POLITICAL NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4765, 4 October 1893, Page 1

POLITICAL NOTES.

[FROM OUB SFECIAIi CORRESPONDENT. J WELLINGTON, Oct. 3. . WHX A CHRISTCHURCH TENDER WAS DECLINED. As there may be a feeling that unfairness was shown to a-Christehurch tenderer for the supply of an engine and boilers to the Porirua Lunatic Asylum, I send the full reply given by the Premier to-day to Mr Taylor's question on the subject. Mr Seddon said that th,e terms of the specification in accordance with which tenders | were iavited for constructing and fitting ;up a compound steam engine and the boilers for the Porirua Lunatic Asylum > j required that intending contractors should I send in with their tenders drawings or ! tracings of the engine and boilers they j intended to supply, and state the time in j which they would be bound to have them j f completed and fitted up in working order at | j the Asylum. Five tenders were received on ! j due date, the loweßt of inrhioh was from Air j i G. Anderson, of Christchurch (,£790), who did not, however, send drawings of the engine and boilere, or state the time in [ which he would undertake to complete the I contract as required by the specifications, j [ His tender was therefore informal, as not i | being in accordance with the conditions on j which tenders -were called for; but the ; tender being the lowest, Mr Anderson was communicated with regarding tha omission to supply drawings and state the contract time. In reply he stated that the I time he would require to do the work was ■ sb: months, but it might be done in four and a half months if very urgently rej quired. Aa the Asylum buildingß are now | occupied by patients, and a- supply of j j Bteara for heating, cooking, washing and power is necessary for the proper working j of the institution, it would have caused great loss and inconvenience to have to wait four and a half months for the boilers j and engine. It was therefore recommended by the Engineer-in-chief that the next lowest tender, that of Messrs Cable and Co. (.£995) be accepted, their tender being in order according to the specifications, and the time in which they, undertook to complete the contract being only sis: weeks. This tender was most reasonable, taking time inta consideration. MIDLAND RAILWAY COMPANY. Mr Wilson has cabled to the London Directors the result of the debate and divisions in the House on the Bubject of the propO3ed modification of the contract, ! and- a reply is expected shortly indicating wha/bytKe .Company intends to do in the :riati:e;r;v i( The Hon J. Kerr haa received a riura'li&^of telegrams from Qreymoufch enquiring whether the Company will resume, railway construction at once, but ihe result of enquiries on thin point is cot quite reassuring. It ia feared that in the absence of the IS per cent addition to the value of the land grants, the Company will not be able to arrange its finances, and that operations will be suspended Until, at any rate, Parliament has pasted a measure carrying cub the terms of the resolution. CALLS TO THE COUNCIL. The rumonr that the Government intends calling a. number of new members to the Council ia order to insure the passage of important policy measures, has once more revived, and this time it assumes a more definite shape. The assertion is now made that seven additional Legislative Councillors will be created before the nexb Parliament assembles, and it is said that these will be chosen from the Liberal candidates who may be defeated at the coming elections. Rumour is even busy with the nameo of politicians who are likely to be, relegated to the Upper House, and what one hears in the lobbies is that the soven will be found to embrace Colonel Eraser, Messrs W. C. Smith, Cadman, Taylor, -M'Lean, Shera and Lawry or Saunders. It seems ungracious in the highest degree to give a prophetic coup de grace in this fashion to gentlemen who intend seeking the suffrages of the electors j therefore, I remind your readers that the anticipations are not mine, but that I simply repeat the gossip of the lobbies for what it ia worth. | RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOLS. | A return bearing on this subject, obtained on Mr Sandford's motion, is of ! interest, in view of the agitation going on just now. This shows that there are 96 primary schools in 89 different school districts wherein religious instruction is given before and after school hours. These Bchools are spread over the different educational districts as under : — Auckland 16, Taranaki 2, Wanganui 5, Wellington nil, Hawke's Bay 4, Maryborough 2, kelson 9, Grey 3, Westland nil, North Canterbury 26, South Canterbury 4, Otago 18, Southland 7, Invercargill 4. The instruction is given according to Church of England tenets in 15, Presbyterian 13, Eoman Catholic 2, Weßleyan 1, and Baptist 1. The teaching iB given by all Protestant denominations in rotation in 4 ; by the Church of England' and Wealeyan concurrently in 2 ; by the Church of England and Presbyterian in 1 ; by th.9 Church of England and Eoman Catholic in 1 ; by the Presbyterian, Wesleyan and Congregational in 1 ; by the Church of England, Presbyterian and Wesleyan in 1; and by school teachers only in 14. ELECTRICITY VERSUS GAS. With a view of ascertaining whether economy could be effected in the lighting of public buildings in Wellington, Captain Euasell called for a return of the cost of lighting by gaß for the past year, with an estimate of the cost of lighting by electricity. Thin return shows that the gas bills for the following buildings last year were aa under: — Government Buildings .£307 3s Id, Parliament Buildings £683 11s sd, Government House wßll3 4a lid, Government Printing Office .£44 5s 9d, Supreme Court J697 13s Id, Police Station .£75 3s 7d; total J81321 2s 10d 4 The estimated cost of providing suitable plant to light all these buildingß by electricity is .£7OOO, while tha annual cost of working, including .£525 for depreciation and interest is .£IOOO. Ab this shows a clear annual profit of £321 by adopting electricity, the matter will doubtless receive the attention of the Government, more especially as itae electric light is more serviceable and less deleterious than gaslight. JOTTINGS. During the debate on the Mining Act to-night exception was taken to the provision for advances being made to assist gold mining in preference to every other industry, and Mr Eolleston claimed that it would be much more defensible to advance money to pettlera without interest on the security of their lands. Mr W. Kelly has given notice to ask the Minister for Lands if the Government will give effect to the report of Mr E. B. Wright, engineer, on the drainage of the Whakatane swamp, taken up by Canterbury Bettlere, Mr Hogg wishes to know why the sum of .£2OO awarded to Mr G. W. Ell ban not been paid. The Premier is moving that on Thursday Government business shall take precedence of private Bills. It iB said that the Supplementary Esti-

mates will be brought down on Wednesday,, and that an effort will be made to cloae the,, session on Thursday. A State Bank Bill for next session forme the subject of an intended question by Mr Taylor. The redoubtable Mr Fish is to the front with a question implying a desire to have the reporters of the New Zealand Times excluded from the gallery, because of alleeed "grossly unfair and biassed reporting." The cost oE lighting the Parliamentary Buildings by electricity last BeEsion was .£165 10a 7d. According to a return the total receipts in connection with the secondary schools of the Colony last year were .£80,824 11s 3d, of which .£31,010 19s 3d went for teachers' salaries, 12s 7d for scholarships and prizes and .£2156 15a lOd for office management and expensed. [Per Fbsss Association..! A deputation, convened by Messrs T. Thompson and Lawry, and comprieing nearly half the members of the House, interviewed the Premier to-night with reference to old soldiers' claims. Mr T. Thompson eaid as it would be impossible to have a discussion on the subject this session, the deputation wished that all rejected claims should b.e sent to one of the Ministers— they would Euggeßfc Mr Cadman — who would consider them during the recess, and report to the House nest session. The Premier said he understood that the deputation wished that the question of altering the law should &l8o"be considered, in order that claims notalready provided for- should bo dealt with. He would be mo3t happy to comply with, the wishes of the deputation if Mr Cadman had the time. Mr Thompson said Mr Cadman had already expressed his willingness to do tha wort. Mr Rhodes suggested that fresh advice should be taken aa to the admission of volunteer claimß which had been rejected. Mr Seddon promised that this would also be considered. The medical assurance 3cheme which the Wellington local Committee 0! the Public Service Association suggests should be adopted by the Civil Servants in this district hns been favourably received. The scheme cannot be brought into operation until two hundred subscribers have been obtained, and nearly that number has been enrolled. A circular was recently addressed to each doctor in Wellington, asking whether ho was willing to act as one of the medical officers, en the following conditions: — That the rate of payment per member per annum shall be as follows : — Married members and families 30s, oingle members 21s, for medical attendance when required; dispensing inedicineß, accouchements and other illnesses not allowed to Friendly Societies being not included ; the proportion o£ medical officers shall be 2 per cent pn the membership. Ten medical gentlomen have already signified their willing, ness to act. Mr Bevell, who has occupied the position of head custodian in the Government departmental offices, has resigned to take up land in Marton. Mr T.Mackenzie this afternoon organised a deputation to the Minister for Education in reference to the allocation of the education vote, this year in view of the reduction in attendance by the measles epidemic. The deputation consisted of the Hon J. M'Gregor, Messrs Mackenzie, WilEon, Buchanan, Meredith, Hogg, E. M. Smith and Taylor. Mr M'Gregor pointed out that the measle3 epidemic had vory seriously affected the attendance, and though it was proposed to pay on the working instead of the strict average, this would not be sufficient. In Otago the difference between the fctricfc and working averages would be some £250, bu<- the expenses consequent on the epidemic would amount to aboub £1000, and no doubt other Boards were in the same position. 5e asked that the last quarter should be paid at the same rate as the corresponding quarter last year, or eke as che previous quarters of this year. Mr Mackenzie having also urged this view, the Minister said that each quarter was paid on the average of the previous quarter, and the present quarter would be paid on the average of the September working average. He propoßed to continue paying on the working average so fair as the vote would allow, so that the teachers and the Boards- would practically not be made to suffer by the epidemic.