PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 38, 15 October 1913, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

} TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. [Peb Press Association.] Wellington, October 14 The Legislative Coimicl met at 2.30. / Three weeks’ extension of time was granted to the Defence Committee tc bring down its report. The third reading of the Local Elections and Polls Amendment Bill was read a. third time and passed, and 'the Council adjourned at 2.45 p.m. Until Thursday. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. £Per Press Association.] The House met at 2.30. Replying to Sir J. Ward, Mr Massey said that ho had hoped to lay the Dominion’s position regarding the naval policy before the House this vCek, but circumstances appeared to nilitate against that action. It was lardly correct to talk about the Government's proposals. What he pro-, )dsed to do was to lay before the. louse the position from the making >f the 1909 agreement to the preamt day together with such cor°sjondonce as was. not confidential. All, io could tell the House was what the,, Government proposed and what tire, present position was. ,The GOT.eriiment imposed to deal with customs duties ihis session. It must not be thought, icwever, that they were going to revise the whole of the tariff. What .vas intended was a re-adjustment in ;ertain directions. Regarding the Sectoral law, he stated that the Government Bill was .under consideration md would be brought down this ses;ion. The second ballot would be remaled.

-t Sir; Ji Ward: What do you intend o put in its place ?f • Mr Massey: The llight Honorable ,entleman must wait and see. The üblic Works Statement was well on is way to completion, and should he lown shortly. THE LAND BILLi The House .went into committee /pstprday afternoon on Th& Land Bill, jpjyjr j. Hi Escott 1 moved extend Term during which p 'mortgagee 'highb hold' land, ■without; being : re--4 ttired ,• to ■ make, the i declaration sqribed by ; section 342 of' the'Land Act', -906, from' Pfro-tb p'uld not peeppt, the < amendment, ’ but 1 iiej «!ohld give the proposal dm the Bill iyear’s trial/'If 1 at the tnd'‘of that, imb it was found that-any hardship ,vas being imposed he would be prepared to. extend the time from two /ears to three.

A long discussion took place on the ■lguse providing that holders of grazng runs may, if the Governor decide, xmwrtheir ja Yekt? 'be ixed‘.'By the Boiitf'fbr a similar, term ,4 ,t#4f the, license. •> • Eventually a division was taken, the votiift being 43 foT and’'.lS against;

The House resumed ai 7',30. Mr' E. P. Lee’s amendment >was .ost ou the voices, the mover not preesng for. a division. The House also divided on clause 17, providing for the renewal of pastoral licenses without going to a ballot. The voting was 47 to 17. Mr Massey said that it had been stated that som t e of the runs had been sold back pending the present legislation'. The reason for holding them oack wag to give the Lands Department an opportunity to ascertain whether they could be subdivided. On a division clause 47 was carried oy 47 votes to 18. In clause 48—owner of lease-in-per-petuity of settlement land may purchase the fee simple—Mr G. Laurenson admitted that the 999 years’ lease ,vas a blunder, and the worst thing any Government ever introduced, and it was done by Sir John Mackenzie it the instance of,the Conservatives. He had been so disgusted with the clamor for something different to what ,ie' proposed that ho said, “All right ; I’ll give you a thousand years.” It cho present Government put through the Bill, he said, let them. They ivould have to answer for it. He had made his protest. ,

Mr L. M. Isitt said that greed lay af the bottom of the claim for the freehold. Cant only lay at the bottom of talk like that. The claim was not a matter of sentiment, but of greed. The man who wanted the freehold, to be able to sit by his own fireside, did not exist. Right, was sought that a man could go round the country buying farms here and selling them there. That was why the freehold ayas sought. After the supper adjournment the leaseholders continued to enter a protest against granting the freehold of settlement lands.

Mr W. S. MacDonald asked the Prime Minister if he would insert a clause or accept a clause clearly limiting the area of settlement lands after the freehold had been acquired. Mr Massey read the clauses in the present Act and declared that no moie effective limitations could be devised. The division on the clause was taken at 11.40, when the voting was Ayes 48, Noes 18. A division was also called on clause 49. i extending the right of purchase over settlement land hi certain cases. The clause was retained by 89 votes to 21. ■

On clause 50, providing for funds for the acquisition, and opening up of lands for settlement, Sir J. Ward wanted to know why the Government was going to raise £600,000 for the acquisition of lands for settlement when it told the country that the money derived from the purchase ol freeholds would enable the Govern-

,nent to dispense with borrowing for this purpose". Mr Massey replied that they had >nly given the right of acquiring, the freehold over the most valuable lands, uul the money would not cuing. in rom that source in a week. It would ;ake more than a year to get the •lause in full operation. So far as t had gone, the results were most satisfactory. Already 70,0 settlers had ipplied for the freehold. He did not hink all would apply,’ hut he felt certain that the majority would, and when ;ho scheme was in full working ordei le was confident that £200,000 would ;ome in every year from this source. r n the meantime it was lieceseary io tsk’ for the usual amount, hut if it ,vae not found necessary to''do so it would not he spent. - The clause passed a division. At 12.45 the last clank! of the Ihll (52) designed to check the aggregation M private lands, was passed, after a characteristic protest by Mr Hindmarsh. , A number of new clauses of a phic.ly departmental nature were constderM and passed without amendment. ' At 1-31 a.m. the Bill was reported amidst applause from the Government benches, and the House adjourned at, 1.34. . • !-