RURAL ENDOWMENTS

Evening Post, Volume 50, Issue 50, 27 August 1926, Page 7

RURAL ENDOWMENTS

SALE OF STATE ASSETS

TRANSFER TO THE TOWNS

THE BILL PASSED.

The Land Laws Amendment Bill, providing inter alia for the sale of certain of the national endowment lands, was passed by the House of Eopresentatives last night.

Mr. G. W. Forbes (Leader of tho National Party) said tho passago of such an important measure should not ba made too hastily. Ho thought the disposal of the national endowments would be regarded in tho futuro as a retrograde step. A good deal of endowment lands should be retained under the leasehold tenure. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H. E. Holland) said he did not propose .to labour the matter. The members of the Labour Party naturally regretted the proposal, and believed that it would create difficulties for the people on tho land, and the other people in the country. He condemned the principle of disposing of the rural endowments, and said the most the Opposition could do was to propose amendments where they considered them necessary.

When the principal operative) clause of the Bill was reached, permitting the sale of certain national endowment lands, it was taken to a division, being retained by 48 votes to 21. The division list was as follows: — Ayes (48): Anderson, Bell, Bellringer. Bitchener, Bollard, Coates, Dickie, J.'M'O. Dickson, J. S. Dickson, Eliott, Forsyth, Girling, Glenn, A. Hamilton, J. B. Hamilton, Harris, Hawken, Henare, H. Holland, Hudson, Hunter, D. Jones, W. Jones, Kyle, E. P. Lee. Linklater, Luke, Lysnar, M'Lennan, M'Leod, Maemillan, J. Mason, Nash, Nosworthy, Pomare, Potter, Eeid, Ehodes, F. J. Eolleston, J. 0. Eolleston, Samuel, Smith, Sykes, Waite,, Walter, Williams, Wright, Young. Noes (21): Atmore, Bartrani, Buddo, Forbes, Frascr, H. E. Holland, Horn, Howard, Jordan, J. A. Lee, M'Combs, M'Keen, H. G. E. Mason, Parry, Bansoin, Savage, Seddon, Sidey, Sullivan, (Veitch, Ward. TOO BIG> A TAIL. '"'The people of the country require lo see that no party in Parliament has too big a tail," declared the Eight Hon. Sir Joseph Ward ■ (Invercargill), in recording his regret at the passing of the Bill. "The liberty which comes from b big party requires to be very carefully controlled by the party itself." "The Government's majority is a Very large one," said the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H. E. Holland), "and the Opposition in the circumstances can ■imply make its protest. It can't do more "than that with the House as it is constituted at present. I want to issue this warning to the Government, and they can take it as a prophecy if they like—as a result of this legislation there will come an insistent demand from the leaseholders in the towns for 'the freehold. ... It is one of the tragedies in the political history of this country that the system which was ■written into the Statute 800k —and •written in tho greater days of tho history of the legislation of tho country— should be wiped off the Statute Book in ono act, as is being done in this Bill." BOW TO THE MAJORITY. - - -The Leader of the National Party (Mr. G. W. Forbes) said that the "House had to bow to the mind of the majority, and evidently the public mind, judging by tho results of the last election, was with the Government. They had now wiped off the slate a provision which previous generations had deemed to be wise. "No man is prouder than I am tonight," said Mr. F. F. Hockly (Rotorua). "I have consistently advocated this amendment, and I believe it will jje to the good of the country." He hoped that next session all the Crown tenants would be granted the right to obtain the freehold. He complimented the Government on its land policy, and 'trusted that the coping stone would be laid next session. The principle the House had agreed to that night would be hailed with joy. Nothing had made the Government so popular as its beneficent land policy. The Postmaster-General (the Hon. w. Nosworthy) considered that the effect of'the adoption o£ the principle would b9 to cause men to take more interest in their land. ,The money derived from the sale of the endowments would be better invested, and the change would afford better facilities for the working of lands on high country. :.' Mr. W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) said [that the freehold policy of the Government had changed a State tenancy to s mortgage tenancy, and had brought ■with it an epidemic of bankruptcy amongst freeholders. •ENDOWMENTS MERELY TRANSFERRED. .. lie Minister of Lands (the Hon. A. D. M'Leod) thanked all sections of the House for the manner in which the Bill had been dealt with. Much of the arguments had been wido of the mark. There were largo areas of land, he said, which could only be brought into proper cultivation by the untiring efforts of the occupiers. The Bill would not kill the endowments. The legislation simply removed the source of the endowments, and the money itself was not. handed over, but reinvested in the towns, where he believed it would bo better invested. Ninety-nine per cent, of the people on the land to-day would -agree that the right thing was being done in the Bill.

The Bill was passed,