THE MAORI LAND COUNCILS.

Otago Witness, Volume 23, Issue 2684, 23 August 1905, Page 9

THE MAORI LAND COUNCILS.

PLAIN SPEAKING BY LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS.

A "FAILURE" AND'A "FIASCO." (From Cur Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, August 17. Some very plain speaking regarding the inaction of the Maori Land Oounci s in respect to the settlement of Native lands was indulged in by members of the Legislative Council this afternoon whilst the bill providing for an extension of the terms ot office of members of the councils was under 'The^Hon. J. D. Ormond set the ball rolling by declaring that the councils had been a Tne Ur Hon G. M'Lean followed up the attack by saying that the members ol the" council^ had done nothing buj draw their pay, and that they should be aW foS to 7 'do something or else dissolve He, as well as the Hon. 1. Kennedy Macdonald. who sroke next, commented upon the policy of the Government in spending large sums of money m buying private estates whilst, such vast areas of land were lying idle in the North Wand. Mr Macdonald said that if there had been one fiasco greater than any other in _ connection with the Native lands administration it had been that of the Maori Land Councils. The best thing to do, he said, would be to allow the councils to expire. It would be a great mistake to extend their *The°Hon. Mr Pitt admitted that whilst the Government had expected the councils to be a success they* had not been a success. If however, the bill were not passed the unsatisfactory state of things complained of would be more likely to be continued than to oe remedied. The Natives, he admitted, had no confidence in the councils, but he had no doubt that the bill dealing with the subiect which the Government pronosed to introduce this session would materially aseist in enabling them to arrive at a satisfactory solution of the question.

A committee of the House of Lords is considering the eight rival schemes for the cheap supply of electric power to London. At a recent meeting Mr Balfour Browne, X.0., asked leave to amend the minutes of the previous day's proceedings. "It is a point," he said. " which affects the honour of my learned friend, Mr Freeman. I said yesterday that he roared as gently as a 'sucking dove,' but they had got it '6\icking pig' on the notes."