SESSIONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9624, 24 September 1894, Page 5

SESSIONAL NOTES.

J [ITKLBQBAPK.— OORMSfONDENT.] J Wellington, Saturday. I lippears that the House will yet have an , oprtunity during the present session of , djussing the lease in perpetuity <"> opi p4d to the perpetual lease with re-valua-tie. Mr. Morrison mentioned hist nigh ■ thl he objected to lands purposed under thlNative Lands Acquisition Bill being disbsed of under the leas/ in perpetuity syskm. He said that ie supported the '' eirnal lease " in the Land Settling Bill &g4st his convicbio* upon the understating that the Ufae was to be given an oppttunity of ducking the two systems, and tk t the Minist" 1 ot ' Lands would bring in a meagre next s/aion to give effect to the views I the myOrity. Mr. Tanner caused considtable amusement by remarking, " HappV is f" man who knows his opportunity.''; fa* on, Mr. G. Hutchison said that as ItMinister did not intend to give the Hoy* fcae promised opportunity, he would fa himself when the Native Lands Acquit oll 6i, l was in committee, by mov that the tenure mentioned in clause 5 ,u be the lease in perpetuity with perjjfioal valuations. Mr. Hutchison rented upon the drastic criticisms which n J during the last few days come from t)se who were usually faithful supporters othe Government. These, he said, could lrdly have been pleasing either to the Minister of Lands or to the Colonial Treaurer, and they might well say, Save, oh lave me from the candid friend."

r ■ Mr. O'Rogan, th« young single-taxer from Inangahua, felii foul of the Minister of Lands during the early hours of this morning. He strongly supported the position taken up by Mr. Button on the Lands Improvement and Native Land Acquisition Bill, and protested against the reviving of the borrowing policy of former days, and the fact that no provision was made in the Bill for the payment of the interest of the borrowed money. He even went so far as to move that the Bill be referred back to the Government for the purpose of introducing into it the betterment principle. This roused the ire of the Minister of Lands, who said he did not want a supporter of this kind. "Let him go over to that side," said the angered Minister; "he voted against the Government upon a noconfidence motion, and now moves an important amendment to this measure an a light and airy way like a schoolboy." Mr. McKenzie went on to remans upon the manner in which Mr. O'Regan trotted out his single tax idea upon every possible occasion, when he should have enough common sense to know that ib will never be carried for the next 50 years. He again advised the member for Inaugahua to go over to the Opposition as his views seemed more in keeping with the Opposition than the friends of the Government. Strange to relate, Mr. O'Regan voted for the second reading of the Bill. During the past year the undermentioned articles of value were discovered in letters found in the dead letter office and returned to the senders where practicable: 428 post office orders, £786; 51 bank drafts, £1872 ; 168 cheques, £1343 ; two dividend warrants, £51 ; seven promissory notes, £219 ; one New Zealand Government debenture; 30 postal notes ; ISO stamps ; 26 bank notes ; 417 gold, IS silver, and 4 copper coins, representing a total of £4950.