POLITICAL NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5333, 10 August 1895, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES.

[FROM OUR OI7N CORRESPONDENT.! WELLINGTON, August 9. PETITIONS. The A to L Public Petitions Committee is cf opinion that W. M. de Weston, who petitioned the House for compensation for alleged injustica inflicted by a detective, has no claim against the colony. The same committee, reporting on the petition of K. Beattie and others asking for a grant in aid of Herrick's City Mission Home, recommends that the Government should consider tbe matter. A petition was presented to-day by Mr Maslin on behalf of F. E. W. Dorward and eleven others, Crovn tenants at Eangitata, asking for the reclaesificatioa of their lande. A monster potihon, signed by Patrick Darley and 15,3£9 othere, praying for Government inspection of private schools, was presented to-day by Mr O'Eegan. THE TARIFF. The Press Association report misrepresented what the Minister of Labour said on the subject of the proposed duty on flannelette. Mr Eeevea did not defend that duty. He pointed out that it was one of the increasas recommended by the Tariff Commission, and its object was to protect the woollen industry in the colony, but this he looked upon as one of the matters which the House ought to reconßider. SCHOOL ATTENDANCE ACT. Some surprise Jjas been caused here by the statement of the Lyttelton Times to the effect that very little good had resulted from the passage of the School Attendance Act. I saw the Minister of Education on the subject, and he assured me that while the experience of Christchurch may have been as described, the result all over the colony had been most satisfactory. There had been a number of successful proceedings under the Act, and after its provisions had been understood by the people, is was noticeable that the average attendance at the primary schools had largely increased. The figures for the first half of the present year showed a very gratifying increase in the attendance, more than could be accounted for by the growth of population, and it was reasonable to credit this to the operation of the Act which made it mandatory instead of optional for School Committes to compel the attendance of children. It would, of course, be preferable to have the Act administered by Boards of Education, but it was not fair to etate that no improvement had been effected by the measure.