HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11200, 24 August 1898, Page 3

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23. The House met at 2.30. In the1 unavoidable absence of the Speaker, the Chairman of Committees took the chair. MOTOR CARS. . • The Private Bills Committee reported thai, they had reconsidered the M'Lean Light Locomotive Bill, and made an amendment respecting the licensing authority. TECHNICAL EDUCATION. Replying to a question put by Mr' Pirani •without notice, the Right Hon. Mr SEDDON said that the Minister for Education was collecting information from the various' Education Boards as to their requirements for technical education. IMPORTING BREADSTUFFS. The PREMIER laid on the table a return to the order of the House, on the motion of the Hon.'J G. Ward, showing the imports and the names of consignees, of wheat, oatd, barley, and flour from Australia a"nd the United States by the San Francisco mail steamers . ' Mi "WARD moved that the return be printed, and, in repiy to the Premier's statement 'that to do so would, to a certain extent, be a disclosure of the private affairs of consignees, said the information contained in the return could be obtained by anyone from the customs. ■ As the information was of importance to the producers of the colony, it ought to be printed. The Hon. Mi ROLLESTON advised the adjournment of the debate on the matter.

Messrs HOGG and TAYLOR considered that the return should be printed, whilst Messrs DUTHIE and MOORE held an opposite opinion. The Hon. J. M'KENZIE said the producers of the colony wanted to know if the Bank of New Zealand was their friend or riot, though it was well known that the bank imported wheat for the purpose of threatening farmers throughout the colony into selling wheat at the price which the bank liked to offer. The people of the colony objected to the bank -nutting money, in its pocket by robbing the farmers of it. Others having spoken, • Captain RUSSELL said that "to permit of the printing of the return would .bo to affirm the principle that the gimlet eye of the Govern- j ment is to be allowed to penetrate into everything. A man ought to be allowed to conduct his business on ariy lines he chooses, and no newspaper man should have power to_ go to the customs and get information similar to that in the return without the consent of the consignee. After further debate, The PREMIER said the return was one which, in his opinion, should not be made public. While it was true that by applying to $he customs the quantity and nature of the imports, and the names of the consignees, could be obtained, the value of imports could not be obtained. The return under discussion actually exposed what was paid for the oats, wheat, and flour imported from America and Australia. The motion was agreed to. > A DELICATE QUESTION. In reply to a question without notice, put by Mr Carson, the Hon. Mr CARROLL said that on the occasion of a large gathering of Natives at Wanganui in April he had had alcoholic refreshments with certain Native chiefs at Cody's Hotel, but he was entirely ignorant of a Native lady having bought and paid and partaken of liquor in his presence. He would be very sorry, indeed, to learn that his presence was responsible for the mitigation of the fine imposed on the publican for supplying a Native woman. THE PERPETUAL LEASE. The Waste Lands Committee referred to Ihe consideration of the Government the prayer of the Reikorangi special settlement settlers, who stated that the values on their lands were excessive, and asked for relief by means of an amending land act. Mr ROLLESTON moved an amendment to the committee's report by inserting the word " favourable" before consideration. He pointed out that there were about 20 petitioners, who objected that the values on which their rent was computed differed widely from the recent Government valuations. He quoted an instance of one settler who was paying rent on an unimproved value of £329, while the same section had been valued by the Government valuator at £74-." He cited further examples of a similar nature, and asserted that this showed that the lease m perpetuity was bursting up. The MINISTER FOR LANDS said the evidence on which the report was based was ex parte, as no opportunity was given to the Lands department to show that their values, as compared with those of the Valuation departments were correct.. Though a member of the Waste Lands Committee, he had not been present when the ' petition was considered; indeed, he knew.nothing of it till the report was read. He challenged the Upposition to table a motion traversing the : land administration 6i the Government? and | he Baid he would be prepared to meet it. If the settlers in question were paying more for their land than it was actually worth, then it would _be .the duty of the Government to ! meet their case, but at present the Government had no information on the subject. He had intended moving that the report be referred back to the committee, but when the matter dealt with in the petition came before him he would take his own way of finding out what the real value of the land is Mr WASON pointed out that the values quoted by Mr Rolleston were not the figures of witnesses,_ but of the Land and Government Valuation departments..

Mr R. THOMPSON, chairman of the comn:ittee, regretted that Mi Rolleston had made a strong party speech on the subject. He (Mr Thompson) had not attached much importance to tho petition, as tho Lands department had reported on it, which report practically admitted that the prayer of the petitioners wan correct. The Land Tax department had valued the sections at one-tbird of the value originally fixed, but no evidence had been given to show which department was right in its valuation. The petition disclosed a state of affairs which should cause inquiry into the valuations of the Lands and Government .Valuation department.

Mr M'NAB pointed out that great injustice Had been done to setf-Jors, as the values put on Crown leases fixed the value of other land in their vicinity, and attempts to obtain a redaction of values of Crown leases had been unsuccessful, as the Assessment Courts held they had no jurisdiction. Mr TAYLOR contended that the whole matter in question showed the necessity for a periodical revaluation of Crown leases. The position was that 20 settlers were^paying rent on land originally valued at £284-7, but which was now valued by another department at only £885. Mr PIRANI contended that the original value had been excessive. Mr FIELD supported this, and said the Valuations made by the Land Boards were xuade by incompetent' men. Mr HOGG urged the necessity for some method of revaluing over-valued Crown leases.

The debate was proceeding at 5.30, the ACTING-SPEAKER announcing that at 7.30 the debate on the Financial Statement Kciilcl b.e taken.