HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIII, Issue 8645, 23 August 1913, Page 3

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

WELLINGTON, August 22.

The Estimates,

■ The House went into ■ CominiTvtiJd of Supply on the Estimates, and uJjourned at 5.15 p.m. till 7.30 p.m.

The House resumed (in Committee rf Supply) at 7.30 p.m.

On the first item of the Estimates

the Legislative Council, £1512 —

Mr G. W. Russell asked the Premier why he had spent £100,000 in the administration of the Lands Department less than had been granted to him by the House. The Ward Government had settled 530,000"acres in 1911, but the present Government, the motto of which was settlement, more settlement, and still more settlement, had only settled 153>000 acres in its first year of office.

The Hon. W. F. Massey said that as Minister of Lands he had refused to renew the licenses of a large number of grazing runs, pending legislation this session. That accounted for the difference in the area. The reason the vote Avas not all expended was because' an abnormal sum in rents came into the Department and consequently it was not necessary to draw on the vote to •the full extent.

Sir Joseph Ward asked the Minister of Finance (Hon. J. Allen) what rates were paid for raising the last loan, and whether those rates were lower than for any loan which he (Sir Joseph Ward) had raised. Mr .Allen said that the underwriters received 1 per cent., brokers $ per cent., the. Bank of England % per cent., and commission i per cent. These charges were the same as the Ward Government had paid. Sir Joseph Ward then quoted "Hansard" to show' that Mr. ■ Allen had blamed his (Sir Joseph Ward's) Government with paying excessive charges on the £5,000.000 loan. The admission made by Mr Allen was evidence that j men were sobered by responsibility of office, for with his wider knowledge of financial negotiations he had now admitted that "he had been unable to get a reduction in the charges paid by New Zealand, Canada and all the Australian States, and that the rates paid by him (Sir Joseph Ward) were not excessive. This was a matter of considerable importance to him, as he had been subjected to considerable criticism on the point. Mr Forbes entreated the Prime Minister to bring down the Land Bill early, and allow them to be finished with the land question for some years to come. Renewals of pastoral leases and runs had been held over in the past because there was not time to deal with them. Mr Massey, replying, said that the Land Bill would be brought down in time to allow Parliament to thoroughly consider every phase of the land quesMessrs J. H. Bradney and W. A. Yeitch complained of the "jerry" character of many- buildings put tip for workers' homf.s. The first item was passed, and the House rose at 12.45 a.m."