Political Gossip.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 12975, 30 September 1905, Page 7

Political Gossip.

flTrom Our Parliamentary Reporter.) [ • - Wellington, Sept. ?9. jThe petition of the Mayor of Waitara and 479 ■ others, for a substantial 'sum for' laying down "metal on the Wfaitara-Te Kuiti Road, has" been referred to the Government fo* favour- " aple consideration. jThe Native Affairs Committee has : r4fejxed to^Jh| r Goy s e^i7nent,f9r considijion "*the petition of j; William Rog^ ills, of Stratford, . .who asked for a , perfect litle to section 92, Waitara West, now held .by him under conveyance rendered void by the present sfate\ of the law relating to native ' \e nds. i ?Mr Wood asked the Minister of Ijands, If it is true, as published in } obe of the newspapers, that the Gov- ; ettnnent has decided not to continue - the subsidy for the cool-storage" of ' dairy produce. : sThe, Minister replied that the depu- '^ lotion which waited upon the Government last year- regarding the subsidy were given ; to\ understand that ' i^r would not be continued! The mar- '• Wet is now in • such a buoyant state i tAiat further assistance is not considered necessary. IMr Harding enquired from the Mm- 1 igter of Justice, Whether he is aware ! that a /eport is, current that liquor < ife being taken into Parihaka for sale fo the Natives there ; and, if not, will \ He have enquiries made with a view j Ijo putting a stop to the alleged -illegal traffic and • protecting the na- i tives. . . ' " : I The .Minister i of/ Justice replied at? | fpllows : — No report has , reached me in lfespect to liquor being cpnveyed into parihaka for sale to natives there, , ljut imu.ediate enquiries will be instii^ited with -a- view to the law being enforced in> the direction indicated, ©uring last year , several, convictions were recorded against natives for in- i troducing intoxicating, liquor into i [aori kairigas a*t Parihaka * and vicirity. M-r^- S 'tilth • asked the Postmaster- j (general, if he will call for iejiders for tlie four-dial clock for thetiew post , oßice at New Plymouth, so that it mdy be ready b*y the time thepo'st office is ready. The Government :bavc ( had over £300 .in hand, for a long time, being money raised uy the peo- . pie of , the Taranaki District at the Qhietn's Jubilee. , Sir Joseph Ward "stated in reply fliat there is a sam of .I*3oo on the Eublie Works Estimates, bfeing a sttb?.sdy o£,£l fcr vi '.«l, fqv the New Plytrout h" clock "and tower. It was - uhd arstood that the residents were to subserihe £300, but I am advised that tliis amount has not yet been paid in- < to the Public Accounts "vThen this is , dane a definite decision will be ardyed at. In reply to Mr' Jennings, who urged tne Government to immediately take steps to remedy the state of affairs mentioned in the annual report of Mr tij. ; Bird, on Native Schools. Tlie Premier \ stated that in cases of genuine distress through such causes os the failure of food-crops, arising from no fault of the natives themselves, it, has r been the custom of the Justice Department %6 'g*an*f relief ; but it is very- desirable' that the policy ofina'ri '

; ling the native^ self-reliant sbould r.ot be destroyed, , an«i that care should be taken to discriminate between really, deserving cases and cases such as those referred .to in the Inspector's ! report, where thei^ natives themselves " are to blame for their impoverished L condition. - S ___: ;