PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12071, 15 September 1902, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

[BT TEIBOBAPn.— COItBESFONDEST.] Wellington, Saturday. THE LAND BILL.

Thk Waste Lands Committee expect to report upon the Land Bill on Tuesday. The most important amendment that will he moved when the measure is in committee emanates from Mr. Massey. It is as follows: "Section 152 of the principal Act is hereby amended as follows by repealing the ! word 'five' in sub-section 2, and inserting ; the word "four' in lieu thereof, and by adding the following sub-section— (4) 'Any lessee in perpetuity under part 111. of this Act, may, as soon as he has completed the improvements required by his lease, apply to the Commissioner for a grant of the freehold of the land comprised in his lease, and if the lessee shall have complied with all the conditions of his lease up to date, of such application, and shall pay the capital value of the land he shall be entitled forthwith to a Crown grant of the land leased to him." The effect of this will be to reduce the interest paid for land held under the option of purchase system to four per cent., the same as that paid for laud held under lease in perpetuity. The proposed clause, of course, gives a straightotit issue on the question of granting the freehold for rural lauds. BOROUGH FINANCE. A return published on the motion of Mr. Ell, was presented to Parliament, and shows the amount of interest paid by certain boroughs on bank overdrafts for the past 10 veai's. Among the amounts were : — Chnstchureh, £4501; Wellington, .€6184 ; Duuedin, £21.994; Auckland, £13,427; Onehunga, £63 ; Newmarket, £223; Thames, £1115; Gisborne, £1221. PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. The Public Works Statement is definitely promised for Tuesday evening. TRANSPORT COMMISSION. It is understood that the report of the Transport Inquiry Commission will he ready for submitting to His Excellency the Governor next week. From what one can gather it is not likely that the report will give much satisfaction to the general public. They have, doubtless been looking forward to an emphatic pronouncement upon the several points that were raised in connection with the conduct of affairs aboard the Britannic and Orient, but df what one hears be true, the report will be singularly colourless, and summed up in the fewest words will mean that the evidence was so contradictory that the Commissioner's are unable to coma in any decision either one way or the other. Regarding the allegations of want of discipline aboard the Britannic, I believe the evidence went to show that there was no ground for the assertions made, but at the same lime the opinion of the Commissioners appears to lean in the other direction, 'ihe food appears to have been plentiful enough and good enough, but the fault lay with the cooking, which might have been much better than it was. The complaints about the Orient will be the subject of a separate report. A WRONG RIGHTED. Mr. Massey used his persuasive powers to soma effect last evening in bringing about the righting of a wrong which has been dune an innocent candidate before today. It will be remembered that when Mr. Haseideh was unseated for *Patea last year he had to bear the costs of the iunuiry, although the Chief Justice had expressed the opinion (hat. he came out of it absolutely blameless. When the Electoral Bill was under discussion, Mr. Haselden moved an amendment, the effect of which was that where in the ease of a mistake made by a Government officer expenses were inclined in having the matter settled by the Supreme Court, the candidate, concerned should not bo called noon to pay such expenses. Mr. Massey, in urging the fairness of the amendment, reminded the House that the member for Paten was unseated because a Government officer had mis-spelled a name, or else because it had been, misprinted. After the remarks of the Chief Justice, Mr. Massey thought it would have been a graceful act if the Government had paid the costs. Sir .1. Ward remarked that such a thing had never been done before. "Well," replied the member for Franklin, "if there is no precedent for doing what is right, we ought to create one.' 1 In spite of the Government's opposition to this amendment, it was tarried by 39 votes to 20. MAORI ELECTIONS.

Mr. Pir.ini lias several times declaimed against the method of open voting by which the Maori members of the House are ejected. Ho urges that the time has arrived when Maoris should be educated up to our system of voting by ballot. Last evening he again introduced the question, and said that under the method of open vo'ing a few influential members of a Maori community could " work a point" with their fellovs, and secure the election of anyone they pleased. The Maoris would not 'dare to voie against such instructions or rather influence. Mr. Pirani then moved to insert a new provision in the Electoral Hi!!. enacting that after the next election the Mauri members shall be elected as nearly as possible cm the lines ii: vogue for their pakeha brethro . Ha pointed out that bis amendment wis Miotic, and lie appealed for support to all who were swayed by the true principles of Liberalism. * When the question as put it was lost bv 33 "Cites to 24. JOTTINGS. In view of the large number of applications received by the Health Department for admittance to the sanatorium for the treatment of consumption, Mr. Eil is to ask the Colonial Secretary if he will endeavour to have a sanatorium established in the Smith Island with as Jit!?, cie'.ay as possible.

''The officer said ha didn't care a. — ; perhaps the .Minister for Lands can supply the missing word—a smart reminder by Mr. Haselden of the Ministerial "big, biV D" incident a few days ago. "The committee has resumed," announced the chairman en resuming the chair alter the supper adjournment last night. " Yes," said Mr. Massey, '• but I think we'd better have an audience." There were eight members in their seats, half the number being on the Opposition side. Mr. Witheford is to move, "That the Government be requested to prevent by Legislation during the present session the immigration into New Zealand of undesirable persons from places beyond the colony." The Government are being asked by Mr. Napier if they will at once take steps to acquire a suitable site for the view teachers' training college, which they have promised to establish at, Auckland.