GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16653, 14 October 1919, Page 9

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

• —: (ABBIDGXD TRESS ASSOCIATION XBFOBt.) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVBS Mondat, October 13. Tlie House met at 7.30 p.m. VOTES OF THE PATIENTS IN HOSPITAL. Replying to Mr P. Fraser, the Prime Minister said ho had not considered tho question _of making provision for patients in hospital recording thoir votes at the general election, but he would bo clad to take the opinion of the bead of the Electoral Department on the subject. SUPPLY OF HIDES.

Replying'to Mr: Hdllaiid, the Prime Minister said he would ask tlio Board of Tta.de to enquire iirto . the alleged difficulty in purchasing; hides experienced hy tinners. , SEAMEN'S VOTES,

Replying to Mr P. Frnser, the Prime Minister said lie would refer to _thej heads of the Electoral Department the* suggestion that seamen ok board ships registered in New Zealand; hut trading beyond New Zealand, should have an opportunity of recording their rotes at the general election. ! FIRST HEADINGS. The State Forests Act Amendment Bill, .and tli© Native Townships Bill, ■were introduced by Governor's Message, and read a first tune. EDUCATION LOANS BIL» r J. Sir James Allen moved the second reading of the Education _ Ptrrposes Loans Bill, stating that the Bill authorised the raising of half a million _ this year, and three-quarters of a million for each of the four succeeding veara for the purchaso of sites and the .erection of. buildings. Tho second reading was agreed to,. DISCHARGED SOLDIERS' SETTLEMENT BILL.

Tho Hon. 3>. H., Guthrie moved iho second reading of (the Discharged Ebldiers' Settlement Act Amendment BiU, explaining that it widened tho provisions intended to facilitate the settlement of returned soldiers on tho land. Sir Joseph Ward congratulated .tho Minister on the splendid work lio had' already done in the direction of settling soldiers on the land, and for tho extension of the privileges proposed in thisj Bill. He, howevery feltr' bound to .again appeal to the Prime Minister to tielp those men who had been compellcdto sell their farms to go into the forces, 4nd who were now unable to get their forms back, except at a price far bcypnd their means. Ho had had many v«ry strong cases put before him, and hd "thought the country would support thb House in any action it took in tho interests of these men.

j\tr W. Downie Stewart, tho Son. D. Bu<sdo, and Mr Young, drew the attention of the Minister to special cases whfth they considered were -worthy of consideration. Mr Holland expressed a hopa that tho afimrnistration, of tho Act would noF bss clogged by officialdom. Mr Forbes expressed a strong hopo that the Government would-put tho compulsory clauses into operation, so as to eivo soldiers good land on which to setrlile, instead of driving them into the bac.c country and on to the hill topß. Mr Anderson strongly supported this viewl but he thought that home service i men should not be 60 favouraßTy treat- I ed a:\ men who were actually in the | tronclVes. " j

: Mr -Anstov contended that tie compensation which would hare to bo paid I to dispossess .men on large holdings j would ibo so great that the soldiers would .'pot be able to make their flections piiy. Mr Hitfc expressed the hope that the Government would show determination in the direction of enforcing the compulsory clauses. Mr J. A. Ha nan declared that land monopoly ' should be broken op by drastic graduated taxation, thus freeing land _ tor soldiers,, rather _ than acquiring iti by purchase at extortionate prices Mr "VVilford said the real difference between the* Liberal and Reform sides of the Housn was that the former were prepared, to take land for soldiers by •compulsion sind taxation. He advocated picking' the eyes out of large holdings near. railways, and described areas in Hawse's Bay which he considered were s*.oi table for that purpose. Mr McCallum suggested as a 'check upon high-priced lianas that soldier-set-tlers should join a union, pledging themselves not ; to purchase any high priced private --latids. If they could get Crown lands, well and good, but

they should not buy private lands. I'l in Prime Minister said lie had watiihed i ho - compulsory taking of land for many years, aad much of it had jesuiVed iu enormous exponso to tho coun Iry. Ho outlined various systems of compulsory acquisition adopted since the .t.*kine of tho Cheviot estate, down to the Soldiers Settlement Act, 1915. Under, that Act ho found no difficulty in Kelfcfng land for soldiers at prices far ue low market valuo. in some cases a condition being, imposed that tho land sibould bo usod for soldiers only. The record of the Lands Department in setting soldiors was a most creditable one. He estimated when the war broke ctttt that they would be able to place"* 5000 soldiers on the land, and he was clad to know that that number had now been exceeded, and he believed _ that beforo they were through with it, thoy would halTO hot far short of 10,000 eoldier settlers. Ho deprecated the io© a that Hawike's Bay oountry waa suitablo . for all ftarposos. It woe for tho main part good sheep country, bnt much of it was too subject to drought to bo suitable for dailying. > Hie thought the work of settling soldiers had bean moWr successful. He had heard a high official predict that 95 per coni. of tho soldier settlors in the Wellington district would be successful, "but ho would be quito satisfied if 80 per cent, were successful.

Hr G. W. Russell condemned the practice of buying high-priood land for soldiers, and, as a chcck against extoiv tionate prioes, he suggested that no land should be purchased on tho Land; Purchase Board's opinion unless that opinion was fortified by tho approval of i.tho Valuation Department, lor whoso lidea of real values ho had tho highest! respect.

After further debate the Minister replied. He said it was proponed to establish local Land Purchase Boards tq a&i ist in acquiring land for soldiers. In soilio of the larger districts it might ba necossary to appoint two such Boards. * Land settlement was proceeding at a • rate* more eatisfcto'ry tfean jmost pooplo imagined. Only that day over eleven thousand acres hod been purchased, and this inonth no fever' than 66.500 acroa bad bjseu acquired. He. asked members not to press tho claims •of South African veterans or 'home sernoe men at 'present, as their first duty was' to the men who went to tho front in tho late wnr and came back. There woro between. 4000 and £000 home service men. and any attempt to provide for these would considerably delay the work of providing for returned soldiers. The Bill was read ,a second timo.

FINAL STAGES. The Hons© went into Committee on the Education Purposes Loans Bill, tha Discharged Soldiers > Settlement Aefe Amendment Bill, and the Manawati* Gorge Road #nd Bridge Bill. These Bills wero reported from Committee without amendment and wtero read a third time and pawed; The House rose at 12.35 a.m.