PARLIAMENT.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 4700, 29 November 1913, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

THE NAVAL BILL

Electric Telegraph—Press Association Wellington, Last Night. The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. The Naval Bill was introduced by Governor’s Message and read a first time.

The Premier stated that he propose, ed to take the second reading debate on Wednesday. Sir Joseph Ward, Leader of the Opposition, drew attention to the fact that the Bill did not set out what sum was expended under the Bill, nor did it say what number of shyos were to be provided. All he could sec was an open power to the Governor to expend sucli amounts as he thought fit. Tlie Hon. Jas. Allen, Minister of Defence, in reply, said it was proposed to expend exactly the 1 same amount next year as had been spent in the years past, viz., 1100,000. The money would life voted on the Supplementary Estimates and the vote would limit > the powers of the Government. Bv > this means the House would have an opportunity of discussing the naval I question every year, instead of paying , money over to the Admiralty. Jt ' would be utilised in the upkeep of the [ training ship. The surplus could then i be paid over to the Admiralty. NATIVE LANDS. The Hon. W. H. Hurries, Native Minister, moved the second reading of the Native Lands Amendment Bill. He said it was considerably different in policy compared with that of the previous Government. It was proposed to allow the Maori the right to take his land out of the hands of the Maori Land Boards, so that they could deal with them unfettered, hut at the same time it was intended to restrict the right of private purchases and increase that of the Crown. It had het'u found that to give private people greater rights than the Crown was not in the best interests of the Native. A more judicial system would be given to the Maori Land Boards, by amalgamating them with the Land Court, a judge presiding over the new body. The partitions made would be more easy by an instruction to the judge to report on a land suitable for partition. If no succession order was applied for within six months of the death of a native, then it would become the duty of the judge to make application, after due notice to all parties concerned. The limit of areas held in future was to be 5000 acres, as in the case of European land. The principal clauses were 104 and 105 giving the Crown greater power to purchase. His Party had contended that greater use should be made of the vacant Maori land which was doing nothing but growing noxious weeds. His difficulty had been to find a system which would induce the Maori to voluntarily sell his useless land, and provide capital to buy horses and ploughs wherewith to cultivate his better land. He was not in favour of compulsory purchase, but he thought the provisions of clause 104 fair to both races as it allowed the Crown to purchase individual interests even in vested lands. Land so purchased would become ordinary Crown land, and in tho case of vested lands the European tenant would have the right either to continue his lease or acquire the freehold at valuation, as provided in the Bill. There was. however, to be no compulsion on the Native and there was no possibility of a native becoming landless. Power was also taken to enable the Maori to lease his lands to the Crown if he still desired to retain his mana over it. Sir Joseph Ward, Leader of the Opposition deprecated the desire to rush such an important Bill through this j last stage of the session. Members ; were not relieved of responsibility bei cause the Native Affairs Committee I had carefully considered the Bill. He I pointed out that originally tho Bill I provided that trustees of an estate I could sell the estate without reference jto the benficiaries. Now it was pro- ! posed to give the benficiaries right to | sell without reference to the trustees, j There never had been such despotic J power to enable the home of the Maori I Ito be disposed of. He defended the work of the Maori Land Board. Ho j ' condemned the proposal to give tho j I Crown the power to purchase the individual interests of the Natives, as ! when the existing checks were removed the Natives would he tempted |to render themselves landless. The Bill was a measure to dispossess tho : Natives and parcel their land out amongst the Europeans on the freehold principle. Tho Hon. A. T. Ngatn quoted a speech made by Mr Herries in 1900 to show that the Minister was not carrying out the policy he advocated as a private member. The Bill was a had one and he could not support it. Behind the Minister was the greed of

the Pakeha and this was their chance to get hold of Native lands. The Bill increased the burdens of the Natives in connection with the titles of their lands, and the Minister libelled the Natives when he said they had not expedited the partition of lands, when he well knew that the Courts had not been able to cope with the applications. The absence of compulsion was a delusion, because such influence could be brought to bear on a Maori which would induce him to part with the land more freely than if the land had been taken. He proposed to move an amendment at a later stage in the direction of assisting the Natives to cultivate their own lands.