PARLIAMENT

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8041, 20 July 1904, Page 2

PARLIAMENT

house of representatives. tuesdayTjuly 19. The House resumed at 2.30. LAND DRAINAGE BILL. In committee- on the Land Drainage Bill some discussion ensued on the subsection -of clause 16, which dealt with the settlement by assessors of disputes regarding compensation for the use or taking of land by the Board, and Mr Herries (Bay of Plenty) moved, That the clause be amended by inserting a provision that of the two assessors who shall sit with a Magistrate in such cases, one shall be appointed by the Board and one by the owner of the land in. question. This was carried by 28 votes to 18. , On the motion of Mr Massey, an amendment was made in clause 11 enabling a Drainage Board to join with a; local authority (as well as with another Board) for the execution of works. In clause 16 the penalty for interfering with a drain was, on the motion of Mr Buddo (Kaiapoi) altered from £50 to £30. At clause 79, "Application of the Act to native lands,* Mr Herries moved an amendment to provide that all native lands shall pay , full rates. \ The amendment was agreed to on the voices. , .. Hon. T. Y. Duncan moved a new clause providing for the formation of united j districts composed of two or more adjoining districts, which was agreed to. In committee on the Land Drainage '■ Bill a new clause was added, on the motion of Mr Wood, giving a Board power to compel an owner to remove trees or branches obstructing or likely to obstruct a drain. DOMAIN BOARDS BILL. The Domain Boards Bill was committed. At clause 2, which gives the Governor-in-Council power to appoint Domain Boards, Messrs Bollard and E. M. Smith urged that these Boards should be, elective. Tne clause was amended, on 'Mr Hogg's motion, to provide that every member of a Domain Board shall be eligible to remain in office for two years and no longer, any member to be eligible for re-election. An amendment by Mr Kirkbride, by which a Board may meet at any time it pleases, was carried by 28 votes to 24, and on the Minister's motion a proviso was added that the interval between meetings shall not be less than three months. FENCING ACT. The Fencing Act Amendment Bill passed through committee with unimportant amendments. COUNTIES ACT. The Counties Act Amendment Bill was put through its final stages. NATIVE LAND RATING. The debates on the second reading ot s Hon. J. Carroll's Native Land Rating Bill was resumed at 10.20 p.m. by Mr Honi Heke (Northern Maori), who pointed out that native lands already paid i heavy taxation in the shape of stamp ' duty, and he urged that if they were i made to pay full and special rates the present heavy stamp duty should be re- . mitted. i The debate was interrupted by the arrival of the hour of adjournment at 10 30 p.m., when the House rose. '

Tainage