PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Times, 12 September 1907, Page 7

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER U. The Council mob at 2.30. LEAVE OF ABSENCE. A fortnight's leave of absence was granted tho Hon. J. Marshall, and four days to tho Hon. S. T. George. LOCAL BILLS. Tho Goro Strode Biii (Hon. Colonel Veklwickj was considered in committee, reported without amendment, read a third time and passed. Tho Wellington City Empowering Bill (lion. T. Kennedy Amcdoiuiidj was put through its liual stages without amendment and passed. The Borough of Now Plymouth Electric Loan and Waterworks Loan Validation Bill (lion. O. Samuelj passed its committee stage with a number of verbal amendments, and was reported. FIRST READINGS. The Police Offences Amendment Act ■and Dunedin Suburban Gas Company! Empowering Act were received from tho| House of Representatives and read a first] time. 1 Tho Council further considered tho Hon. T. Kennedy Macdonald's motion in regard to tho Wellington iiosxhtal reserve (reported elsewhere,), and .it a o’clock tho debate was iutemi£*fccd by tho adjournment. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER IX. Tho-House mot at .2.30. PRIVATE BILL. Tho Dunedin Suburban Gas Company Empowering Bill (Mr Arnold} was read u third time, THE LAND BILLS. On tho presentation by the Hon. C, V Mills of tho report of tho Public Accounts Committee on tho Land and Income Assessment Bill, Mr Massey asked tho Premier when ho proposed to jJrucoed with the Bill ? Sir Joseph Ward replied: As soon as the Tariff Bill has gone through its last stages, tho next business will bo the Land and Income Assessment Bill; then tho Land Bill, Endowment Bill, Native Bill, and after that any other Bills ycu require. ' m LAND TITLES. Tho Lands Committee, to whom was referred tho petition of Thom us and Augusta Lasher, Auckland, for reconsideration, reported: ’’That tho petition bo referred to tho Government for favourable consideration, with a recommendation. that tho deficiency bo made op in cash or land." This petition opened, up the question of tho liability of the State to make good tho deficiencies in areas of land acquired under Crown titles many years ago. Tho Hon. K. MoNab said that under tho old titles there was not one to-day which would show tho same area. If the Parliament decided that it would fdvo a State title to these old titles that never had such a title associated with it, and for which the owners had b?ou paying largo sums of money to convert fnto State titles, then the House would, once it decided to give such relief, have to find a groat amount of money for the purpose. Mr Massey said* they had had a statement from tho Minister of Lands that a Crown grant did not carry with it any guarantee that tho section would contain the number of acres mentioned in tho deed. That was not the idea of the oublic, who regarded a Crown grant as good as a land transfer title; if it was not, then it was the duty of Parliament to make it so. There should be no necessity of a guarantee in connection with Crown grants; in which there should be no possibility of mistakes, the same as there was with land transfer titles. They should deal with this matter by putting a certain amount of money on the Estimates to compensate the settlers. In a general discussion on the petition, it was urged that the petitioner, who had purchased originally 706 acres from the Grown, only got 679 acres, and that ho should bo compensated for land which wrongfully was never given to him. Against this it was contended that If tho State paid compensation in this case it would have to find millions of money to meet all similar claims. The Hon. T. T. Duncan, chairman of the Lands Committee, said at the time this Land was first taken up in Auckland and other places there was no such thing as accuracy in surveys, and no one expected it. The settlers got a surveyor of their own, and paid him. receiving a refund, so that in many cases tho Gor eminent did not know anything about it.

The report was referred to the Government for favourable consideration. QUESTIONS, The remainder of the afternoon sitting was devoted to discussion of Ministers' replies to members' questions. The House rose at 1.45 a.m.