PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 258, 6 November 1897, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY.

(By Telegraph.-Parliamentary Repon

WELLINGTON, Friday. PROHIBITION ESPIONAGE. Immediately after the House.met this obtain sWe^Sj^SrSK with the object of securing convictions^ Sunday trading. He declared he.had[no knowledge of such intention and white he did not disapprove of the course they took, lie did not accompany them. LAND AND INCOME IAX. Considerable discussion took place on the £oposal to restore the Land and^lncome Tax Assessment Amendment Bill to Z order paper, with a view to referring.it to: the House Statutes Revision Committee, which was ultimately agreed to on division by 35 to 27. INFLUX- OF ALIENS. The Bill received by message from the Governor to prevent influx of persons of alien race who are likely to mmnously affect the public, welfare was read a first NORTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY.

Mr Wright asked the Minister for Railways whether he will arrange for completion of the working surveys of thisi line during the present summer. He said there were 130 miles incompleted, of which working surveys were not prepared, and during the coming summer surveys could be completed by employing two gangs of surveyors instead of one. If the surveys were completed it would enable the House to judge of the work when the proposal to complete the line comes before it. The Premier said a map had been prepared showing the proposed route. Abouc 70 miles of railway were now under construction, and it was quite impossible for one party of surveyors to complete the work during the summer. Three gangs at least would be necessary. Ihe most important question was one of finance. The Public Works Statement would indicate whether there was any necessity to increase the survey staff. ETARD OR PERMANGANATE PROCESS. Mr Rolleston asked the Minister for Mines whether the attention of the Government has been called to the etard or permanganate process, and AVhether they intend to purchase the plant. The Minister f6r Mines said the attention of the Mining Department had not been called to this process. He proposed to bring these questions before the Goldfields Committee, and if Mr Rolleston would furnish further information regarding the etard process it would be considered. In reply to a further question by Mr Rolleston, he said the whole correspondence on th j cyanide process would be laid on the table at a future date. THE WORTHINGTON SCANDAL. Mr Joyce asked the Premier whether the Government will terminate the Worthington Sunday pantomimics in Christchurch. The Premier replied that there was no legislation to prevent Worthington coming to the colony. He left the colony some time ago, and it did not suffer by his absence. (Mr Tanner: "An undesirable immigrant.") It was a matter, he believed, which was best left to the good sense of the community. If Worthington prospered in Christchurch the responsibility would rest with the people. AUCKLAND POLICE STATION. Mr Holland asked the Minister for Justice what steps his department is taking towards providing a new police station at Auckland. He pointed out that the present police station was infected with vermin, and was in an insanitary condition. The Hon. Thompson said he fully recognised the necessity pointed out by the last speaker. Last year the sum was placed on the estimates for a new building, but delay had occurred regarding securing a suitable site. That difficulty having now been overcome, the work would be proceeded with as soon as possible. DRAINAGE AT ROTORUA. Mr Hemes asked the Minister for Lands whether the Government will urge on the work of drainage at Rotorua so as to complete it before the tourist season commences.

The Minister for Lands, in reply, said it was impossible to complete the work in question before Christmas, and if the honourable gentleman had made inquiries "before putting the question he would have discovered this fact. The contractors would not be able to do more than get into working order by Christmas. He would be sorry if tourists were kept away through the present condition of the drainage, but the Government had done all in its power to push on the work.

DRAINAGE OF TOKATOKA SWAMP. Mr R. Thompson asked the Minister of Lands if the Government will make im-

mediate provision to continue drainage works at Tokatoka Swamp. He said the question was very important. Drainage work had been carried on with great success, but unfortunately theie had been periodical interruptions of operations, and changes in the men employed in the work had caused increased outlay. It would be cheaper to proceed with the work without stoppages. The expenditure in drainage of the swamp had been recouped twice over. He hoped the Government would arrange for uninterrupted work and the opening of areas for settlement as ■' fast as they were available. He was informed by the engineers that the drainage of another 27,000 acres could be completed at a cost of 10s per acre, and seeing that these lands when drained were sold at £2 10s per acre it was a profitable transaction for the Government. The Minister for Lands, in reply, said the work in question had paid very well, and it would be folly to discontinue now. The expenditure up to the present amounted to £7,000, including rails for tramway, and land to the value of £4,641 was disposed of. The expenditure of another thousand pounds would render the rest of the swamp lib for settlement, and he would ask the House to vote the necessary amount to complete the drainage of the swamp, feeling sure it is a work which will recoup the colony in a short time double the amount expended on it, besides providing land for settlement.

LAND FOR CIVIL SERVANTS. Mr Monk asked the Minister for Lands

if he will introduce a Bill to relax in favour of civil servants the occupation stipulation of the present Crown Lands Act so that persons in the public service can prepare future homes without being under the necessity of present occupation. The Minister for Lands said the question had been before him on a former occasion, and he had given it careful consideration. "He saw no reason why a civil servant should not take up Land under the existing law, as lie could retain his office for four years nefore actual occupation. He saw no reason for placing civil servants in a position different to that held by other persons. MARINE OIL ENGINES. Mr Monk asked the Minister for Marine -whether he will arrange that certificates Toe issued granting permission to competent persons to drive marine oil engines on sailing vessels notwithstanding that they are not engineers in the usual sense of the

term. The oil powers gave them certainty as to time without any increase of danger to life or property. The Premier, in reply, said he knew something about these oil engines, and he differed entirely from the views expressed by the member for Waitemata as regards danger. The oil engines were just as complicated and dangerous as ordinary engines. . Mr Monk : Steamers are entirely dependent upon their engines and boilers, hut these vessels are independent of their oil engines. They only use oil engines occasionally where it suits their purpose. The Premier: I claim to know something about this. Mr Monk : I am sure you don't. The Premier : These engines are driven by gas. ' Mr Monk : No, by oil. The Premier: They are driven by a series of explosions. The machinery is just as complicated as ordinary machinery. You might apply the same argument to steamers generally. It is not because there is no boiler or steam that Aye should not demand a certificate. I don't think we should relax the regulations in the direction indicated. The fact is you get men on these small vessels which use the oil engines and make them work night and day. It ought to be stopped. Mr Monk : I am sorry to see the Premier doesn't know 7 anything about the subject. Why, the very engineers belonging to the Institute do not know how to manage these oil engines until they are taught. The Premier : H that is the case it is a very strong reason for insisting that drivers of these oil engines must hold certificates. MOTIONS AGREED TO. The House agreed on the motion of Mr Crowther for a return showing the amount spent by the Government in legal expenses during 1896 in the four chief cities, also on the motion of Mr Monk for a return of the total value of freight received for round and baulk timbers on the Kaipara railway line from September 1896 to August 1897. MASTERS AND APPRENTICES. The Masters and Apprentices Bill was read a second time pro forma and referred to the Labour Bills Committee. NATIVES LAND LAWS AMENDMENT BILL. The Hon. J. Carroll in moving the second reading of this Bill said when the legislation was passed preventing further private dealings in native lands opportunities were given to persons who had entered into incomplete negotiations to complete them, but no provision was made in the case of mortgages. In 1894 power was given to the Native Land Court to grant certificates or conformation orders to any persons who prior to that period held a mortgage, but such orders covered all transactions fradulent or otherwise. The Trust Commissioner had no power to validate illegal transactions. He had simply to see that the price paid was fair, and that sufficient land was reserved to the natives. Section B. of the act of 1895, while bringing holders of mortgages into line with legal transactions, did not compel natives to issue mortgages. Another amending Act was passed in 1895, putting persons back into the position of legal holders of titles. The Avord, "mortgage" Avas absent. In 1896 the Avord "mortgage" was inserted after "lease," the effect of Avhich was to class unregistered mortgage as contracts of sale or lease, etc., and a block of 17,970 acres of valuable timber land at Piripiri was leased by Europeans from eight OAvners, whilst to natives who Avere erroneously excluded Avere compelled to acknowledge the lease. The Court held they were bound by the Act of the other eight. The land was bought under the Equitable Owner's Act, and it was aAvarded to 122 owners to the prejudice of European leaseholders. The Government then acquired the freehold, and the European leaseholders demanded £8,000 for surrendering their lease, or £1,000 more than the freehold value. Mr Carroll quoted other examples of the operation of the laAv. The present Bill Avas to give natives an opportunity toobtain redress for grievances. Mr Rolleston : Are you going behind titles ?

Mr Carroll: I don't see why titles wrongly obtained should be sheltered by laws. The intention of the Legislature was to secure natives against being wrongfully deprived of their lands. Sir R. Stout: ' What about the money they have received 1 Mr Carroll: Let it be a personal liability. Are you going to let the aristocracy of the country form pawnshops to rob the natives of their lands? He went on to describe various transactions in which natives had received small advances, and were compelled by accumulations of interest and charges to sign mortgages. The object of the present Bill was to restore the natives to the position they occupied in 1894. While there was disinclination to disturb titles it was the duty of the law to intervene where injustice had been done.

Sir R. Stout said prior to 1894 any Maori owner of land upon which there was no restriction could sell, lease or mortgage, but by the Act of 1894 he could only dispose of land through the Government. The Act of 1894 preserved all transactions however previously entered into. By the Act of 1895 previous incomplete transactions could be completed, and the present Bill proposed to set this aside and deprive Europeans of money paid to natives under the Act of 1894.

The Premier said the real question at issue was whether Pharazyn and other solicitors engaged in native land dealings were *to get clauses inserted in native lands laws upholding tran, sactions which were absolutely illegalwas the legislature to be used to validate transactions which would not have stood the test of law at the time ? He challenged the Opposition to let the Bill be read a second time and go before the Native Affairs Committee, the transactions to be inquired into, and the House to then finally decide what should be done. Mr Heke supported the Bill. Mr R. Thompson (Marsden) strongly condemned it. His impression was that Mr Pharazyn had been badly used. Mr Crowther opposed the measure. Mr Pirani said if advances were made illegal, Europeans who had paid money in good faith would be defrauded. If Parliament had blundered and misled people it ought to make compensation, instead of passing confiscating legislation. The Bill should be referred to a special committee, free from influences prevailing in the Native Affairs Committee.

Mr Rolleston moved as an amendment that before the Bill is read a second time the whole question of the wrong done to the natives be referred to a Committee of both Houses.

The Premier said if the Bill were read a second time he would give notice of a special committee to confer with a committee of the Legislative Council.

The Minister for Lands, in a forcible speech, denounced fraudulent speculations of persons who had wilfully committed illegal acts in respect to native lands. Was any member of the House so credulous as to imagine Pharazyn did not know how to take care of himself ? He declared that if an inquiry were possible it would show that half the titles in the North Island would be found to have been obtained by fraud. Mr Wi Pere supported the Bill, remarking that if it were rejected it would be taken as indicating that the Maoris were not to receive justice. Mr Monk accused Ministers of hypocrisy in their solicitude for the natives. Mr Lang opposed reference of the Bill to the Native Affairs Committee, and generally opposed the measure. After further debate the second reading of the Bill was agreed to on the voices, and the Bill was referred to a Select Committee.

OUT OF WORK. Ten minutes after the Legislative Council met to-daAr the Minister for Education moved that it adjourn, there being no business on the order paper. The Hon. J. D. Ormbnd complained that the Council was compelled to meet day after day Avhen there was no business to do. The Hon. Peacock moved that the Council adjourn till Tnesday, but the amendment was lost on division by 18 to 11. The Hon. Jennings moved that the Council adjourn till after Christmas, which Avas negatived on the voices. The Council will therefore sit on the Prince of Wales' Birthday. JOTTINGS. A petition has been presented by Mr Herries from residents in the Shaftesbury and Manawaru district praying for a A'ote to defray half the cost of the bridge across the Waihou river estimated at between £400 and £500. The Joint Statues Revision Committee on the Criminal Code Act 1893 Amendment Bill recommend that it be allowed to proceed with certain unimportant amendments.