POLITICAL NOTES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13349, 27 July 1907, Page 3

POLITICAL NOTES.

PUTTING THE BRAKE ON. (Special—By Telegraph.) WELLINGTON, July 26. The Premier to-day put a decided brake on those members who are constantly clamouring for fresh public works expenditure, and he clearly indicated that the Government did not view with favour members' circulation of petitions in their electorates with a desire of getting a road built" here and a bridge there. He declared that the position in this respect had now become so acute- that if they were to live within their million borrowing limit these clamorous demands must cease. The Opposition received this decision with distinct signs of disapproval regarding it as an infringement of the rights of the people to appeal to Parliament by way of petition. As a result of the discussion all future requests for public works expenditure will go direct to Ministers and not to any committee. COMPETITION BY LAND AND SEA. The competition of ports like Timaru and Oamaru, between which railways run connecting other ports, and taking a share of the general traffic, was referred to in the House to-night, when Mr Hemes (Bay of Plenty), complained of the inequitable railway freights. Sir J. G. Ward stated that freights were the same all over the colony, except where there was competition from the sc-a, such as b .'tween Timaru and Oamaru, Christchurch and Eunedin, and with competition of this nature it was necessary for the Government to have a special rate in order to retain a share of the traffic. He emphasised the great increase in railway traffic during the last few years which had required the efforts of every branch of the department to cope with it. That, the work was well done leading mercantile people, farmers, and every class of the community wiTo used the railways generally admitted.