POLITICAL NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16585, 18 November 1921, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES .

[from Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, November 17. SAVING AND SPENDING. A request from Mr Sullivan that the Government shc-uld consider increasing the pensions of disabled soldiers, also widows and orphans, met with a very emphatic negative from Mr Massey toi day. “I am not,” he said, going to i increase expenditure in any direct on j until I can see that it has .come below income. I think it just as well that Parliament should understand that, be- j cause members are continually telling ! me to economise and go in for drastic I retrenchment. 1 cannot do both, and wont attempt it.” Mr Masaev added ] in more reassuring terms that he hoped it would not be long before they would be able to look forward to seeing the balance on the right side, when he would be able to consider such proposals as had been mentioned.” A RAILWAY MAP. The House extracted some amusement to-day out of the enterprise of tho Nelson Progress League in issuing a ; South Island railway map, showing in j thick line a through railway route from 1 Invercargill to Nelson via the West ; Coast, with one gap which the Gov- j ernment is urged in very large type to | immediately fill. The member for j Bullcr, in who S 3 district the gap ox- ; ists, called the attention of the Min- . ister of Public Work to what he j called, This excellent map,” whereon Mr Coates made tho d’plomatic reply that there seemed to bo other deficiencies. For instance, there was no line shewn from Blenheim to Christchurch, nor from Inangahua Junction to Westport. There were other important lines, in Otago for instance, which had been forgotten. Mr Holland : But you can see the gap, cannot you ? The Minister replied in tlie affirmative, but on the important point as to future intentions he became loss discursive, informing the House that lie could not disclose the Government . policy. SEXUAL PERVERTS. The attention of the Minister of Justice was called by Dr Thacker to the remarks of a grand jury and Mr Justice Stringer, in the Auckland Supremo Court, regarding tho necessity for a special institution for elderly sexual perverts, the member suggesting that in view of the extraordinary number of these cases the matter' had become i urgent. Tho Minister of Justice, the Hon E. ‘ P. Lee, replied that the police had submitted a return to a select committee, showing that this class of case had decreased, although he had to admit that there were a considerable number of offences. If he could induce the Minister of Finance to’ supply the money he would be willing to provide j the special institution required. MAIN TRUNK SERVICE. Tho member for Auckland East, Mr Mackenzie, put his first question in tho House to-day, this being a suggestion to the Minister of Railways to run during the summer a fast limited train three days weekly between Auckland and Wellington, which would cover the "distance in fifteen instead of eighteen • hours.