Political Gossip

Southland Times, Issue 19104, 22 July 1903, Page 2

Political Gossip

By Telegraph

Frpni Our Own Correspondent

vWEL-WNOTON, Jv^r^SiiLia : '&-^^:

The A:ddress-in-lieBly; . ; tpHJ»: ; -Kccellency's •Speect;-:was : -\i:pnyey^-::tsi*:-":.4?'ij6'ot: l<anfurJy -.this afternoon by: theSSpeafcer; the niover and seconder, and a tow. uiembors. ; V n their . return :tp: the House they ropprted that, the . Governor -had. replied thari>i*>g parliament : for the Ad-, dress! and .-assuring, that .His ' Excellency was satiatied that th'9*itiiitte(rs submitted to theni had received' seriPtis attention.

AN URGENTvviN^Ki«oKU«J>jIV

Ordinry business was. ag4in si^tracks : ed this afternoon byy.thV introttuciipri'ol the ltotpKane -Domain " Act Kepeai Bill; by governor's M.essakc-'.'-'A'Bis measure,' ■ Drought; ■ down- as a - matter- of /urgency, '■ propoe&l to prevent: the" (lest ruction of lake and bush scenery ; of ; KptoKano Domain, which : the Hawera "Borough Council was leasing with a -condition' that - the bush was to be cut down , within 1 a certain time. Th» Bill: provides fpr.compensntion being piid to • tne lessees. - Mr tJeddon said tne amount invblveo/ would opt be '.'at 'all considerable:, : attd ; it was excbediiigly.. desi r&blc t hiit - . this : historic and " beautiful" 'reserve should: be sciv^i from 'destructibn. Mr ;T aisapr .■ said this: ghould act as awaruing. to" members id" be wore: careful :in passing local bills, he remembered the trill vesting this pro- . perty fi> the: Hawera- Borough Council being passetl •.without r a .word :-and without examintttionr valorig .with a dozen others, in one' night 'to wards the end of a sessiou. "A : Duju^er; : of /members objected to couipcaasatdpn. being paid by the' Government;' contending that the ■iaawera'-Xouncn; :^liia\ingiVcbinmitt«l-- : 'ihe' error, should pay the piper. The discussion lusted tUI the s^o adjournment, at which time the bill; was still in its initial! VtageS...: . ; .;;^.-"; : '"/V - , In the the bill was again the sole -subject of discussion ; not so much, because of Its prpyi'sipSs, " but .through the objection of ! yaribiis matiibers to be' bustled. They saw no reason -why- thflT bill J shpuia. be -•■ hurried " through ■ in one day:. :Wr H. AlcKenzie said -th«r bill was. possibly, introduced with the .object of finding but how ; thany .pUaut, members there were in tho House, ; and whose votes could be depended upon in ait emergency. - .;:?Mf';r T;yiiE. Taylor • strongly resented the ioriimg;. of ■ the .bill through and objections by him and;, several mem.-' bers of -the Opposition retarded the pas* sage : of ; the - measure, which ultimately.: passed all. its •tages after 11 p.m. ;^ --; GOVERNMENT INSURANCE DEThe- report of the Gpyerninent .liisura nee Commissioner shbw>': .that f or^ r--iher year ended aist.Pscembw;-: last 4199.proposals u«re received for insufance-s -:pf X863V674, : and that 3332; policies- were issued for 41679,403; -^an increase o of *35.857 on the j>revipus year^ • Th« ;tt>total ' income - was ' :^*sl}3^Bf- being. £117,480 f rpm itiierest and £303,i347 from- premiums. The iucreawj in- -reyenua ■■for -■ the yaar >vas i,7'M&\ Claims - " matured thie year ■for £89,281, and" through the '-.dda'chs^ of policyniolders X12i,883: was payable. The total amount. pevi.d: by -.: the l)epartmeDJtr since -its inceptipk la, 187</ iv the wny^iOf "' claims has '/ ita;3.76.495, : ; and the have been kept down to -13.S per cent, purinjr ihet year a parcel of Treasury bill«i^ arnotoing : to £00,000" was ipoid. off. "= ■-.■ ■.■■■"•' •-■■."■■".;■."■: ."■:■ ■'■• ""-.• .■:;■>•■;", • ".•.■:;..'■■■ A ; SOIJpIKR 1 S I'PTITIONI. 7 Mr Hanari ■ has presented, a potitiort from .Johrt: Patterson,.. JSUes Ko«d, : ln-. vercargiU; ■ ?who; served- y in the Crim«ai. East Indies; -and the- Jlibfi v wars, andobtained hia ; - discharge '.wKen.; his regi» ; ment was withdraxsrn'. from. -New-' .Zealand; At that time each tlischarged. soldier remainiiig for the purpose bl settling her* wa^ entitled ±o a grant -of but the petitioner, : being , tunable, < t^> read •;.-. or write, was unawaje. bf. >he : necessity for making • application i-v iMthiu a specified tiiae. .Recently, whan made aware^v of the fact of .hisihaviqg :a/.claimj he mad» such- application, but was told he w»» not entitletl to. any ."JsJftd, jib. order havr trig beeh made in his favour, pursuant to the 'Auckland -Xand Act, 1858.- Aa there afe a .niuubeiv.of these^casea^stil];. outstanding - he : prays for.- consiLderatioa of- his case along with others, and that 'the House- grant such relief ~as it may deem fit.. : - , .>■..'.--.- '.. -„.-;r... - ;:l FBEBHOLDJEK9; r ,V; >:, 31st ,r , March, • 1902, i ther& • w«r* 75,078.;. owners 'of land ; worth under £500 ;. '18,141 owiVers of laritf worth frbm> «.SGO t6 "£lOOO ;^2l,o(te owjiers of " ! iktiS worth i^fii'OOO:^ ■•••-•to £io,ooo;; andii4»* o^yners• of laiiS wpctb. and coyer* Seven 1 owners hold estates worth Cover £20,000 ; two own over IOO.tOOO' : afad under 150,000 acres, and three possess over 150.000 acres of land. ■:/■; ■.■■;■■_."■ FRiENDry societies. . in tlie Xegislative Council tb-day,"th« Hon. eblonel Pitt said ;the Council had not been given : an assurnace „that-: ; th« Goveniment , w;ould subsidise, at : £ foi' £, friendly /societies' dispensaries, which the Government undei-stood 'had been financial successes-, ' and dW. not require assistwic© ;:.npr/. c](d - the cbnEJidet it advisable'" to subsidise' cottiige hospitals that- friendly societies -might -'erect and maihtain, their Opinion, being - that Government coutributipits should - only b* paid ; in respect of public Tipsgitals. ;W: and c^ a:^boards: -..-. An^svering ,<the" Hbii; ■W. Beehan-v.thls afternoon, the Hon. A. Pitt (Attorney,-. General ), saiiti that ; the Government had' under copsideration «.; proposed amend, meat o! the law to apppint^Government^ representa tives on H . and C . A . Boards, : but he could not say that the! Govern-, ment had yet arrived at a ''conclusion. " .'■■■- JRUTIiLESIS I)ESTKUCTI6k\ K . Speaking in the House of the destructlon of pativ« bush. Mr T. Mackeazie said he knew of- a case in which the right to desirpy; valuable timber on' the shores of a. lake " was let by a laud boawl for a flve pound note. . Mr Rutherford .quoted , another .case, .where boiu» thousands .of acres of .timber/ running "along the coast near Kaikoura, were let for the extraordinarily loiy sum of 2id per acre. A caap'of vandalism' which, occurred in the Hokonui Bush within a ew^>miles of Gore was mentioned by-Mr McNab. a monster .rAtatfeo, 33 teetin 5 circumferencs!, . and beloved t6 bo not less €hAt 2000 ye^s ■old. had beeß do-: strbyed.. I' $p?|ie wretch,". : said Mr McNab,. :^,spesnt : his .Easter -holidays in foirig ~ there and. burning down : this tree. ' Mr- Setltldn dcclured thai ft com-, missipn- ;, 'should be set up to go - right - throTJch the .country, and see Iwhat brsh sboula be rfeservied, ;.so. . v that ' future genr erations would scenic ivauties which: we had' v tp-day. orid 1 so that a" splendid asset should not?-' be destroyed. , reciprocity; ijf laav,; . v : The I>or<}s this afternoon possed the second reading of theCLnyf ri'ixctit loners BUI, providinff that hriyone.ihP has practiswl for three years as a barrister or solicitor in \hv United Kingdom; shall be entitled to ndmiitcd ns a barrister and, solicitor in- ,New Zealand, thus granting! to British lawyersj the privilege extended :tp:-;the profession in ; this colony. ;/ ' : ■'-.•> r --:-.-,- 'i A