THE HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 286, 27 August 1908, Page 9

THE HOUSE.

EDUCATION ACT. ; ; The Houso met at tho usual time. An amendment to. the Education Act (introducing the alterations in Select Committee of tho new Bill) was introduced by Governor's message. Tho now provisions worepublished yesterdav morning. V Tho MINISTER for EDUCATION (the Hon. G. Fowlds) briefly explained tho provisions of tho Bill. ' , '" , Mr. MASSEY (Leader -of tho Opposition) asked that tho Bill bo not harried and that full information from the Select Committee, be supplied to the House regarding tho Bill, and. that every chance of discussing . the measure bo given. Mr. HANaN (chairman of the Education Committee) concurred with the remarks' of itlio Leader of the Opposition. \ Mr. W. ERASER pointed out that members of the House ■ win were not on tho Select Committee had had no chance of going into !its provisions. Mr. J. C. THOMSON (Wallace) supported thoso remarks. * Aftor further discussion the Prime Minister agreed that they should not take the Bill in c'oinmitteo that evening.. Ho suggested\that they shquld instead go on with tno Estimates—(hear, hear) —"and have peaco and goodwill upon earth." (Hear, hoar and applause'.)' \ FINAL STAGES. ' The following. Bills were put through their final stages ;—Destitute Porsons Amendment, Counties Amendment, Municipal Corporations Amendment,' and Public Works Amondmcnt (Sir. Izard). ■ ' ' ' < The House divided on third - reading of Mr.-Fisher's Municipal Corporations Act, ' J 9OO, Amendment Bill, which proposes to aply tho Parliamentary franchise to municipal elections. The third reading was carried by 25 votes to 12. ■ / ALTERATION OF TIME. < Mr. C- H. IZARD (Wellington North) asked to be allowed to move. the. second reading of tho'Alteration of Time Bill pro-forma, with a view of referrhYg if'to a committee. : The PRIME MINISTER, against somo opposing voices, asked ,tho.House to agree to this course, refraiftcc^from.«?- •, pressing'an opinion 'on ths 'Bill: 1 • u,M,i '• The second reading .was carried, and tho Bill was referred to; the Industries and Com- , inerco. Committee. .- '■ BILL .KILLED. Sir W. J. Steward's Public Works' Amendment Bill (No. 2), to empower a local body to abandon proceedings for taking land under the Public Works Act if'the price was deemed too high, was ruled out of order by the Speaker, oil tho gtpund that similar proposals had already been by tho, Houso this session. ■ ! .... :

THE ESTIMATES. LANDS AND SURVEYS. SUBDIVIDING GRAZING RUNS: v Tho ,House, at 8.10 p.m., went into Committeo of Supply on' tho Estimates, the first class taken being the Department of Lands and Survey, total vote £232,744. Mr. HERRIES raised tho question of tho renewals of certain grazing' run leases in Hawko's Bay. Certain individuals had not been granted renewals, tho Land Board having resumed tho tad for subdivision. ;Tho MINISTER for LANDS (Hon. R. M'Nab) said that; under legislation which permitted such a course, it \yas the policy of/tho Department to have runs subdivided when opportunity offered, if tho' laud vero suitable. The LEADER of tho OPPOSITION (Mr. Massey) said tho man who was supposed to havo a political pull wasnot disturbed, while two others had to submit to tho subdivision of tho run, the lease of which they expected to havo ronowed at the end of the first term of 21 years. . Mr. HOGG defended tho policy of cutting up tho runs. ' Mr. REMINGTON declared that the Department and tho Land Board had in this matter done tlio best thing for sottlemont. Mr. HERRIES said he was not opposed to runs being cut up. In the case under discussion, howover, tho ranger and the board recommended that two runs should be out up arid one partially cut up, but what happened was that one was renowed-in toto and the other two wore cut up. Everybody who knew tho district know the politics of the three lessees. The runs wero in the Poverty Bay district and in the Hawko's Bay land district. Ho hoped all the papers would ■he laid on the table. < ; Tho -• MINISTER said tho ; board recommended that some of tho runs wore suitable for subdivision, and that' others' Were Hot. The' Department adopted those recommendations. ■ Land for Main Trunk Workers.

Mr. JENNINGS said that a number of men would shortly bo discharged from tho-Main Trunk Railway works, including tho sawmill owned by tho Government at Kakahi. He urged that provision should bo made for settling them in tho district, whero they had resided, in somo instances for three years. ; Tho MINISTER said that provision was being made for settling somo .of the Main Trunk Railway workers, but tho Government did not wish to have bush destroyed for tho purpose. Ho intended to keep traco of theso' workers, and provide holdings for thorn as soon as possible; but- ho did not anticipate that they could all bo placed on suitably holdings as soon as tho railway works wero eompleted. Mr. Okcy and Mr. Massey urged tho desirability of preparing tho 'iVaimarino and Waiouru plains for settlement, tho latter oppressing tho opinion that farming could be profitably carried on ill tho district. Noxious Weeds.

, Mr. .AVITTY,"■ referring to an item for tho eradication of-noxious weeds, saidthat something must bo done. The noxious wends '.voro too wLclospfvl ill "troth"". A fpirly large sum, say, £1,0,000, should 1 bo oderod as a 'bonus 'for a moans ol eradication, i Mr. FLATMAN believed that a certain d mount of gorse in a river bed was good for tho river to remind it of its courso. It also afforded food for stock. , , ! -Mr. HEiIIUKS said that- tho settlors wore crving out that-while tho inspectors- compelled them-to ■ clear their'.land, tho Crown lands were allowed to grow weeds which spread over:tho country. } The MINISTER said that tho sum of £18G6 had been spent during tho year in clearing the Crown lands of noxious weeds. An Important Question. Mr. AYILFbHD asked the Minister for Lands if anything was going to be dono to

remedy tho present state of affairs, viz.: the land taken for workmen's homes, when not yet built upon, docs not pay rates. Ho showed that this throw an unfair burden upon tho other remainins lands. Tho MINISTER, in replying, said that tho Government did not pay any other .than s'pcoinl rates on Cirowii lands, As to Mr. Wilford's sppcifio complaint regarding tho Pctono borough, he would try aiid liayo as largo an area of tho lands acquired tlioro as possible built upon in the immediate future. The ohss was. pasßod without alteration. ■ AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT. When tho Agricultural Estimates' wore called 011, Mr. M'ASSEY complained that no departmental report was yet down.. : Tho MINISTER said ho had done, his bost to get :the roport down, but had boon unable. The class was hold over for tho present. VALUATION DEPARTMENT. Total vote, £31,501. Mr. MASSEY referred to certain, anomalies in'tho salaries of tho Department. Ho made special mention of tho valuers. .The MINISTER, in replying, said that for the last two years an endeavour had been made to overcome those anomalies, which lie admitted oxistod in some quarters. Ho did not suggest there was not a lot' of work in this direction still to bo done. What thoy had dono this year would not appear 011 thoso Estimates, but in the Public Works Supplementary Estimates.

Mr. J. ALLEN said valuers should bo paid salaries that would placo them above any probablo influepco that might bo suggested to them. •Mr. WILFORD' contended that in Now Zealand valuations had run mad. Tho values in many cases wore fictitious and tho bases upon which values wero inado were visionary. Mr. T. MACKENZIE moved to reduce tho voto by £l,as a protest against the high values placed on tho' unimproved valuo of properties. •• • •• . Tne MINISTER said that when'complaints about valuations wero mado, reports of all sales in the district wore obtained 'independently of the values. Hcnco they got into a system of valuing well below tho market values. Those who'required loans from tho Advances to Office usually .pointed out that their land was worth m'oro than the valuation, and that office then had it Valued again and gavo tho applicant th'o benefit of ths higher valuation, but this did riot in any way affect the value for taxation. : The House divided at 12.30 o'clock on, Mr. Mackenzie's niotion, which was lost by 80 to 15; Tho class was then passed. EDUCATION. The education vote (£856,842) was reached at 1 a.m. Mr. MASSEY objected to taking an important, class at that hour. - The PRIME MINISTER complained that a reasonable amount of work ' had not been transacted that night. Two classes had been passed in six hours. ' Mr. MASSEY said that the two classes had been vory important. Tho health of some mombcrs was not as good as it ought to be, and the ventilation of the chamber might be very much better. Tho PREMIER could not sco his way to rise at that stagei Ho showed tho largo number of classes yet to bo passed. ; Mr. HERRIES suggested that they could not discuss tho education estimates since they had not yet tho Native sohools report, tho Te Oraim'Home inquiry report, and, tho ihdustrial schools,report. | Mr. MASSEY moved to roport progress aa a protest at proceeding at the unreasonable hour. : Tho niotion was lost. '; • Universal School Books. ! The House divided on a motion by Mr. Wilford to reduco tho 'Education voto by £1 as an indication that a univorsal school book was desired. The motion was carried by a small majority. (Left sitting.)