MAORI LAND BILL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 10496, 24 October 1905, Page 1

MAORI LAND BILL.

THIRD READING DEBATE. (From our Parliamentary Reporter.* . WELLINGTON, this day In speaking on the third readn.g oi the Maori Land Settlement Bill last evoning, Mr Herries reiterated his for mer criticism of the measure, and ex pressed regret that the Government h.-d not introduced a more comprehensive measure. The Bill, he said, contained no new policy. It was the same o.'d thing rehearsed only a little better before. There was no beginning of a new policy. The Premier, speaking at Rotorua a few months ago, had intimated that it was intended to do away with the Maori Land Councils and begin afresh. Tlie Government, however, had done nothing of the kind. The Councils, which startk vi the nostrils of all the natives m the colony, avcio still retained under the name of Boards. One of tlie principal things mentioned by the Premier m tlie Rotorua speech was tlie making of provision for exchanges, but there was nothing of the kind m the Bill. He hoped that if they were all back m the House next session the Native Minister would bring down a more comprehensive measure to take the place of the preseut patchwork system, which was only a perpetuation of the legis-a--tiou initiated m 1900. This year's Bill, as originally brought down, was a mere patching-up of the Maori Land Council Bill of 1900. Tlie best parts of the measure as it stood at present was quite foreign to the original- idea, and he earnestly hoped the Native Minister would take counsel with others who knew us much of the matter as himself, and eudeavor to improve the state of affairs. They should endeavor to bring the Maoris and pakehas together, but tlie present policy seemed to be m the direction of keeping them .-apart. Mr A. L. D. Fraser deprecated the introduction, of party into the discussion, and he said the Bill -.was the greatest stride m native land legislation that had yet been made m the interests of the North Island. He was quite willing to take what the gods provided, and he had no wish to refer to the mistakes of tlie past. (Per Press Association.) After the telegraph office closed a lengthy debate took place on the third reading of tho Maori Land Settlement Bill. In replying, Mr Carroll said the policy of the Bill was the same as when it wan read a second time by the House. The amendmenU' made bud simply been m the direction of simplifying the machinery. ' 'Xhe Bill passed final stages ou the voices, and the House rose at 1.15 a.m. till 11 a.m. next day.