IN PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1197, 4 August 1911, Page 5

IN PARLIAMENT.

: 4DAILY SUMMARY. THE LAND AND THE SETTLERS. The Address-in-Roply debate in the Council was continued yesterday by the Hon. R. A. Loughnan and tho Hon. H. F. Wigram, both of whom discussed tho Empiro at considorablo length. Mr. Loughuau also referred to tho slight put on tho Council in tho matter oi tho invitations to Jiondon for the Coronation. Tho iirso uabnte of tho session on any great question of internal policy took place in tho House yesterday afternoon. Upon tho presentation of the annual report on the Land for Settlements Act, Mr. G. W. Russell urged that the Government should exercise much more actively than of late tho powers conferred by that measure. Tho question of land settlement, ho said, would give the Opposition its opportunity if anything would. A succession of South Island members spoke in a somewhat similar strain—most of them from the Government benches. Mr. Forbes, whose electorate includes Cheviot, said that the enthusiasm of Ministerial supporters could not bo maintained upon such meagre progress as had lately been, witnessed in regard to the land for settlements policy. Mr. Malcolm, from tho Opposition side, said the Government had failed in its duty of promoting closer settloment. Mr. Laurenson alleged, with his usual vehemence, that the rural population of Cantorbury was stationary or decreasing. Such a tendency, he said, was ruinous to the nation, and aggregation of estates- was the cause. Mr. Hardy quoted some rural school statistics to show that Mr. Laurenson had at least over-stated his case. Mr. Wilford asked for a truco to the strife of tenures, and a settlement policy on which both sides of the Houso could unite. Mr. Jennings delivered a homily on the advantages of close settlement, as illustrated by peasant proprietorship in. Belgium.

Mr. Ell insisted that if settlement was to be accelerated, more money must be borrowed. 'In a concluding outburst, ho accused Mr. Massey of wholesale bribery, of tho electors, on the ground that •at a meeting at Cheviot ho had stated the Reform party's policy of giving Crown tenants the. right to acquire tho freehou: at tho "original value."

itr. llassuy quickly dealt with Mr. Ell, and pointed out that the "original value , ' was actually all that tho State could be said to own in the case of a lease-in-per-petuity. Ho also took occasion, from another of Mr. Ell's accusations, to re-state his position as to endowment lands. In regard to the main object of the debate, L-β congratulated the Ministerialists who had spoken, inasmuch as they had at last come to agree with him that the Government had not dono its duty in the settling of the land. Mr. Field and Mr. Witty followed, and then Mr. Fisher restated his own somewhat exceptional position on tho land question. He ' moved an amendment against the further sale of Crown lands, but this was ruled out of order, and after Mr. Biiddo had spent the few minutes that remained of the sitting in trying to show that the Government had dono as much as could have been dono, the Housa adjourned for dinner. - In the evening, the debate on the Ad-dress-in-Eeply was resumed by Mr. Stallworthy, who was quito,pleased with'tli' dullness and emptiness of the Governor's Speech. Ho would not have liked to be startled. Mr. Fraser complimented Mr. Malcolm upon his plea for more definite Imperial organisation, but maintained that the true bond was- a union of hearts.' Dr. Tβ Bangihiroa pleaded for more assistance to the Maoris. Mr.■Buchanan replied to several points in the speech'of'Mr. Fowlds. The debate was then adjourned, and the House roso nt 10.25 p.m.