IN PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1270, 27 October 1911, Page 5

IN PARLIAMENT.

DAILY SUMMARY. SESSION MAY END TO-NIGHT. Tho happiest moment for many members of Parliament yesterday , came m tho evening when the I'rimo Minister sketched out a littlo programme for bringing the session to a close to-night. Tho Legislative Council spent a long (l.iv on Bills yesterday, the outstanding mJasurcs dealt with in the afternoon bein" the Workers' Compensation Amendment and tho Wellington City Empowering and Amendment Bills. The nrstinontionwl Bill was referred to the Laboui- Bills Committee and as several members thought that this might bo a means of getting rid of tho Bill quictiy, an instruction was B .Mod thai tho Bill ehould be icportcd within 18 hours. Iho Wellington City Empowering BUI was passed with several amendments after a somewhat chequered passage. Tho greater part of the evening sitting was put in on the batch of Bills disposed of by tho House on Wednesday. The first event of importance in tho House yesterday afternoon was the introduction of the Family Settlement Lands Bill, a measure designed to facilitate tho settlement of land in, both' family and individual holdings on tho deferred payment system. It is not to bo gono on with this session. In its mam features it makes provision for tho purchase of land in the neighbourhood of roads or railways which have been or are about to bo constructed. The land v> to bo settled in family and individual holdings which are to be v paid for by instalments over a period of ten years The Stato is to guaranteo transactions- of this kind by issuing debentures to tho amount of not moro than ,£1,000,000 per annum and the maximum amount of land which may bo dealt with in any ono year is 750,000 acres. . A noteworthy feature of the Bill is that its expropriation provisions apply to Native as well as to European land, but it does not apply to land which is being worked by its .Native owners. Tho Leader of the Opposition and Mr. Hemes both approved tho general principle of tho Bill. The militant leaseholders of tho Liberal party Jmvo not yet expressed their opinion. Amendments to the Legislature Amendment Bill wore introduced, one of which empowers returning officers, at their discretion, to appoint separate deputy returning officers and provide separate bal-lot-boxes for the poll on the question of National Prohibition. Anothor amendment provides that all second ballot polls which may bo necessary during the next general election shall be taken seven days after tho main poll. Tho law at present directs that second ballot polls in some country districts shall bo taken U days after tho main poll. Tho amendments wero agreed to. Some amusement was created when the Speaker announced during tho afternoon that tho Primo Minister appeared to havo voted on both sides in a division early that ' morning. From the subsequent discussion it Appeared that the Primo Minister was asleep on his bench when the division took place, but had previously directed that his vote should be recorded with the "Noes." Mr. Maseey observed that what had occurred was a result of "legislation by exhaustion." Incidentally the serious fact was ventilated that tho present arrangement for voting in the Houso of Representatives are exceedingly unsatisfactory and likely to give rise to mistakes. ■Later tiio Houso adopted a resolution accepting the offer by Mr. W. Leo Buller to present to the Dominion the collection of specimens of Maori industry and art associated witli the name of his father, and conveying its thanks for the gift. The committal of the Industrial Con- • ciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill was agreed to after a discussion chiefly notable for tho general desire expressed by members to retain the Arbitration Systran, with amendments. The Dentists' Amendment Bill was read a second time. ' In the evening, a motion to recommit the Native "Washing-up" Bill, gave Mr. Dive an opportunity to obtain a division on a proposed new clause, to give lessees of the West Coast Settlement Reserves fright of renewal. This was opposed by to two Native representatives 'in tho Ministry, and defeated. The object of the motion for re-commit-tal was to add Mr. Ngata's clause for the more thorough prevention of aggregation of Maori leaseholds. The clauso was submitted in a less drastic form than before, but its roh'o-active character was fully retained. Mr. Herries, in a powerful speech, protested against the .penalisation of individuals for entering into perfectly legal arrangements. He did not approve of aggregation, but this way iff stopping it, ho declared, would involve gross injustioe. Tho Premier said that the new clause would make tho limitation provisions of tho Native Land Act, 1909, mean what they had been supposed hitherto to mean, and ho declared that if nothing was done a vast amount of aggregation would go on, and settlement in the North Island would ho sadly retarded. After Mr. Massey, Mr. Herdman, and to Eomo extent Mr. Wilford had supported the protest made by Mr. Herries, it was stated by Sir James Carroll that reasonablo amendments would be considered in Committee. The motion was carried by 33 to 24. The Premier's Bill, to give veterans of tho Maori war old ago pensions and call them military pensions was treated by members as not sufficiently generous, but the second reading was carried on tho roices. The House went into Committee on several Bills, and was still sitting .when Tub Dominion went to press.