PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11716, 26 July 1901, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

[BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, THURSDAY. The Council met at half-past two p.m. _ INSPECTION OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS. A return was ordered, on the Hon. H. Feldwick's motion, showingwhat.education boards permitted their inspectors to examine private schools and what boards did not __ Speaking on this subject the Hon. W. C. Walker stated that the Government, by 1 the appointment of special inspectors, i act always done its part towards affording opportunities to pupils of private schools, but the control of other inspectors was in Jm hands of the boards. He was not prepared to propose to Parliament to take the inspection from the boards, being content .or the present session to deal in a satisfactory manner with the large question of teachers salaries. . In his opinion those boards that were not broad-minded enough to allow tneir inspectors to examine private schools ere not carrying out the Education Act. YOUNG PERSONS' PROTECTION. - The Young Persons' * Protection Bill passed its final stages by 20 to 11. SCHOOL ATTENDANCE. In committee on the School Attendance Bill: an amendment was made on the Hon. W C. Walker's motion, that a child be exempted from attendance if the road by which it must travel to school is not sufficiently passable. The Bill was reported us amended. CEMETERY TRUSTEES. In committee on the Cemetery Trustees' Validation Bill, a clause was added on the Hon. W. C. Walker's motion, that any road board in a county under the operation of the Counties 1886, may be appointed trustees of a cemetery. The Bill was reported. COMPENSATION FOR ACCIDENTS. The Accidents Compensation Bill was read a third time, and passed. The Council rose at twenty-five' minutes to five. . ' house of representatives. Thursday. LAND for settlement. After the telegraph office closed at two o'clock this morning the House continued consideration in committee of the Land for Settlement Act Amendment Bill. The question under discussion was a new clause proposed by Mr. Fowlds, in substitution of clause 52 of the principal Act, and also of the Crown Tenants' Rent-Rebate Act, providing that where, in the opinion of the and Board, the rent is too high, Ministers, on the recommendation of the Land Board, may make a reasonable reduction of rent. After considerable discussion, the Premier urged that the best thing would be to withdraw the amendment, and.he would bring in a Bill to amend the Crown Tenants' Rebate of Rent Act, making it apply to all tenants, and to wive effect to wishes of the Legislature. Mr. Fowlds thereupon withdrew his new clause. On the motion of Mr. Seddon, a new clause was added (in place of clause 8, which was struck out), to provide that whenever land acquired under the principal Act is cut up for occupation, the allotments shall be classified according as they are suitable tor ordinary farms, dairy farms, or small grazing runs. Mr. Seddon moved a new clause to provide that the applicants shall be reduced by ballot to the number of sections available, and a second ballot shall then be taken to determine the successful applicant. This was carried by 36 to 15. Mr. Seddon moved a new clause making it compulsory upon every applicant who obtains an allotment under the Act to reside continuously thereon. This was carried by 33 to 16. On the motion of Mr. Seddon, a new clause was added, prohibiting the transfer of .a lease within five years, except under extraordinary circumstances, which are to be determined by the Land Board. ' An amendment by Mr. Pirani, to allow transfer to members of lessee's own family, not already possessed of land, was rejected by 32 to 15. A new clause was inserted on Mr. Seddon's motion, allowing the Land Board, after two years, with the consent of the Minister, •to accept surrender, on condition that the lessee gets the value of his improvements from the incoming lessee. Mr. Thomas Mackenzie moved a new clause to permit the son of the owner of an estate, which has been resumed by the Government, to take up 200 acres of first-class land, or 500 acres of second-class land, out of the estate, provided he ' farms the land himself, was lost by 32 to 10. x The Bill was reported with amendments, which were set down ' for consideration at half-past seven p.m., Mr. Seddon promising to recompense private members for the loss of their evening. , At ten minutes past three a.m. the House adjourned till half-past seven p.m. The House met at half-past seven p.m. THE PATEA ELECTION. The Speaker read a communication from the Clerk of Writs announcing the election of Mr. F. H. Haselden for the vacant seat of Patea. . FIRST READINGS. - The Young Persons' Protection Bill and the Accidents Compensation Bill were received from the Legislative Council, and read a first time. LAND FOR SETTLEMENT. On the motion; "That the amendments made in committee in the Land for Settlement Act Amendment Bill be agreed to," Mr. Wilford moved the recommittal of the Bill, in order to reconsider clause 9, which gave the Governor power to make regulations in regard to ciaims for compensation in respect of the compulsory taking of land. He said he did not consider it proper that power should be given to alter any statute law of the colony by regulation. Mr. Seddon said Mr. Barclay had a similar motion on the Order Paper. He (Mr. Seddon) had consulted the law officers on the point, and he offered no objection to the recommittal of the clause for alteration, but he would object to the clause being struck out. He admitted that to modify statute law by regulation would create a dangerous precedent, and he would submit an amendment in committee to meet the difficulty/ i Mr. Barclay said the clause, as it stood, violated the fundamental principle of our Constitution.

After some discussion, Mr. • McGowan moved an amendment. " That only the first paragraph of clause 9 be recommitted." .. Mr. Seddon said the flaw was in that paragraph.' • . Mr. McGowan's amendment was carried by 31 to 29. and in committee the first paragraph of the clause was amended on Mr beddon s motion, to read as follows •— The Governor may from time to time make regulations prescribing the procedure and forms to be used in making and disposing of claims foi compensation in respect of the compulsory taking of land under the principal Act, and the provisions of the Public Works Act, 1894, relating to claims for compensation are hereby modified in so far *AM the y i are . t inc °n?istent with the principal Act and with this Act." The Bill was then reported, with amendments, which 5 ere agreed to on the voices. On the motion for th ethird reading, Mr Hemes said that in moving an amendment fr.i ii r ■l f . g , rantin « Crown tenants the freehold right, he had not aimed at the future aggregation or large estates, bu* at ; freeing the voters of New Zealand from being under the thumb of any landlord Mr. Mills said that with regard to the charge that valuers under the Advances to (settlers Department had not made fair valuations on properties inspected, the owner and the valuer looked at the values from different standpoints, and the forme, took a much more rosy vie* than the lattei. Mr. Hogg opposed the freehold. 1 Mr. Hornsby said the prevention of the aggregation of large estates couid best be secured by the increase of the graduated land tax, and he considered legislation in this direction was necessary. Mr. Coffins expresssed satisfaction that the Premier had promised to brin- 0 down a. measure dealing with Crown tenants' rents rebate, as the rebates had been irregularly enforced in various parts or the colony. It was very satisfactory that a measure regulating matters was to "be brought down. Captain, ilussell spoke in condemnation of a Fair Rent Bill, based on revaluation of lease in perpetuity. His view was that the lease in perpetuity had nothing to recommend it, but at the same time he held it was deliberate and wanton fraud on the Crown tenants to suggest a revaluation. Many of the additions made to the Bill under dis- , cussion were very queer. Clause &a, which

provided that applicants for land were to be reduced by ballot to number of sections available, was an utterly ; absurd provision, and savoured of Gilbertian burlesque. y With regard to the amendment he had proposed in the direction of increasing the amount of land an owner could reserve for his children, he claimed that had the vote on it been, taken by ballot there were not 10 members who would have voted against it. He declared the provision for the compulsory acquisition of land had been used for political purposes, and said that the practical politician in the country, would have a say in future as opposed to the theoretical politician in the town. Mr. Wilford urged the cutting up of estates now in the hands of the Assets Realisation Board, which would result in considerable benefit to the colony. Mr. A. L. D. Eraser said it was the sacred duty of the Ministry to have accepted Captain Russell's amendment, and have conserved. the interests of the children who had been born and brought up on their father's estate. - , Mr. Thos. Mackenzie and Mr. Monk also spoke. Mr. Haselden (who had been sworn in, and took his seat earlier in the evening) declared that generally the land the Government had acquired in the North Island had been paid for above its market value, in consequence of which the Government (who boasted of being the friends of the workers) had to charge higher rent to make up for it. He strongly advocated that unproductive Crown lands should be opened up before productive estates were seized. He expressed himself in favour of the freehold. Messrs. Lawry, Field, Pirani, Barclay, and Laurenson, also spoke. .The debate was proceeding when the telegraph office closed.