PARLIAMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 211, 4 September 1903, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

(wM «r.P^-"°"'"' KeP °"

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

i TfIstUNGTOX, Thursday, toon tbe We" nt Js

H0U SE OF REPRESENTATIVES. claim of Tjoma. « . to erre ntffavourabi y e consideration. Government to ao 3 omethmg to i CommiUee< He commenW'on < J Bel]leasod gnnflay j state*? that . of money in leßda lVCdsSng the bland and imp rovrag and .* „ **TJitE3!k Commissioner of recognised y . } , was an . -Sand, and Bell w« in- " c a that lie was a tenant at tho f TS the Comment. Next year VI H of tne Sunday Is and. and "•""' Sfquate area. Tk. tad rHU IW to leave the island. Mr MasTdd r d hat the annexation of ??a t Tsland to New Zealand was abS Tfw X having been carried out t jSaitol New Zealand a ■ "r before the Imperial Parliament an- !?• A MhY transfer. This was at the ft rft2 tSe. If Bell were to ap"inne of the Higher Courts of the CiSWM be awarded heavy dan. IS Mr Mawey appealed to the Comment to give the House an opportunity of doing justice to Bell. \fr Vile supported. J Premi er said the matter was no i m,P Successive Governments had IS; Bell's ease before them but here could be only one answer. If ParSent allowed this, where were they S to stop? The other settlers alKd ttat it S« trough Bell that they Tto leave. After they left, he wai in possession, and in the same position as Wore Bell was trying to hx a claim not in the colony, but on the Imperial authorities, who annexed the inland to New Zealand, and as proof of this, the Premier read the Imperial proclamation concerning the transfer of the island. Eell'3 claim had been considered, and he had received compensation. The fact was that nothing would have been heard of the present claim if Bell had not gone to live in the Waikato. Mr Massey proposed to give compensation to Bell because it was alleged that the Legislature had committed an illegality. If anything were done by way of gratuity to'compensate Bell for his isolation and losses,-well and good, but it must not be looked ripon in the light presented by Milaasey. Mr Tanner stated that if Mr Bell was to be compensated, there were others who had equal, if not greater, rights to payment. Bell was a beachcomber, or adventurer, of the type to be found among the islands. He did not go fron> New Zealand to Sunday Island, but landed there from a passing vessel. The Government never recognised Mr Bell's claim to the island, bnt had granted him a large area of the best land when a farther attempt at settlement, which proved abortive, was made. Mr Moss denied that Mr Bell was ever t beachcomber, and added that he well rememberp'l Mr Bell and his family leaving Opotiki for the island. Subsequently a number of settlers were enticed to go to the island by a highly-coloured report V Mr Percy Smith, Surveyor-General, but had to return after suffering heavy losses. The Hon. McGowan said that Mr Bell iad no more title to the island than he (the speaker) had. Mr Massey i He was in possession. Mr MeGowan said that a settler named Johnston lived on the island for ten years before Bell, and if anyone had a title by possession it was Johneton. Sir Joseph Ward said that Bell had forfeited any right he might ever have had when he handed over his property to > company known as Thomas Bell and Co. Mr Fowlds pointed out that Sunday "land was not annexed to Britain until after Mr Bell had settled there. He therefore had practically sovereign "gnts, which could not be disturbed without compensating him. Mr Bell and «> family suffered much hardship and J03 . 3 as the result of subsequent settlers to the island, and the best por."M of the island having been taken »oni them. If the Government desired '? be fair they should give the case consideration. The discussion dragged on, member * «r member voicing his views until the «J«ner adjournment interrupted the flow eloquence, leaving the petition, like coffin, in a state of suspense. WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. rjr e amendments made by the LegisJ «ive Council in the Wireless Tele- * a Pny Bill were considered when the fl °use resumed for its evening sitting. nd» ?'- eph Ward moved * hat the am " <'fl v m claU3e 4 > inserting the words C ,° r profit " be disagreed with. ill Wc *dfl were inserted, with the obJ2J , .Permitting the making of exgnynte m wireless telegraphy, but f . Po . 3tn >aster-General pointed out that S« IA3 ? r | ion wou]d in th e event of tivelv ■ tele S ra P h y becoming comparato .rf.ir c ? enaive ' P emit Private firms of l 7 . stations between one branch enter • } MlUm and another, and thus lE "*<> competition with the State. Mr If iOX "wentora to experiment, tab/. eyUrged that the w ords be reeitj to v 7-? 8 - that there wa * «° neceeThe vT- lnvesti S ati °nl«d v, • er said the Government had tt» Br fi P n nt communication from subject «» 9 0Vernme nt recently on the «*Co,u- Wlr f less tele g™phy, and were » » foSV 0 pa »-y out their wishes. ■*«* hZ?T\ 1! ? dto erect a sta - tl J Buchanan: We would soon stop ttT i P ost mi Sr ßai i that « mi « ht b ' HtteJ, Ugh » New Zealand

The Postmaster-Oenera-1 further pointed out the ethergrams were capable of interception, and if the suggested amendment were made, any messages sent by wireless telegraphy miglit be read and the value of rue system destroyed. , No disability would result from the bill as originally worded. The amendment was disagreed with, and Messrs Fraser, Hogg , and the Post-master-Oeiieral were appointed (managers to draw up reasons for disagreement. COUNTIES ACT. The Council's amendment in the Counties Act were next considered. The House disagreed with a new subclause inserted regarding the amount of rates. As tlir> Act now stands, the maximum general rate in outlying districts, and in counties where there are no road or town districts, is fixed at 3d in the £, and Hd in other parts of a county- The Council's new clause fixed the total of general and special rates at these figures, whereas the House left special rates unlimited. An amendment striking out the provision that billiard rooms .shall close at 11 o'clock was also disagreed with, as were several minor amendments. Messrs Fraaer, Buddo and the Premier were appointed a committee to confer with representatives of the Council to adjust the differences. THE DAIRY INDUSTRY. The Couwcil had inserted a new clause in the Dairy Industry Act Amendment to prevent the pollution of streams by dairy companies. The Minister for Agriculture moved that the amendment be agreed to. On Mr Massey'a suggestion, a conference was arranged with the Upper House, with a view of including dairy factories owned by private individuals. Messrs Massey, Sjnnee and Duncan were appointed managers.