PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

West Coast Times, Issue 12282, 15 August 1902, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

[From 7 Our Special Parliamentary

COKBESFOKDKNT.I

TDE BETURNED TROOPERS.

Wellington, Aug 13* Two or three questions regarding matters concerning returned troopers were 'put to the Government by Mr Graham and Mr Barclay yesterday. The Acting Minister of Defence (Hon W. Hall Jones), in reply, stated that the rifles and bandoliers the men had brought back with them were the property of tbe Imperial Government, which had called upon the New Zealand Government to see tint they were accounted for It would cost several thousands of pounds to allow the men to retain them. With regard to the men who returned by the Manila, only those who took riflea away bad £4 10s deducted from their pay. and on returning them, that amount had been paid back to them. The difficulties with regard to the pay of the men of the 7th Contingent were now got over and the men were receiving full pay. ' FOEEIGN MARKETSAs to markets for New Zealand produce, the advisableness of sending a competent man to Australia to report on a market for New Zealand produce was urged on the Acting Premier by Mr Flat man. yesterday. Sir Joseph Waid said in reply, that the matter was very important, but at the same time very difficult to deal with. If reliable information could be obtained and published, he should be very glad to see it done. However, the cable service was now very cheap, and it was within reach of anybody to ascertain what wa* going on, as easily as Government could, and be thought that was the right way to do it. He did not quite know in what way Government could obtain tbe necessajy information. NEW ZEALAND'S DEFENCE As regards Mr Seddou's military suggestion?, strong (Ussalisfaction was expressed by Mr Monk yesterday at the militrdrj proposals made by Mr Seddon at the recent Conference of Premiers held in the Old Country, and he urged tbe Acting Premier to rable to him tbat the people of New Zealand do not approve of those proposals. Sir Joseph Ward replied tbat he did not think it was necessary to do anything of tbe sort. Anything tbe Premier might suggest would only be put into operation after it bad been ratified by Parliament and Mr Seddoo might be trusted to do nothing injurious to tbe interests of the Colony. COMPENSATION FOR ACCIDENTS.

Wilh reference to tbe Workers Compn.sation for Accidents the ambiguity of the Workers Compensation tor Accidents Act was brought under the Minister's no: tice by Mr W. Fraser, who stated that a farmer in bis district insured bis men against accident?; a shepherd was injured but tbe Company declined to pay on tbe ground that tbe man was not within the scope of tbe Act. Tbat, eaid Mr Fraser, was a state of things that was not in the interests of either tbe employers or employed.

The Minister for Public Works replied that a Company which agted in that way ought to be advertised from one end of the Colony to the other. The matter had been under consideration of the Government, but it bad not yet been decided whether it would deal with the subject this session or not.