LAND FOR WORKMEN'S HOMES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2370, 3 August 1899, Page 15

LAND FOR WORKMEN'S HOMES.

THE THIRD READING DEBATE. y (Fkou Otjb Own Corkespondent.J WELLINGTON, July 29. The debate on the Land for Settlements, I _Act Amendment Bill, which nas. occupied so much- tinie this session, concluded during the early hours of the morning. - The-Pre-mier, as is his custom when no one can fol-_ low- hipj, finishing up with a most -violent speech': He specially singled out Mr Rolleston for attack. He will only have himself to blame if his opponents remember' these j tilings against Tlim on a future occasion, j Such speeches will certainly -not .facilitate t business. Mr Rolleston made some very good points in his speech in 'insisting upon the necessity for progress. He said : " The colony, cannot stand still with the load of debt it has on it. I I say that while national considerations make , j it incumbent on us, as lovers of our country, I , not to stand still, financial considerations make it incumbent on us to increase the productiveness of the colony and to cheapen the means of production. This is to be done by the carrying on of the trunk lines, the proJ 'notion of settlement, and by what this Go- . ' vcrnment is not doing, by the encouragement 1 of capital and making capital and labour work together for the good of the country." j Mr M'Gowan: " Cheap, labour?" Mr Rolleston: "Cheap labour? Who said (heap labour? Is that what you want? I i daresay you do. ' You are working in that | direction." TJie- suddenness and vigour of ; Mr Rolleston's reply completely upset the j member for the Thames, who mumbled some

confused explanation, and wisely lapsed in * silence for the remainder of the speech., It will be remembered that the Premier ha 1 ? declared more than once that it would nov be proper to give Parliament full information as to negotiations for the purchase of estate* 1 Mr Rolleston takes a very different view H^ says :, .HJSb personal considerations ought tor be allowed to enter into dealing with this* matter, therefore,, it was| : on the committal of this bill, "I" tried to insert a clause providing that Parliament, the national Assembly dealing with national interests, should be tha body to determine when private interests should be interfered with, and' I am- sure that the principle is sound. I do not oare about the ,expense: The expense is a small thing when there is a great principle involved, and when you have carefully to guard the public interests against sinister influences gratifying themselves at the expense of all we ought to hold most sacred. Another reason for the provisions -which" It tried to put into the bill was that 'there -should be absolute vpublicibyj There ; is no' act of pubho men on those, bench.es whioh can properly be .deemed -in any sense, to be private, and to be told, as we-are from* time to time, that secret negotiations are going on, and that it would be a great wrong if the offers of estates were to be made public, is, I say rubbish and nonsense; The possibility of insinuations and innuendoes, 'and accusations of unfair dealing with the settlement of land Avojild be impossible if you had proper pub- -. licity, therefore I think -Parliament ought to have before it ev^ery .paper connected with the acquisition of land where acquired voluntarily, and all the information ought to bo given to thel House within 14. days of its ' meeting. Parliament, and Parliament alone, should give ifche authority for taking land eompolsorily. Mr Monk made a- forcible and interesting - speech on the bill. He spoke strongly in favour of Government assistance towards the scheme for providing homes for working men In the vicinity of Henderson (Auokland), so ably advocated by Mr Bollard, and urged the necessity of co-operation by the Railway department by running speoial workmen's trains. An amusing little incident occurred during the Premier's speech. Mr Seddon was saying that Ananias was not yet dead, when Mr Monk disconcerted- him with the interjection; "Not while you are alive." The Hou«3 enjoyed a good laugh at the Premier's expense.