PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 46, 24 October 1913, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

- ;STHE LANDA-BILL.

,£Pbr Press Assooiatk.n.l

Wellington, October 23. ..-•In the Legislative Council to-day, the Ron H. *\Bell moved.the second reading of the Land- Laws Amendments Bill,, whichwas .the final step the freehold to Crpwn tenants as fjr &s it. was at present possible) to give it! No attempt would be made to interfere with the national endowments, but the Bill completed the legislation of last year by conceding the right of the freehold to the. holders of settlement lands. Mr, Bell then proceeded to explain that he was. himself, as.trustee in his father's estate, the holder 61 a pastoral license under the Crown, but with,the. consent of his colleagues' ho had taken no part in framing that portion of the Bill' which dealt .with that, .class of ..tenure. ..-,«• •;■ .:' ;...

, The, debate, jvas taken up by. ; the Hon. 'J. who,admitted that had , f; many . gpod amongst which were ..the .improvement, jin the tenure of pastoral leases,-, the proyis.ipn 4 for. .the.- .special rpading,-of guni dands, and .encouragement of planting. ', ( .He,.,Q9n'd ( em'n'ed, ; ,t;ho to. abolish, «eijditions. • Clause 22 meant aggre-, gation,/ flnd.;,nothing else. SPydohg; .as', intending; settlers, .were clanioring for,land to;.,:.se'ttle. on\ Ufa y>-&s, idle. to allow 'people, who already had. .businesses iji- towns to go out and > .;o.cp,up.t land in the. country.whicli, was required by the soil's of farmers; v-i3Phe moment, the residential conditions wero abolished the t y.ery. essence of ;closor settlement was destroyed./[He : strongly combatted the,' proposal 'i.o< dispense with^residence;oii t'small.'gr.azing runs, . being equally- detrimental to settlement ;as. clause 22. .tended to^wdi'^e^^^pd'jp ll ' 'ssW' 20, granting thb " freehold,. to holders of; small grazing; runs, 5 because .it wpuld be a bar Ho future sub*livisioh and consequently to settlement. ■., ... HOUSE OF REPRtSJENXATIYJESV rr\ ADVANCES TOifEtTLKm j,. ; In .ijhe'Hous'eYof; Representa||yeH 'this afternoon, the •..Minister foV., Eiii.;, snc brought .up a return showing the granted ;Vay• of advances ,to;';settiers : .;f'i'&f seated ' thaC during £ep timber,, the ■ amount*, 'hfid 'risM}> i.fj Sir J; Ward.aisfeed hp*! rtyich^ i pf.,|hp, |nWuht' .ipqney <that .jhftd beWn''p;aid, back'anto tho,'accbuht- ' ; '-;.jflo- f ' also -wanted .to know how niuch.of/'the amount waf •represented .by loans to settlers who. had already received advances. ; Ho/ Contended that the return ;did not give sufficiently';full 'particulars- in that .respect. '-'N i;; "'■■ ;'. s -< ', J. G, Knew of cases dn,.!tflnch feettlers who" could ij'ot raieP money from the Department* would ha'ye ■. pyeyj<ptujs. jnortgagesT'-fprer closed. < They, would,; therefore,' lose .their homesi' Hjyßeplying, ,the!Hon.,"Jas. lAllen said that all applications, w ( ere dealt »w|th by ithe>Board> He was certain that .it had dealt with them fairly, in, some cases .Crown tenants money*'being; advanced ;,.to;-r§pay, ( mortgages' Renting due. If r the department con r , tinupd to .authorise,Joans at the.rate that,, it had authorised them .during l September, - the (imit^of; the.. Act w#uld i soon be reached. vHe would lend (a ■ million, and advalf, a year, if he-could it. Sir J. Ward, he coritend,ed, . was tan exponent of "the .scatter--cash policy. .The law :■ only allowed the. GoyornjnentTto borrow a mijjioij' and; a-half a.year; s ,■ ■' ..: ' :