The Opunake Times. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1895. HOMES' PROTECTION BILL.

Opunake Times, Volume III, Issue 141, 8 November 1895, Page 2

The Opunake Times. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1895. HOMES' PROTECTION BILL.

The Minister of Lands, during the past session, introduced a Bill to prevent the forced sale of a family home of a maximum stated value. It was looked on by a great many as experimental legislation, and they gave Mr McKenzie credit for having conceived the idea for himself. In referring to it during the last hours of the session Sir Robert .Stout claimed it as his Bill. This brought the ire of the Government on him, and he was accused of trying to claim everything in the way of new legislation. The idea is in no way new or novel at all, as such is the law almost throughout English speaking parts of America. Consequently Sir Robert Stout, or Mr McKenzie, at the most, can only claim it on the ground of plagiarism. It is very commendable for people to be guided by precedent, and if their plagiarisms result in benefit to the people, then they are deserving of thanks. On the other hand, when they pose as deep thinkers on the strength of other people'e brains, they only make themselves ridiculous. It might and does happen that two great minds think alike,-but for them both to get the credit it is necessary that their thoughts should be published simultaneously. If not the second thinker is likely to be classed as a fraud whether he deserves the appellation or not. In the State of Kansas the following property is exempt from forced sale :—A homestead to the extent of IGO acres of farming land, or of one acre within the limits of an incorporated town or city, occupied as a residence by the family of the owner, together with all improvements on the same, of whatever value. The following under the heading of personal property is also exempt in the same State : The family library, Bible and school books; family pictures and musical instruments in use; a pew in a church and lot in a burial ground ; all the wearing apparel and all beds, bedsteads and bedding used by the family ; cookiug stove and utensils ; a sewing machine, spinning wheels and looms and other implements of industry to the value of 500 dollars ; 2 cows, 10 hogs, 1 yoke of oxen, and 1 horse or mule ; 20 sheep and wool from same : the necessary keep for animals mentioned for one year ; one waggon, cart or dray; two ploughs, one drag aud other implements to the value of 300 dollars. The popular notion about Kansas, amongst the good people in this part of the world, is that it is barely civilised, and that accounts there are settled in the street with shooting irons. In Alabama a home worth 2000 dollars and personal property is protected ;iu Arkansas a Home worth 5000 dollars and personal property to the value of 2000 dollars ; in California a house worth 5000 dollars and personal property, and so on in most of the other states, as well as in Canada. Most of the so called liberal and enlightened measures which are introduced into our Parliament, anil which form the ground for as much waste of time and emission of gas by our legislators, are already in force in other countries, and are trotted out hbre as being new ideas generated in the prodigious minds of our law-makers, and hatched out by them during the incubatory period known as the recess. A lot of time would be saved if each Minister and member were compelled to quote the shilling handbook from which he Las cribbed his proposed new measure, so that other members might get it and study its contents, aud then be able to give their votes without such a waste of time as taked place at present, pretending to study measures which purport to be original, and consequently come under the head of experimental legislation.