CLIPPINGS FROM HANSARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2368, 20 July 1899, Page 10

CLIPPINGS FROM HANSARD.

FAIR WAGES- • Hon. F. H. Fraser: The principle of the eight-hours day i 3 generally observed. Still, many are of the opinion that it will require careful consideration before it becomes law, ' so that it may not injure trade or business. With regard to the subject of fair wages, some honourable members will know there is a system in vogue in this city, and in other cities too, of getting young girls and boys to go into factories, or 'dressmaking or millinery businesses, and letting them work for 12 months for nothing, and then turning them off and getting another batch- in their place. I think this sort of thing ought to- be .stopped. I con- • sider that every girl and boy on starting work ! should get some wage for their labour. j PROSPERITY OF THE COLONY. Hon. D. Pinkerton: The Address from the ' Throne speaks of the prosperity of the country, and I think all of us, no matter from what part of New Zealand we come, must admit that' the colony has never been more prosperous since it has been a colony. I am quite sure that even in tb,e days of the Otago gold boom, when money jyas being' expended do'ireely, the-state of trade in this colony was not so sound as it is at the present time; and long may the colony remain iv its present prosperous condition. LAND FOR SETTLEMENT. Hon. G. M'Lean: In my opinion, Sir, we J have come to that stage in the land-for-settle-ment policy when there is an absolute necessity to alter it in the direction of providing that the particulars of every proposed purchase shall be laid upon the table of both Houses, and, if no objection is taken to it, or no resolution is passed, say, within 14 days, the matter should take its course. There is such pressure now from owners wishing to sell their land that, in my opinion, it is an absolute necessity. No matter how pure Governments may bs, this is a matter that is very open to abuse; and the power certainly will be abused, , no matter how the members of the Government | may try to keep abuse out of it. I do not know, Sir, but that we are probably purchasing more land than we ought to purchase. There is a large sum for land-purchase that will not go into the accounts of the financial year just closed. It is brought into account on the Ist of April, and will not go into the last year, and we are using our credit in buying these lands, probably, to the detriment of using our credit for more important works. I take it, Sir, from a return that was given to the representatives from Australia, that we have spent £1,230,000 on the purchase of land for settlements. This means that it is costing us £950 -for each settler, or £397 for eac]i man, woman, and child, to put them on the land. Now, -Sir, although -we have two million acres of .Native lands, we have taken : no steps to settle 'them. Yet those Native' lands cost the colony £500,000. They have been lying idle for everleo long, and hera we ate buying estates that in the course 'of a very few years would probably be scattered to the wincta and distributed amongst settlers without the necessity of the colony exhausting its credit in buying these private estates. I am not against buying this land in moderation, or in places where there is necessity to obtain land ; but I think wo are going too far in using up our credit in making these purchases of private estates. THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Hon. Mr Twomey : I find, again, that the honourable gentleman [Mr M'Lean] ha 3 brought up the question "of tho Legislative Council. That seems to give him a terrible amount of trouble. It gave him a wonderful amount of trouble last year, and now again lie wants to throw a bait to us by offering us life-membership. I do not think — I speak for myself alone, although T think those who stand on the same footing with me will re-echo my words —we shall accept the bait. I believe, myself, this Council is verging on the time •when it will be an ideal one— that is, when so many will go out every year, and others will be reappointed in their stead. WHERE DOES THE OTAGO CENTRAL COME IN? Mr Stevens: I contend that it is the duty of this Government, or of any Government which may .succeed them, to borrow a specially required sum of money for the purchase of constructing these two lines of railway [the North Island Trunk and Midland lines]. If they were to borrow the money I feel sure it would be no loss to the colony. Even if it did add something to our public debt, I think that would be no loss to the colony, becauso it cannot be expected that we, the present generation, are to complete works within two, three, or four years, which will be sufficient for futuip generations for aven hundreds -of years to come. Surely it is only reasonable and fair that future generations should bear their proportion of the burden sf the public | debt of the colony. If not, then I venture to j think there are many industries and many parts of the colony which require developing for the benefit of the present generation. I therefore tmsfc the Government will take into seiious consideration the necessity of borrowing a sufficient sum of money for the purpose of fioaatiucting these two main liaea of railway.

WOEKMEN'S HOMES AND , TAXA* TION". Mr J. A. Millar : I would like to say, in connection with this question, that the Govern-* ment must take care that these workmen's home blocks are cut up in sufficiently small areas for workmen's homes. If they are going to provide these small settlers with homes they must cut the areas up into 10 and 15-acra blocks, but workmen only require two or three acres. Then, again, we ought not to go in for land for workmen's homes unless we are going to give the workmen cheap trains. The workman must be able to get access to his home, and 1 - therefore railway communication must go on, conjointly with the providing of the land for workmen's homes. I trust, therefore, that these trains will be supplied before very long. . . . I say that at no time, in the history oi the colony within the last 20 years have the workers of the colony been in such a position to pay taxation as they are in at the present time.! In 1884 they had to pay JE2 11s 2d in customs duties-, to-day it is £2 13s 3d. Can anyone compare tho conditions of life to-day with the conditions prevailing in 1884, and the wages of to-day with, those paid in 1884? .With one or two exception^, the workers are paid higher, and you will find that is the case all over tho colony. THE FREEHOLD SYSTEM. Mr W. Fraser (Wakatipu)' : I wish- to refer briefly to some of the remarks made by the last speaker. He quoted again and again, as speakers on that side of the House are fond of doing, the statement that the Opposition desired to reinstate the freehold system. Neither I nor any other member of the Opposition advocated on the public platform what tho last speaker said to-night we did. What wo advocated was that the present system of leasehold, should be continued, that men should be given the fullest facilities to acquire land upon the easiest terms imaginable; but that after they had gone upon the land and fulfilled the conditions of residence, and when they had acquired, through thrift and hard work, and perhaps good seasons, a small sum of money, they might invest that money in their land, and so acquire _ the freehold gradually. That is what I and other members on this side of the House desire to see, not the spurious thing the honourable member wishes to fasten upon us. The Premier, when speaking in the south, said we advocated a system by which no man who wished to acquire land could do so unless he came with a bag of sovereigns to purchase it. Not one of us advocated that. What we advocated was that the fullest opportunity should bo given to men to get on .the land by any system they liked, leasehold or any other; ttnd that after a time they should have an opportunity of acquiring the freehold of that land. I say that, in- spite of all the theories that are talked of, there exists in the bosom of eveiry man who" goes upon land the desire to acquire the freehold of. that land sooner or later. .There is "no doubt of it. We see in many cases that ;inen have got their holdings transferred frcjm •'leaseholds into freeholds at the earliest opportunity,^ and. that is the best evidence of the Existence 'of that desire on the part- of settlers. '