The Star. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1597. NOTES AND NOTIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5804, 23 February 1897, Page 2

The Star. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1597. NOTES AND NOTIONS.

The polling relative to the City Council's proposal to borrow .£IO,OOO for the purpose of seeming new and centrally situated premises, takes place to-morrow (Wednesday), at the Council offices. In this issue will be found information obtained by means of interviews with Councillor Appleby and Mr Edward Smith, the superintendent of the Fire Brigade, both of whom have given a considerable amount of attention to the scheme. These details we commend to the attention of the ratepayers. As we have said before, if they wish tho proposal to be carried into effect, they must take care to go and record their votes, since all who do not vote are counted as opponents.

To-JtORKOW night a meeting of fruitgrowers is to be held in the Agricultural and Pastoral Association's room, to discuss the codlin moth question. We hope that there will be a large and representative attendance, for the matter is one that concerns not only the "fruit-growers," but every individual who possesses an apple tree, and everybody, too, who uses the ■ popular fruit. Hitherto Canterbury has been practically free from a justly dreaded pest, but it has recently been demonstrated that the orchards may easily be ruined by importations of the moth. Consignments of apples have been landed at Lyttelton that were described as literally swarming with the pest, and apparently nobody had power to do anything. This is really a serious position, aud it constitutes a curious commentary upon some of our legislation. It is only too apparent that members of Parliament have yet to learn how to " make haste slowly," and see that the 'measures they bring into operation are so drawn as to give effect to the purpose in view.

A:;» here is another example of legislating in haste to repent at leisure. Our morning contemporary draws attentidn to the fact — discovered by a correspondent — that in the Registration of People's Claims Act, the forms of claim are at variance with the. pro visions of the Act. The object is to ascertain what number of persons in the colony at a given date would be entitled to receive an old o,go pension. To quote from the Lytlelton Times, "The intention under the scheme was to pay pensions to all persons of sixty-five years of age or over, who had resided for not less than twenty years in the colony, including three years' continuous residence prior to the date of application ; who had not been absent from New Zealand for a lojger period in all than eighteen months during the ten years preceding the dato of claim; and whose income from all sources (exclusive of psi'soiuil earnings) was not iv excess of £'iO a year. All this is set forth in the Act, .and it is added that all claims must be 'in the form or to the effect set forth in tbe first schedule/ The forms of claim sent out are exact and correct copies of the schedule, but the schedule itself is at variance with the Act in several important; particulars. Thus, instead of three years' continuous residence, it sets forth that ten years are required, and instead of occasional absences from the colony being computed for ten years, it makes the period twenty years." The unfortunate part of it is that all the work that has been done is rendered useless, and a great deal of avoidable expense has boon incurred. The forms issued are a correct reprint of the schedxile, but the schedule — a part and parcel of the Act— is wrong. Therefore an amending Act will be necessary. •

A number of t'ho Eiccarton electors, we" are glad to see, have taken definite steps for the establishment of a Liberal Association in the electorate. Some of those who have the matter at heart have resolved, if necessary, to spend a considerable amount ' of time and trouble iv canvasgin"- the elected Sfttt- JL\v persuasion to bring'theni into touc/i T>itli one another. It ia proposed, we uilfestaml, to hold monthly meetings in each Ci the districts into which the electorate has bet's divided, and thereat to have suitable addresses and discuss public questions. We urge vipoa the Eiccarton electors the desirability — - nay, more the necessity —of making the- 'Association a powerful political institution. The Liberal electorate of Eiccarton has unfortunately been captured by the Conservatives, and the Liberals are riott misrepresented by a Tory of the Tories,whoso past career demonstrates that his sympathies are with tho classes and not with the masses. If the electors hope to turn a defeat into a brilliant victory, they will eagerly welcome the opportunity to band themselves together, and to keep themselves closely informed with regard to current politics.