OUR PARLIAMENTARY SPECIAL.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 7499, 19 October 1895, Page 3

OUR PARLIAMENTARY SPECIAL.

[FBOM OUB SPEOIAL BBPOBTBB.]

[BY TBLBOBAPH.]

Wellington, Last night

LAND ACT AMENDMENT.

In moving the Becond reading of the Land Aot Amendment Bill, the Hon Mr M'Kenzie said the Bill contained no principle, hut simply a few teohnioal amendments of the law.

In the discussion whioh followed, it appeared that the Bill certainly has very little prinoiple, amongst other things it provides that every alienation of Crown land Bhall be subjeot to the provision that all metal, minerals, oils, gases, gravel limestone, and valuable stones under the Burfaoe of the land, shall be reserved to the Crown, which, aa Sir Robert remarked, is a pretty large order, but beyond that the Bill gives power to the Government to take possession (temporary or otherwise) of the land or any portion of it at any time for the pnrpose of carrying on operations in reßpeot of any of these things referred to the Grown, compensation to be paid to the owne* only in respect of surfaoe damages. " Who would hold the land," Sir Robert aaked, under such conditions. In this, as all the other Bills now introduced, the Government waa to have all the power and the people were to have no liberty. Everything was to be held at the will of a Government aB aosolnte as the Cz*r of Bußßia.

•• Worse !" interjected a member _ "Well, I believe it ia," replied the member for Wellington, "because there it is tempered with assassination, and we haven't got that here." It was not right, he went ou to say, that the Government should have the right to enter upon and open np a man's farm at their own sweet will- _, -— - Russell also raised' strong objection to suoh a proposal. Not only was no adequate compensation to be afforded to the farmer, but the Government oould go to the man's frontdoor or backyard and open up a big waterhole, iv which the unfortunate man'achildren might be drowned, bat they were not even obliged to fill the hole up agaia. Af forwards, tbe Minister of Lands having stated that he was only re-enaoting a power already given in the Land Act, Mr Fraaer pointed out that the power po given only applied to reserves and pattoral leased. The olause under discussion applied to every alienation of Crown land for farming or other purposes Buch a power had never been given in any Land Act. Several other members protected against thia obnoxious clause, whioh is likely to be struck out by the Waste Lands Committee. The other provisions giving the Government power to make regulations under the Land Act for the purpose of facilitating advances to Grown tenants under the Advances to Settlers Act, and giving the Land Board power to modify ita conditions as to improvements, wire generally approved. The Minister of Lauds, repljing, said that the Crown h'.& a righ, to retain to itself rights over minerals, gravel, eto , and in some districts it was moat necessary for this to be done. The Bill waa then read a seoond time and referred to the Waste Lands Committee. "EARTH HUNGER" IN HAWKE'S BAY. In the Houae to-day Messrs Carnell and Hall oalled the attention of members to the suooess of the recent ballot for the W.i°- bplro blook, empha-ising this aa a proof that there was a great earth hunger in Hawke's Captain Russell, speaking on the Land Aot Ameudment Bill, spoke oi the insane principle under which Crowu land was being p.rted with, no money being required from the applicants. It was with them a'case of "Heads I win, tails you lose." The applications for laud blou dbe published so aa to show how many were really genuine. He referred Mr Carnell to the newspapers aud agenta ub to whether there waa uny dearth of land for sale m Hawke's Raj, guaranteeing that he c-uwi get that member a farm of from 50 to 5000 auras within . week if he was prepare, to