BOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 18, 16 October 1907, Page 8

BOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

; "'■ NEW BILLS. The following Bills, introduced by tho Minister for Labour (Hon. J. A. Millar), were read a'first.timo:—Harbour Bill, Sea-fish-eries Bill, Scaffolding Inspection Act Amendment Bill, and Workers' Compensation Bill., The .Gaming and Lotteries Act Amendment Bill (Sir Joseph G..Ward) was also read a first time.: • ■• : .

■.'"' LAND BILL. ' FURTHER COMMTTEE STAGES. PREFERENCE AND THE BALLOT. Tho House went into Committee to further deal with tho Land Laws Amondment BUI. Preferonoe to Landless. Discussion was continued at Clause 48, which prescribes that, in cases whero a ballot is required, landless applicants shall havo preference, the decision of tho Board to bo iinal as to who woro landless. An applicant is defined as landless who does not hold sufficient land for tho maintonanco of himself and family. , In the courso of discussion regarding tho definition of "landless , ' Mr. Massoy, in questioning whothor too much power was not given to tho Land Boards,, said that in tho past in certain districts, particularly Auckland and Hawke's Bay, tho administration of fcbq Board in granting land had not been what it'/might. A likely settler.who had very small means had to take a .secondary, placo to tho applicant with money. The object of this legislation was to holp on tho land the dosirablo class of individual who had not moans to purchase for himself. £he Hon. T. Y. Duncan and Mr. Hogg (Masterton) approved of the, clause, which was adopted/on the voices.

Shall Farmers Have Preference? Clause 49 provides tliat in cases whero a ballot is required, preforonco shall bo given (subject to tho proforenco provided for in the previous section) to tho following applicants, who should'rank oqually: Married men with children, widowers with children, widows with children, ariH' married women with children and judicially soparated from their Irusbands. Mr. Malcolm (Clutha) moved to makp proferenco contingent on applicants having a kncwledgo of farming. A Pica for the Townsman. Discussion followed as to whether it was .desirablq for equal opportunity to bo given to practical farmors and city dwellers. Tho H\>n. T. Y. Duncan supported tho proposal that equal chances should bo given, as also did the member for Lyttolton.

■ The Minister agreed with tlicso views, and asked if distinctions wore to bo niado how wero they to induce their city populations to sottlo on tho land? Aa long as a man was able-bodied ho should have overy. chanco of taking up land. Exporionco of tho past had shown that town dwellers mndo good and successful sottlors. Mr. Fishor quoted from the records of tho Cantortmry Land Board in regard to tho disposal of lands undor tho Land for Settlements Act in tho case of tho Mond sottlomont. This showed that out of 00 applications, not ono came from tho citios. Fifty-threo woro from singlo mon, thirty-three from married inon, and four from widowers or widows. Tho same experience was noted in regard to two other settlements. It showed clearly and conclusively that if single men wero to bo excluded it would cut down the applicants by 50 por cent. Tho amendment, ho also contended, would do no good. Tho Government

woro now seeing the necessity of assisting the city men to get on tho land, and hero was a country member practically opposing it. Ho thought everything should bo done to help town dwollei-s to settlo in tlio country.

Mr. Malcolm said his critics had spokon in favour of placing city men on tho land, but nothing had boon said recording inducing thoso already thoro to re...,un thore. Ho feared tho result of tho olauso would be to drive farm labourers to tho towns, whoro, on account of tho Labour Unions, they would have difficulty in obtaining a living. Tho townsman.who failed in his application would still have his trade to fall back upon. Tho amendment was negatived. A Plea for Bachelors. Air. I' , . W. Lang (Manukau) now spoko against tho clauso on tho ground that the provisions would oxcludo young married men and single men. Tho Hon. It. McNab said that of the applicants some would have to bo disappointed and it should bo single rather than married men. Ho bolioved thero would bo less failures amongst married men. After hearing tho arguments ho would now be willing to delete tho words "with children" in regard to married men, widowers, widows, and muiried women judicially separated from tlieir husbands. Air. Massey said he would givo preferenco first to thoso previously unlucky, then to those who wero landless, and after that married and single men should bo placed on tho same footing. Fancy giving preference to a widow as against a single man! Uosides tho rough bush settlements wero more suitable for single men. It would be a cruelty to tako womon into some back country (Hoar, hear.) Better to lojvc >! ■; conditions as at present than not givo single men tho samo chanco as others. The clause could not be satisfactorily amended and should be struck out. (Hear, he<u.i Mr, Okoy (Taranaki) feared that young men would be driven to Australia. The Clause Withdrawn.' , Sir Joseph Ward said that ho and his colleagues, after hearing tho discussion, had como to tho conclusion that as tho matter was important it would bo better to strike tho clause out and substitute another later on. While the principle aimed at in the Bill was right, thoro would be hardship in some cases. Thero should be some provision also for married men without children. Keep the Young Men. Mr. Massoy expressed pleasure at tho premier's announcement. Ho proceeded that the strongest argument against tho proposal was Mr. Okey's contention that young men would bo driven out of the country to get lands. He road an advertisement from an Australian paper, wherein special inducements wero offered in Queensland to New Zealanders to settle thoro. Others, no doubt, besides himself had also boon circularised on this matter, if inducements wero being oifcred their young mon to leavo the colony tho Government should do its best to prevent it. Their first duty was to give encouragement to young mon to settlo. • Mr. J. C. Thomson (Wallace) said that tho advertisement referred to had been repudiated by the Queensland Government. Sir Joseph Ward said tho Government were fully alive to the importance of keeping tho young men in tho colony. The Governmont, however, had recognised defects in tho ballot system in the past, and desired to rectify them. The Government wanted to onsuro that married men with children should bo treated hotter than in tho past. Mr. T. Mackonzio (Waikouaiti) would havo the Govornment inaugurate a vigorous forward policy on tho land question to adequately moot tho growing demand. They should acquire thoso largo estates that were passing into tho hand of speculators, and inako thorn available. Ho believed tho Houso would agree to tho Government acquiring two million pounds to cnablo this forward policy to bo carried out. Tho Government should rcaliso who was dosired by tho country. ■ Tho Minister, replying to Mr. Ell, said it was not intended to abandon the principle of tho clauso. But thero scorned | from the speeches to be an indication that single men would bo excluded from chances.at tho ballot, and this was not tho proposal. There was tho weakness, apparently, and, tho clauso would bo amended nior'o in tho direction of giving preference to married applicants in tho caso of lands oasy of access, and of offering inducomonts to single men to take up sections in tho bush country. Tho wholo matter, however, would bo carefully gone into. Messrs. Flatmaii, Hardy, Greenslado, and Ruthorford expressed pleasure at tho withdrawal of tho clause.

Consent on the voices was given to tho withdrawal. . . Unsuccessful Applicants. ' Clause 50 directs that preference be given to applicapts who have been twice unsuccessful at a ballot within tho previous two years. Mr. Hornsby moved that tho words " at least twice "'be deleted. Tho Minister agreed to the proposal. Mr. Herries pointed-out dofects in the clauso in regard'to applicants who wero not in the category of " unsuccessful:" ■ The Minister, after considerable discussion, and Mr. Hornsby's amendment having been withdrawn, , moved to-delete the words " competed at least twice unsuccessfully at any, other land ballot," and to insert instead "applied unsuccessfully for any allotment oiferod for public selection." .. ■..-..: •- On the motion of tho Minister, Clauso 50, providing for proforonco at the ballot to formor unsuccessful applicants, was struck out, with a view to making other provision for tho object of the clause Clauso 51 was adopted' with a minor amendment, and Clauses 52 and 53 wore passed unaltered. After the Ballot. ■ Clauso 54' provides that everyone who has succeeded at a land ballot, and has made any disposition of his allotment, by as.a.ji.umoflt or sub-lease, shah bo disqualified for fivo years after such disposition from taking part in ano'ther land ballot. ■ . ■, Tho Hon. C. H. Mills moved to mako tho restriction mentioned apply only to persona who succeed at a land ballot after tho passing of tliis measure.. This was accepted by tho Mimstor, and adopted on tho voices. Subsection 2 was struck out by way of a consequential amendment. In tho samo clauso Mr. Witty sought to extend from live years to ten tho period during which a person who has boon successful at a land ballot, and has disposed of his allotmont, may not tako part in another ballot. •■;■'• ' ' , Mr. Tanner said the man who wont from ballot to ballot acquiring holdings and disposing of them at a profit made tho land dourer to' the genuino' settler, in whoso way he stood. Thc'so nefarious transactions wero condemned in tho Lands Report, and should bo stamped out. Mr. Field, Mr. Greenslado, and other members said tho clauso would load to hardship and injustice in some cases. The amendment was lost on tho voices. Limit of Area. Clauso 55 provides that no person may acquire, under Part 111 or Part IV of the principal Act, any land which, togothor with all other land (whether Crown'land or not) hold under' any tenure, either sovorally, jointly, or in common with any other person, would exceed 5000 acres. Mr. Bonnet said this would bo hard in the case of families who woro joint owners of an estate. He movTod to oxcludo land jointly held from tho operation of tho clauso.

The amoudmont was lost. On tho Minister's motion, tlio clauso was amended, so as to provido that land hold under a tenure, of less than ono year's duration should not bo included in computing tho total area hold by an individual. Tho Minister moved to add a now subclauso: —" For the purpose of this section the interest of a Maori in any land that has not been partitioned shall not bo deemed to be land ownod, hold, or occupied by such Maori. This was adopted on tho voices. The Classification Question. Subsection 7 of section 55 directs that for tho purposo of computing tho total area as abovo ovory aero of firsfxHass laud shall be reckoned as seven and a half acres, and ovory aero of second-class land two and a half acres. Subsection 8 provides that land which has not yot been classified shall for tho purposes of tho section, if of an unimproved valuo qf-

£1 per aero or inwards, be deemed to bo lirst-elass land; if of an unimproved value of less than £l,jfbut not less than 10s., bo doomed to bo second-class land, and if less than 10s. third-class land. ' x

The Ministor proposed to amond this by making the dividing points £4 and £2, instead of £1 and 10s. He said he did not wish to prejudice a general classification of land all over the Dominion on the lines suggested by the Leader of.tho Opposition at a previous sitting, and he would endeavour to preparo for such a system, but in order not to delay the operation of the clause undor discussion, ho proposed to retain the system of classification embodied in tho clause and amendment, though ho admitted that it was not a perfect system. Land that was set down as first-ciasSj some years ago, being valued at £1 per aero, would now bo worth more, yet the original classification could not bo abandoned. It scorned necessary, therefore, to try to reconstruct the position in regard to the lands ';hat had not been classified, and it was with this view that ho proposed to assumo that all 'the land had increased four-fold in value since the time when much of the other land affected by tho, clause was classified. A New System Wanted. Mr. Massey insisted that the system was on a wrong basis, and should bo immediately replaced by a bettor one, which would take account of the productive capacity of tho land and its suitability for agricultural or pastoral purposes. ■ ..- The Ministor said he would endeavour, as soon as opportunity offered,' to submit a more scientific schomo of classification. Tho Minister's amendment was adopted on the voices. Sub-section 9 directs that leased land, the lease of which (if not renewablo) expires i within six months, shall not come under the section. Mr. Witty succeeded in> securing the. adoption of an amendment to substitute nine months for six. The clause as amended was thon agreed to on the voices. Insufficient Areas. Clauso 56 allows a selector whose land is insufficient- for tho support of his family to obtain an additional area with the consent of tho Land Board. ; . Mr. Massoy moved to render this provision subject to the limitations of this Act with regard to area. . . . This was lost by 18 votes to 47. Mr. Massey pointed out that by defeating his amendment members had ■ authorised the Land Board to increaso a selector's holding without any limitation. The motion must have been negatived, because it came from tho Opposition sido of the House. Tho Minister said this was not so. Tho selector would still bo subject to the restriction of area to. 640 acres of first-class land, or the equivalent in second or third-class land. . ,r t »ii" Mr. Massey, Mr. Hemes, and Mr. J. Allen argued against this viow. On the Death of a Lessee. Clauso 58, sub-clause 1, which makes tho consent of the Land Board necessary to tho assignment of a lease by.tho executors of,a deceased lessee, was strongly objected to by Mr. . Massoy and others. Finally _ tho subclause was amended on tho suggestion of the Ministor to provide that the consout of tho Board shall not bo necessary for any .'.assignment made through ft'person who is a beneficiary' under a will or claiming under an intestacy. . . ■ , ■ Section 59, which amends a section ot tno principal Act dealing with the renewal of small- grazing '' run leases, was . slightly amended and adopted. The Wood-Pulp Industry. At Clause 61a, which makes provision' for establishing the wood-pulp industry, the Minister explained that it had been found that largo areas on the West Coast covered with scrubby bush wero suitable for this industry, and practically for nothing else. Only tho comparatively maturo timbor would -be cut, and thus tho supply would bo kept up. Tho Government wished'to have power to enter into contracts with persons desirous of engaging in tho industry, but had no particular individual or company in viow. Tho clauso was adopted. , :

Clause 61b was also adopted, and progress' was then reported. ■ ■ . ■ The Houso rose at 12.30-a.m.