NOTES FROM PRESS GALLERY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3886, 4 September 1928, Page 26

NOTES FROM PRESS GALLERY.

WELLINGTON, August 28. PUBLIC WORKS ACT. Several amendments to the Public Works Act which it is\ desired to make before consolidating the whole of the Public Works Acts later on are contained in a Bill which was read a first dine in the House of Representatives tonight. The requirements in respect of the dedication of portions of subdivisions for street purposes are cased to the extent that any local authority other than a borough council may agree to the dedication of not less than 40 feet for road purposes instead if 66 feel. This amendment, the Minister, of Public Works (Mr K. S. Williams) explained, will bring county councils into line with other authorities. Agreemen to accept the lesser dedication is to be subject to the approval of the Governor-General-in-Council. The Bill seeks to alter the steps to be taken by road boards in order tu stop roads in their districts. The boards concerned, if th Bill passes, will be required to give public notice twice of their intention, and meetings of ratepayers to agree to or reject the proposals will be called only if objections are received. If the ratepayers approve at their meetings the decision is to be forwarded to the county council affected for confirmation or rejection. The council’s decision will be final, and in .he case of rejection binding for a full year from the date it is made. Another amendment relating to access declares that any land that is separated from a river, lake, or seashore only by a reserve to which the public has unrestricted use, may be aiemeu to abut on the river, lake, or shore. *' * * FOUR AND A-HALF PER CENT. BONDS. Mr H. E. Holland (Buller) to-day gave notice to ask the Minister of Finance (Mr W. Downie Stewart) whether he had seen a cabled statement in to-day’s press to the effect that the £5,000,000 44 per cent, bonds issued at £94 10s in May had appreciated in price to £97 10s, representing an increase of £150,000 on the price of issue, and whether he did not consider this fact to constitute proof that the price of issue was altogether too low?

SUBSIDIES TO AEROPLANE CLUBS

Mr T. K. Sidey (Dunedin South) is to ask the Minister of Defence whether, having regard to the fact that the aerodromes at Auckland and Christchurch are available for the use of aeroplane clubs in these centres, he will grant subsidies to clubs in other centres for the purpose of the acquisition of suitable sites for aerodromes, subject to such conditions as he may think lit to impose as to the availability of such sites for the purposes of the Defence Department ?

AMENDMENTS TO POLICE ACT. An announcement that a Bill amending the Police Act will appear this session was made, in the House of Representatives to-day by the Minister of Justice (Mr F. J. Rolleston). replying to Mr P. Fraser (Wellington Central). The Minister said the Bill had been drafted, but it had not yet been placed before Cabinet. This would be done at the earliest opportunity. Mr D. G. Sullivan (Avon) asked the Minister whether, in view of the recent tragedy at New Brighton relating to Miss Forward, he now realised the need for women police, and whether he would this session take whatever steps might bo necessary, to arrange their appointment? The Minister replied that women are already employed in the Police Department, and the question of providing legislative authority for their functions is now before Cabinet. * * * SEED-TESTING SERVICE. The service that is available to farmers and. others to have seeds tested for germination was outlined in the House of Representatives to-day by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr O. J. Hawken). The Minister said that tests to ascertain the purity and germinating capability of agricultural seeds are carried out by the seed-testing station of the Department of Agriculture at Palmerston North. A fee of Is for each test is payable in respect to samples submitte I by merchants. The service is free to farmers, but samples submitted by fanners form a very small proportion of the total number received. Nearly all the seed merchants are willing to furnish to p irchasers particulars of the germination and purity tests of the seed which they sell, and this fact together with the free testing service available in the department renders it unnecessary for any farmer to buy untested seed.

ELECTRIC TREATMENT OF SOIL. Experiments with the Christofflean method of electro-culture have been carried out in New Zealand, but no benefit appears to have been derived from the process, said the Minister of Agriculture (Mr O. J. Hawken) in the House of Representatives to-day in reply to Mr H. Atmore (Nelson). This confirms the .information received from the authorities in Paris that the actual capacity of such appartus to bring into play appreciably quantities of electrical energy capable of influencing the crops is practically nil, and that there is absolutely nothing to sustain the statements and declarations given in the explanatory pamphlets issued in connection with it, .these being in direct opposition to .the fundamental laws of electricity, ’ . * * * PUBLIC DOMAINS. . Thirteen new domains, totalling 105 acres, were brought under the provisions of part 11 of the Public Reserves and Domains Act during the. year. Boards have been appointed to control 11 of tin.-

new areas, and appointments will be T'iv.’ 111 dllc course for the other two. Additions totalling some 80 acres were also made to 16 existing domains. The total number of domains administered under part 11 of the Act is now- 691) /■o l Ana ls^ng a t,ota ! area of approximately 69,000 acres. The various commissioners of Crown lands administer 46 of these domains, 246 are controlled by local authorities acting as domain boards, and the remainder are under the care of local boards appointed from time to time. * * * INDUSTRIAL LAWS. ,-h? acc o r dance with the announcement of the Prime Minister on Wednesday) legislation was introduced into the House of Representatives by Governor-General’s Message to-night extending for a further year the amendment to the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act which ? re ?L en r aw . ards being made with respect to the farming industries. The Bill proposes to modify the law to the extent ™ a c Var c o’-n be made on, y by mutual consent. The Bill provides that no award relating to any agricultural, pastoral or dairying operations, or to any other work affected on a farm or to the manufacture or production of butter, cheese, or other Products of milk, or to persons engaged (wh< her as employers or workers) on a farm, or in such manufacture or production shall be made at any time before September 1 1929, unless the court is satisfied that all the parties concerned have agreed to the making of the award. »^> Stln C- , awards are protected by the Bill, which, however, prevents their being amended or extended by the court before September 1, 1929, without the consent of all the parties, and in the ease of extensions without the consent of all industrial unions, industrial associations, or employers added by the court as parties J he measure, which was read a first time is a slight modification of the 1927 Act’ m that the right to enter into awards and •amend or extend existing awards by mutual consent is added. * * * WHEAT AND FLOUR. Ihe report of the Department of In; dustries and Commerce reviews the situation in regard to wheat and wheat products. It states that it is recognised that the new duties, like any duty which might be imposed, cannot protect or assist the wheatgrower while there is a surplus of wheat on the local market, and while the so-called sliding scale duties will tend towards price stabilisation within the Dominion, there are a number of factors other than the tariff which enter into the determination of the price which growers will receive from time to time. The production of wheat in the Dominion is, of course, appreciably affected by the weather conditions experienced during the planting, growing, and harvesting seasons of each year. During the past two productive years conditions have been such as to bring about a particularly high yield per acre, and though the acreages sown would not have been by any means sufficient had the yield been no greater than on the average of past figures, the production per acre in each of the past two seasons has been so high as to result in a total yield approximately adequate to the national needs. Some importation continues, but the chief reason lies in the alleged necessity of having available flour of a “ stronger ” baking quality than can at present be produced from the bulk of the locallygrown wheats.

An endeavour is now being made to improve the milling qualities e< the wheat produced in the Dominion. A Research Committee, upon which the department is represented, will, with financial assistance from the bakers, millers, and the Government, endeavour to determine upon and produce for seed purposes grain of desirable characteristics. The committee will have a considerable field of work apart from this particular matter, but its activities will generally be directed towards improving the present practices both in the field and in the mills and bakehouses. » ♦ ♦ WELLINGTON, August 29. ENDOWMENT LANDS. The total area comprised in the national endowment lands at March, 1928, was approximately 8,979,000 acres. Of this, an area of 6,698,329 acres was held under lease or license by 4531 tenants, the annual rental payable being £137,251, while a very large area (partly, however covered by existing leases) had been set apart as provisional State forests. The total revenue derived from the endowment lands during the year was £142,121. ■ Since November, 1920, in which year the endowment reached its prescribed maximum of 9,000,000 acres, a total of 88,398 acres, of a capital value of £72,162, has been excluded. Of the area excluded the fee simple has been sold of 23,633 acres; and 62,654 acres, returning an annual rent of £2459, are held under lease or license. * * * - CLEARING OF NOXIOUS WEEDS. Two instances in which he considered injustice was done by the present law in regard to the clearing of noxious weeds were cited in the Legislative Council to-day by Mr R. Scott. He referred in the first place to the liability upon the owner on a road frontage to clear half the width of the road of weeds, and referred to cases where the owners of property had sown gorse hedges, and weed had spread across the road, making the owner on the other side responsible for clearing half the roadway. This, he thought, was quite unfair.-and he suggested that the Government should consider amending the law to put the matter right. Mr Scott also referred to the spread of sweet briar and blackberry, referring particularly to the large extent of pastoral country in Otago and Canterbury. The Department of Agriculture was doing what it could to com•pel the owners'■ to clear- the weeds,-, but there were large tracts of country to be

covered, and the work was very difficult for the inspectors. A large numbe r of holders of pastoral runs and small grazing runs had transferred their leases to others, and he submitted that the timehad come when the transfer of a pastoral run or a small grazing run should not be approved by a land board until the Department of Agriculture had certified the land free from noxious weeds, particularly blackberry and sweet briar. Mr Barr remarked that the chief sinner in regard to roads was the Government itself. H e maintained that community rather than individual responsibility should be imposed, and that an insignificant rate per head should be struck to pay for the cost of clearing. It would never be effective to leave the responsibility to the individual. ~ ®’ r Heaton Rhodes said he would place the suggestions before the Minister of Agriculture. * * # LIGHT WINES AND ALES. Following upon the representations made to the Government by the Middle Way League a petition bearing 1036 signatures was presented to Parliament to-day urging amendment of the licensing law in the direction of substituting ‘Might wines and ales ” for the State Control issue on the licensing ballotpaper. It was further advocated that the liquor referendum should be taken for the whole of the Dominion; that local option should be done away with; and that the voting should be conducted on the preferential system. Confidence was expressed that the sale of light wines and beers would be in the direction of true temperance.