THE COLONIST. Published Every Morning. Wednesday, December 14, 1910. SUMMARY NOTES.

Colonist, Volume LIII, Issue 12975, 14 December 1910, Page 2

THE COLONIST. Published Every Morning. Wednesday, December 14, 1910. SUMMARY NOTES.

The End of the. Session. Parliament rose on the 3rd instant, after & very long and very busy session, and one rendered notable by much important legislation. Much of this was of the social order^ such as reform of the penal system, a measure for the relief of destitute persons, and the Gaming and Licensing Acts. Of other enactments the most important during the latter part of the session was the Aid to Wafer Power Works Act, wWcn a-nthoiisGß /extensive borrowing to enable the- water power ieJSoUiTees of the- Dominion, to be developed. This work was put in, hand immediately the Bill passed the final stages, with the •preliminary operations in connection with the Lake Coleridge scheme. It is ■undorstbod that, this scheme will be pushed through to completion before another is undertaken, and it will furnish iiivaluabi© data regarding the public demand for' electrical energy, and In engineering and other directjoais, upon which future operations may be based. The Public Works Statement outlined "a vigorous policy of railway and road construction; and other developmental i works if or . thej •■ coming year, contemplating anexpenditufe of £2,855,000. -'.-;■ The Hlne Charges. The Select Committee appointed to investigate th© sJllegationis made by Mr Hine, member for Stratford. s reported towards the end of the session, after a prolonged and searching inquiry. It found that Mr Major, while a member of the House, conducted the sal^of a' property to the Government, and received a commission for so-.do-ing, by which he violated a resplutioh of the House agreed ot. in 1886. In regard"^ to the charges against, Mr Symes, formerly member. for Patea, the' Committee found, that he was guilty of impropriety in" aocepjbing a. gift of money from the vendor of an estate acquired by the -GoYernanent, and in charging commission for his services ; in. conne'cSoii withuthe collection of moneys voted to various lessees of Native lands by Parliament. T|he Committee found that the Charge that Mr Symes threatened a Taranaki paper that he would use his influence to "prevent it receiving ' Gdreraiment advertisements, was not sustained,' although a letter written by him might be susceptible of^such construction. Mr Henare Kaihau, member for the Western Maori District, was found to be guilty of impropriety in accepting payments in, connection with his duties as a member of Parliament. The charge against him "of receiving a commission on the sale, of a portion of the Te Akau block to the Government was not sustained. The Opposition members of the Committee dissented from this finding^ The Committee found that the evidence disproved the J charge^ that the Government paid an extravagant fee to Mr 4-.' L. Wilson for inspecting the Flaxbourne .property, with* the 'object of indirectly remunerating Mr Wilson's partner, the Hon. T. KennedyMacdonald. for acting as an assessor in the Flaxbourne case. The Committee recoinmeDxled ihat legielation. should be passed making it illegal, for a member of Parliament to action ihis own behalf or on behalf of any/ other person in negotiating the sale jrf an estate to tiie Crown. /There -is : ranch

'for satisfaction in the report, -, or it fiuv.vs that a l:i;j;ii iAv:\\ which ii»tl W'n pui'iiuad by iln> (in- „ .-eminent iv conducting tlie af- | . rairs of the country, find tho adop- j tion of legislation in tlie direotign re- j ' coincnouded by the Coramitteo will j prevent a repetition of such inipro- : prieties on the part of individual politicans as led to the general asper sions on the Administration which have been proved id be groundless.