> of the prisoner is concerned, but .the incident was not allowed to pass without the usual course beinp followed. The Inspector of Prisons held an inquiry into the matter, and the officer responsible for leaving the doors unlocked ' was cautioned and 'wanted not, to be guilty „ ' of ?uch negligence in future." REPLIES TO OTHER QUESTIONS. Mr Bedford asked the Minister of Railways if he will relax the stringency of the regulations for electric tramways at railway ' crossings. He mentioned that the Corpora1 tion of Dunedin- had been oharged by the Railway Department with the wages of a special signalman and the oost of his cabin a-t Ancler-son's Bay crossing, although the department has a, flagman to signal vehicular ' traffic when trains are approaching. Tho same double signalling is also insisted on by the department at the Kensington 1 crossing. Sir J. G. Ward, in reply, said the regulations governing the electric tramway crossings at Anderson's Bay and St. Kilda roads have been framed in the interests of the safety of the public who useboth the railway and the tramway, and it is not possible to make any relaxation of , the provisions thereof. The additional t signalmen who are employed as a conse- | quence of the inauguration of the eleclric tram system are necessary, and cannot be done without, and the City Corporation is only called upon to pay such charges as have been necessitated by the inauguration iof the electric tram system. The flagman ! employed by the Railway Department at Anderson's # Bay road crossing, who waa quite supcien? to control the traffic prior | to the inauguration of the electric tea.m , '. system, is not sufficient to provide for the safety of both trams and railway traffic | under the existing circumstances, and for that reason a special signalman has to be employed, Whose wages are charged to the corporation, as hie services ar& necessitated

solely by the running of the electric tram service. When the duplication if the railway line is oompleted to Caversham, both Anderson's Bay road and Kensington will be bridged, and there will be no necessity to maintain either crossing-keepers or signalmen. In the meantime, however, the safety of the public absolutely demands the continuation of the existing system of signals, and so long as this is neosssary the corporation will require to pay its quota of the' expenses. In answer to Mr Bedford, the Minister of Justice to-day stated that the Govern-me-nt made- no promise to remove Mr Meikle's name from the prison records cf the colony. Mr Hcrdman asked the Minister of Railways whether, having regard to the increa&e in the cost of living that has taken place during recent years, he would consider the advisability of increasing the rate of the pay of surfacemen on the Otago Central railway line. In reply the Minister stated that the wages of surfacemen are governed by the Classification Act, which provides for an additional payment _ of 6d per day being made to men living in isolated places. The men on the Otago Central railway who live in localities which are considered to ~be isolated receive the extra 6d per day, the same as men in other ports of the colony who are similarly situated. As had previously been stated to the House, tho question of the lower paid men is under consideration for review. j In regard to the size of oornsacks, Sir' Joseph Ward to-day replied to Mr Taylor as follows: —"Tb& question of limiting the ! weight of wheat and other grain in any j sack to 2001b is one which has engaged very ! considerable attention. A by-law was ! gazetted to give effect to the decision arrived at, and all _th© «-grain-growers and others ! connected with the industry were advised of the decision come to and the date the : by-law would be brought into operation. | It was, however, found that there was great differenoe of opinion in regard to the matter i of weight in the first instance, and immedi- \ ately the by-law was gazetted strong repre- ! senfcatkwis were _ made that it would be im- • possible to obtain hags of the requisite size owing to the fact that a large cum : of money would be involved in making the . necessary alteration to the looms for bag 1 : manufacture, and the operation of the by- j law was therefore suspended until such time ! as inquiries were made as to the best method j of overcoming the difficulty which had ■ arisen. Inquiries are still ■in progress, and ! when definite information has been obtained '• the necessary action will be taken. It is ! doubtful, however, whether an important ' change such, as that foreshadowed in the question could b& brought into operation . by Ist January, 1907." j Mr Elatman asked the Minister of Rail- ' ways whether he would consider the ex- ' pedienicy of allowing fruitgrowers to retail ! fruit on board the express trains running [ between Christchuroh and Dunedin on the : same conditions -as were granted by the I department in bygone years.— Tfie Minis- i ter replied: " There has been no altera- j tion in the conditions under which fruit is allowed to be sold on the express traiss, \ but in the interests of the travelling public ; it is considered inadvisable to have a num.- ! ber of fmit vendors or other such persons J passing through the carriages at frequent { intervals for the purpose of disposing of i their wares to passengers." Such a practice i would be exceedingly annoying to travel- j lers, and lead to complaints from them. ; The existing practice meets all the require- , ments of the business, and no alteration ' will be made." • s Mr Hardy asked the Government whether it will take the necessary steps when the Electoral Bill is before Parliament tp give the co-operative labourers the privileges of electoral rights, as is granted under the present act to shearers, "seamen, and others. Tho reply was that co-operative labourers can take advantage of the "absent voters" provisions in the Electoral Bill. In answer to Mr Buddo, Sir Joseph Ward to-day said: —"There is no intention to put overflow bridges under the line near where the recent aocident occurred at Chaney's. I am advised that it is not desirable to oarry out such a work in view of the fact that it would probably lead ro the whole of the river coming eventually to these overflows, and the department would be liable to landowners on the down-stream side for any damage caused by such overflows or diversions of the river." Mr Seddon to-day informed Sir William Steward that a list of 60 workmen applying for land has been received. Their addresses arc given as Waimate, St. Andrews. Hook, and Studholme. The areas they require vary from 10 acres to 60 acres. (2) Negotiations arc in progress for the purchase of land, which could be divided into the areas mentioned. (3) In the Workers' Dwellings Bill the area which can be held is not to exceed one acre, so that the areas csked for would not como under the terms of the bill.

It is reported that a family in the' f Kaponga (Taranaki) district cleared £319 by milking on shares last season. The Imperial Bbass Spray Pdup: "With Stream and Fine Spray Nozzle. —Made cj American noted manufacturers. Are obtain- ! able from Nimmo and Blair, Dunedin. Fru^tgrowers »nd Orchai4isU should, use them.