HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXV, Issue LXV, 9 October 1913, Page 5

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The House met at 2.30. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. .In reply to questions, Ministers said: The matter of the Government contribution to the Captain Scott memorial will receive consideration when the Supplementary Estimates are bein^ dealt with; the date on which the een° era] electoral rolls will close in election Jh^r } Tl&f • consideration when the Electoral Bill is before the House; officers of the Defence Force sent Home to undergo training are not tinder obligation to remain in the service on their return to the Dominion, but such obligation will be imposed upon them for the future. THE LAND BILL. Air J Escott continued the debate on the Land Bill. He contended that it was essential for the well-being of the country that many more settlers than were now on the land should be there. A man on the land did not only benefit himself, but he benefited those in the- cities too. Mr J. A. Millar said that the exports were the life blood of the country. If they wore not increased they could not get money to open up further country. The Government had no right to sell lands for settlement. He could not understand the South Island members voting for the sale of such lands after their' experience in the South, where people had to leave for the North if they wanted to acquire a section. He combatted the action of the Government in giving existing Crown tenants the freehold. Had it not been for the leasehold there would not be half the settlers on the land that there were at present. The land did not belong to past or present generations, but to future generations. He contended that there would be a revolution in the Old Country in the very near future on the question of freehold. If they wanted to get small settlers in this country they would need to classify the country into three classes —agricultural, pastoral, and dairying land. In the matter of the cutting up of estates, he held that a certain time must be given to those who owned more than was provided /or by law. The provision for acquiring the freehold of Crown land should also apply to private property. If such were done he would approve of the Bill in toto, despite the fact that it gave away endowments. The names of the men who sold Crown lands would be cursed by future generations. Mr C. A. Wilkinson said that he did not believe that a revolution would follow the sale of Crown lands. The sufferings endured by the back-block settlers eiititled them to all the increment possible. He desired to 6ee large estates v suitable for closer settlement cut up for that purpose. He favored a reasonable increase of the graduated tax. '■■ ■ " The debate was continued for some hours, and Mr Massey replied, characterising the opposition as being exceptionally futile, and at his own instigation a division was called for on the second reading of the Bill, the result being: Ayes 49, Noes 18. The House rose at 1.20 a.m.