WALLACE MATTERS

Western Star, 22 August 1924, Page 2

WALLACE MATTERS

Mr J. C. Thomson, M.P., has urged tiie re-instalment of the grant for Waterhouse Road, Orepuki. It was cancelled of ter £6O worth oi' work had been carried out. T.ln-> '.Minister of Kducat-jon. has stated that he agrees to the removal of the Wairaki School to Oliai • ton 11ehip. but lu> considers tlie estimate for carrying out the work too high, and has asked the Board to revise this. The Minister of -Public Works- has been requested to make further provision for the Blackmomit-Eastern Biub road.

The Prime Minister states that ho i* having the matter of the revaluation of Riverton, as requested by the Borough Council, enquired into. This work .is desired became of many manifest inequalities. If the whole work cannot he put in hand, at least the iucumdities should be removed. 'lho Minister of Customs has been roq; .. ted to 'fodego ' the duty on Highland uniforms, being imported by the Tuatapoiv Pipe Band. A few settlers complain of the delay in granting loans by the Advances Department. The position is that the [applications exceed the amount of money available, and applications are dealt with in the order in which they were received. The amount being advanced ea*b month is ;C2ol 1,000, or £3,099,000 a year. Tlie matter of the Postal Department paying for repairs to the Riverton Post Office clock is being considered by the Postmaster-general.' Renewed representations have been made through the member, for the provision of a stock-loading bank at PrtkeimSori. Its -principal argument in favour of the facility being granted is that in the immediate vicinity the settlers graze 1109 cattle and over 14,000 sheep.

The settlors concerned having agreed to find £SO, Mr Thomson has asked the Minister whether he will authorise the unexpended balance of £SO for the Wild Busli-Frmcdale Road for immediate expenditure. A petition was recently presented to the Chief Postmaster praying for the establishment of a Post, telephone, money order, and savings bank office at Oliai. It bore 340 signatures. After an inspection, the Chief Postmaster was sympathetic, and the member lias ui’ged that tlie matter be dealt with as early as possible. One of tin- sections set aside for public purposes, lias been selected as a site, and Mr'Mills, one of the committee, has offered to provide a temporary building to be used until tlie permanent structure can be provided. The petition regarding the Orcpulu Shah- Works has been referred to the Goldfields and Mines Committee, and the hearing and consideration haw been set down for the 28th August. Mr J. C. Thomson is also to ask rha Minister of Agriculture whether anything can be done to encourage the youth ot the Dominion to op on the land along the lines siim’ar to the scheme initiated by the sheep owners in connection with the sons of British sailors killed during ihe war. Mr .T.C. Thomson will ask the Minis-ter-in-eharge of Pensions -whether anything can he done in the matter of grant ing pensions for persons who, coming with large families’ to' New Zealand ■uncle k the Dominion immigration .sc;iionic, have, despite the .fact tint tlioy bavo reached the statutory avo, made themselves ineligible for the British pension and could not qualify for the New Zealand one owing to the residence- bar.