POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 12317, 5 October 1904, Page 7

POLITICAL GOSSIP.

(Ftioji OCR PARUAMEHTAnr Reporter.] WELLINGTON, October 5. FIRE BRIGADES BILL. This measure, which has already been reported to the House, is to be referred to a tub-committee, consisting of the Hon. James Carroll, Mr A. Kidd (Chairman of the Eire Brigades Bill Committee), and Mr Hanan, for further consideration and amendment. A special meeting of the Legislative Committee of the Municipal Conference is to be held on Wednesday next to consider the Bill and its amendments, THE DUNEDIN KINDERGARTEN. Tho only discordant note raised during yesterday afternoon’s discussion came from the member for Riverton, who objected to giving the moneys of the State to a private school.—(Loud cries of ” No.’’) Mr Thomson, however, contended that it was not a public school, ax generally understood, therefore they would be giving money to a private school, over which the Government exercised no control. .It was not a businesslike proceeding. He would rather see the salaries of teachers in small country schools improved. If the State had to undertake | refuge work it would have to be dono all over the colony, and the Government should bring down proposals to that end. Ho was opposed to the proposed vote.—Mr Baumc (Chairman of the Education Committee), in reply, pointed out the difference between kindergarten methods in a State school and kindergarten schools proper. The thanks : of the people of the colony were due to ■ those people in Dunedin who, by their work in this connection, had saved children , from a had life, and had made reputable ; citizens of them. Children trained in the ; kindergarten provide very apt pupils in tho ; primary schools. The kindergarten schools could be placed under State inspection. He deprecated the attitude on this matter taken up by some members who objected to giving Government aid to a private school. it would appear that in no field whatever did these members want private enterprise, not even in philantrophic fields. He hoped that the Government would see the great ques-i lion involved—namely, that institutions of this kind should be encouraged, if members were at all in earnest about their desire to bring up the children to be capable and worthy citizens-.—The report was referred to the Government for their favorable con- ■ NATIVE LANDS. Apropos of the suggestion that native I lands should be subject to tho same rates :is European lands, Mr Harries lodged a strong protest yesterday afternoon against; the system of communism existing among j the Maoris, who, he said, were not" improw 1 ing their position in any way. The land ; belonged to tho tribe, and not to intlivi- | duals, who did not see the use of cultivating i it. The Government should take certain ! blocks, which it would pay at once to sur- I vey, and a start would bo made to break | up land communism. A Maori’s share in I several blocks of land should be amalga- i mated and consolidated into one block, and ; us owner of this tho individual Maori would have more incentive to improve his position.—Messrs Wi Pere and Hone Heko defended tho land communism of the Maoris. Both protested against the wav in which in past years the natives had been induced | to part with their lands, until now but iittle, comparatively speaking, was left. Mr i Heko advocated handing over large blocks in which there were many native interests j to the Maori Land Councils, who could cut I them up into small sections and lease them, i rither to Europeans or to the Maoris them-! •.elves. There are other means or encourag- ; ing natives than that of allowing them to ! Iraffic in their lands. For instance, the. i Government could induce the Maoris to till ! their own lands, and live on them by treat-1 lug them as they treated European settlers, i and by helping them under the Advances to Settlers Act. An objection by Mr Massey that the land being unalienable there would be no security for any loans- advanced . ivas met by Mr Heke with the proposal that ; i certain portion of the land should be free, 1 aot for sale, and be held for this very purl I pose. He favored a Maori Land Council, i tomposed entirely of Maoris.—Mr Kaihau, I however, raid that under such administra- j Lion the skate of affairs would be worse than \ now obtained on the West Coast (which he , represents) under the administration of the! Public Trustee, Tho natives were con- I tinually protesting against this, as their ! lands were all being taken from them. His colleagues were in the hands of the Government, but he had ceased to pin his faith to ihe Government in this matter. (This statement of Mr Kaihau probably explains why ne voted with the Opposition on the recent no-confidcnce motion on the lands question.) He advocated the Maoris owning and living on their lands, and tilling them exactly as Europeans did.—Mr Massey agreed with what Mr_ Kaihau bad said, and hoped that the Maori members would persevere in their efforts to obtain control of their own lands. —Tho Native Minister (Mr Carroll) defended Ihe native lands policy of tho Government, which had been held by some of tho native members to be blamiible for the present unsatisfactory condition of many of the natives. He said that most of‘tho lands on the West Coast were already leased to Europeans. Supposing these leases were to be cancelled, there would go nn a great howl. Provision had already been made for the individualisation of the titles of native lands, but on the West Coast this had not been taken advantage of bv the Maoris, because of the excessive cost through the esjieu.se of the survey and of tho hearing of the case. He favored the Government placing a sum of, ray, £200,000 on the Estimates to bring about the individualisation of titles. If this were done, he would do his best to individualise native lands. (Members received this statement with encouraging “ Hear, hears.”) The Act should be altered so that where natives desired to alienate or lease jiioces of land there should be an authority in each district Before whom the native land-owners could appear, and if it were thought desirable that the land should be so dealt with this official should dispose of it by public auction or bv public tender. THIRD READINGS. Last evening the third icadinr’s w»rc agreed to (without debate) of tho Water Supply Bill and the .Maori Antiquities Act Amendment Bill. When the Local Elections "Bill came up lor report the Minister in charge (Sir J. G. Ward) moved its recommittal to amend technically certain clauses dealing with tho appointment of scrutineers, and this was agreed to. The Bill was ilion read a third time. The amendments made last creek in the Cook and Other Islands Government Amendment Act Amendment Bill havin-> been agreed to. the Minister in charm o°’ the Minds (lion. Mr Mills) moved’ the third reading.—Mr Maslov regretted that the Bill had not been recommitted for further consideration of clause 2, which in its present form was inoperative. He blamed the Minister for not introducing the measure earlier, as tho principal Act which it was proposed to continue lapsed on the 50th ult. He thought the Corn mi tee Were to be congratulated on having struck ont some of (ho objectionable clauses in the Bill as originally introduced. No encouragement bad been given to the people of the Islands for the growing of coffee or sugar, and as regards finance, hj was plain that, but for assistance from the. New Zealand Parliament, the Cook Islands Government would have a difficulty in making ends meet.—After a short debate, in which Messrs Moss. Hetries (who said that the schooner - Countess of Panfurly should be sold). Jar. Alien, and T. Mackenzie took part, the third reading was a.grccd to. The above Bills will provide work for the Legislative Council, whose Order Paper hag been exhausted. THE ELECTORAL BILL. Fair progress was xnado with the Electoral Bill in committee last night. The contentions clauses, however, have vet to be reached. The probabilities axe that the provisions) for a second ballot in the case of minority representation will not be agreed to. ANOTHER NIGHT IN LIQUOR. * Tho Premier, who returned from the West Coast this morning, is looking as fit as the proverbial fiddle. He informed mo that he baa decided to place the Licensing £lll «t the top of to-day’s Order Paper. It

will come on for further consideration in committee at half-past seven this evening. JOTTINGS. “Dr Pomaro is not an individual who came down from Heaven that we should believe in him.”—Wi Pere’s emphatic protest against this official's remarks concerning the communistic method of livihg of the Maoris. “Wo representatives of scattered electorates are really the vanguard of civilisation, and the pioneers of the country.”—Modest statement by Mr T. Mackenzie. “ This cry of ‘ Give the Maori the mana to deal with native lands’ simply stinks in my nostrils. I will he no party to this humbug.”—Wi Pere (East Coast native member) on the proposals of Henare Kaihau (West Coast native member). Mr Ell suggests, in view of the certain rise in value of the Bank of New Zealand shares, that the Government should put in a tender for the forfeited shares of tho Bank cow being advertised, and for which tenders close on the 28th inst.