Political Jottings.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 9, Issue 79, 4 October 1898, Page 2

Political Jottings.

(From our latest Exchanges.) The Premier recently assured Major Steward that it would be impossible to introduce, this session, an amendment of the Bating Act, in the direction of providing that the Government sub? sidy shall be payable upon separate rates levied upon a particular riding or ridings of a county for purposes for which subsidy would be payable if the, rates were levied over the entire county. The Civil Service Reform Act Amendment Bill, given notice of bj? Mr Guinness, will provide that in future no permanent appointment will be made to the Civil Service, excepting of persons who have previously served three years in the service as temporary officers. This is in substitution fo? the existing competitive system of ex? aminatiohj and, presumably, if the Bill ever comes up for consideration—which is not likely to happen this session—the exemptions as to experts and others in the present Act will be made to apply as now. Mr Montgomery—" We are making £15,000 a year from our Savings Bank, but we make none out of our Consols account. Mr Hogg-?-'' Have we not seen men time after time going on the land and i losing the whole of their money through usurious rates of interest ? (An hon. Member: Yes.) Then it is the duty of the Government to step in and advance money to help the men on the land." The Parliamentary correspondent of the Punedin Star says:— : " I have the best authority for saying that Mr Beeves has made up his mind to settle permanently in London, where the Liberal Party are taking a kindly in* terest in him, with a view to securing his services at the next General Election. The Premier declared the other night that the money was in the Treasury for the payment of the Old Age Pensions for the next year, and he believed tie money would be forth: coming also in the following yea?. There would be no necessity, he stated, for increased taxation, and there was no occasion for anxiety on that head. Amongst the matters discussed in the-House last week was that of vaccination. In answer to a question, the Colonial Secretary said there appeared to be a' growing feeling against vaccination, but the Government did not intend to do anything in the direction of amending the law this seesion. They would consider the matter, and, in the meantime, would see that only . pure vaccine was supplied for vaccination purposes.—Capt. Russell expressed the nope that the Act making vaccination compulsory would be repealed.— On the other hand, Mr Pirani submitted that the recent investigations in England told against compulsory vaccination.—The Premier said the matter was of such importance that iii warranted the fullest enquiry before anything was decided on; He sonally was in favour of compulsory vaccination, but he was open to conviction on the subject.