EXTENSION OF MIDLAND KAILWAY TO BULLER VALLEY.

Colonist, Volume XLIX, Issue 12019, 21 August 1907, Page 3

EXTENSION OF MIDLAND KAILWAY TO BULLER VALLEY.

Wellington. August 20.

In addition to the flroniise of the Acting Minister for Railways, that the remaining unauthorised sect on of the Midland railway from . Tadnior to the Bulier Valley shall be included in the first Authorisation, Bill. Mr Graham has been officially informed that the Minister for Railways (Hon. W. HaH^ones), in pursuance of bis definite promise to that; effect, left a memorandum w ith the Department calling attention to the promise he had made, so that it ma^y be given effect to in the event of an , Authorisation Bill -being brought down, of which, r for special reasons, Mr Graham has been advised there is still a possibility this session, although it is not desired to do so if it can be avoided. Further, that even without any fresh authorisation, the work already authorised is more than can possibly be completed within the next two years. The absolute necessity for continuing the still unauthorised portion is fully recognised by the Department to render profitable and effective the work already done. HOSPITALS AND CHARITABLE AID. I?he dnmtai report of the InspectorGeneral of Hospitals (Dr. Valentine) was presented to Parliament this afternoon. The total expenditure for the year was : For Hospitals, £184, - 865, and Charitable Aid, £66,588; graflid total , £251,453; as compared with .she previous; year for Hospitals, £167,437; Charitable Aid, £103,272: grand total, £270,709. Dr Valentine states that a great deal of his time has been taken up in gathering knowledge of the work of the department, consequently he has bGen enable to visit as many institutions'as he would have' liked. A$ this stage it would be somewhat premature on his part to comment on the working of the Acts under which the Hospital and Charitable Aid system is governed. Eeform in the above, he says, is undoubtedly needed, but he asks the Minister (Hon. G. Fowlds) to withhold the new Hospital BiU until he has gained a better knowledge of the working of the system, and has had opportunities for discussing the reforms necessary with those who have had special experience as to its working in various parts of the Colony. No one'i he continues,- could visit our Hospitals without being struck by the large number of beds occupied by chronic, or incurable patients, who are not ill enough to justify their taking up beds in a public hospital, but are too ill to warrant their being treated in the ordinary wards of an Old Men's Home, .where they would have to rely on the unskilled help of their fellow inmates. For such patients special wards or institutions are necessary. Many of our Hospitals are little more than . Old Men's Homes. This ia especially the case on the West Coast, where one home for the whole district is badly needed. In some districts outside relief is well, and in others it is very loosely administered. : Ai to .Charitable Institutions for inddor relief, Dr Valentine remarks' : I have seen enough of these Homes to say r that where possible they should be well out of the towns, and on fairly large plots of land. The inmates have to -be given leave at times and the temptations of the town are often too much for them, consequently the name and discipline of the institution suffers. Many inmates can also do a certain amount of work, which helps to keep them well and content, and with less time to criticise those in authority over them. STATEMENTS BY THE PREMIER, In the House to-day the Premier* in speaking regarding the procedure to be adopted for the remainder of the session, leferred to several Bills, including Mr Flour Duty Abolition Bill. He said the Government hoped to be able to submit proposals which would give Municipalities the right to say Whether they desired to build and oarry on flour mills under certain conditions. Mr Thomas Mackenzie ejaculated, "They will get plenty of them now, if they want. them." The Premier stated that he hoped to have the Estimates cleared out of the way by Friday. The Tariff proposals would then be taken, and the amedments to the original pro posals would be clearly set out, with the hope to avoid unnecessary discussion. The .Lands Bills and other policy measures would be advanced a step as they came from Committee. TEACHERS AND THEIR 1 SALARIES. _ B§jjil_ In the House to-day the~Minister for Education said he did not propose this year to make any increase or alteration in the scale of salaries for teachers. He was getting all the information he could on the subject, and hoped next session to deal with the whole question of staffing and salaries. The operations of the Training Colleges would overcome the shortage of teachers, a number of bright boys and girls were now being drawn into the work of teaching. In the future the teaching profession would be of a much higher class than in the past.