PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 76, 29 November 1913, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

I FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28. HOUSE OF REPRtSENTATIVES. Wellington, November -S. The House met at 2..'10 p in. I THE NAVAL BILL. The Naval Bill was introduced by Governor's Message and road a first time. The Prime Minister stated that ho proposed to take the second reading debate on Wednesday. The Hon. J as. Allen, in reply to Sii' Joseph Ward said that it was pro-' posed to oxpond exactly the samo amount next year as had been spent in 'years past, viz., ■ £IOO,OOO. The money would be voted on the Supplementary Estimates, and votes would limit the'powers of the Government. By this means,' the House would have an opportunity of discussing the naval question every year. Instead of paying the money over to the Admiralty, it would be' utilised in the upkeep of training ships. The surplus would then be paid over to he Admiralty.

THE NATIVE LAND BILL. The Hon. W. H. Hemes moved the second reading of the Native Amendment Land Bill. He said that there was a considerable difference hi the policy as compared with that of the previous Government. The principal clauses were 104 and 105, giving the Crown greater power to purchase. His party i always contended that greater use should be made of vacant Maori land, which .was' doing nothing but growing. iloxious' weeds. His difficulty had been to find a system which would induce the Maori to voluntarily sell :his- useless 'land and to provide capital to buy horses and ploughs wherewith t6"cultivate l his better,land. He was not in favor ' «f compulsory purchase, but thought that the provisions of- clause' 104.'were fair to both races, as it allowed the Crown to purchase individual interests even in invested lands. ' There' was. 1 however, to be no compulsion on the native, and there was no possibility of a native becoming landless. Power was also taken to'enable a Maori to lease his lands to the' Crown if he still desires to retain His mafia over it. He thought the Bill was an advantage on existing legislation, ami wonk! be welcomed by the people of the NorthIsland.

Sir Joseph Ward deprecated the desire to rush such an ' ltiipor'tant' Uiil throiigh' at this fate stage of the session. The Bill was a measure; to dispossess tlie natives, eteii in the ; raS > of trust estates,, and t:> parcel their land out amongst EnVop'ealvs oii' tHo freehold principle/. It' would Ir> Ju'sft as well to'say'so. M ' Mr A. T. ,; Xgata queued a speech made by Mr W. .11. Herrics in ' I'o&t' 'to 'show that' 'the Minister was 'riot' carrying out the policy' he'advocated' a's a .private. ineniher 1 ." 'the. Bill'wa's a biid one. ' Ide■ co'ilrl not suppavt' it."' ['ohirid lie .Minister was the greed of the" Takeha, and this was their chance to get Ijold of native lands. Mr W. D. S. MaeDonala said that the Native Minister or the dav would ;

I give his predecessors credit fqr hay.ji g j^lca^ou m U H to jhjflig lives sufnciont Inud to uniiblej them a» earn thejjucjuLJiviiigß on tne'ir, pw;i. p/op^rtj. Under tho liill uoiv before. - T9. *florts!> Q':i?' H6*irf ? xAvS Sipeii oIT .\viie , and t Lie natives' [and could be disposcilMf 9a'.Snf2%!'flior!W'Bift? .State or to pm-t*iiM>i-s.'"- ;, t ! iKl(_')- the jUpvernment's Bill'tho people who would profit were the' solicitors and land

ur.'Tomare supported the Bill bacr.uso.it did away with the system of allowing a u'at'iyc land board to take native land without the-natiyes' conscut. Supposing tho Maori to-mor-row was dispossessed of all his land, he would become a far better man he believed, in individual effort. Ho desired the Maori to be put on the sxtme footing as the Pakeha. Dr. Rangihiroa said that he did not know, consdering all things, whether the communistic .system for the Maori was not the best, although it did seem now that that sysem had to go. What they wanted, wasjibb settlement of natives on their ,Mvn land.-;.! Under tho Bill the Minister was taking upon himself;the functions of a land agent. The Maori people had asked the Native Minister for bread and had been given a rock.

Mr C. K. Wilson declared that- it ivas unjust that",native land should remain idle. ff ; lie had, had his way lie would take every acre of land from the natives to-'moYrpiv. It would bo preferable to look alter the money the natives received from their land than to preserve the land itself. Mr T. Parata said that if the Act of 1909 was slightly amended it, would make ideal legislation. To put the Maori on the same plane as the European mant to crucify kirn. The talk concerning the absorption of the Maori race meant the absorption of their land, and tha-t was what the Bill meant. The policy of the Government was to take the last acre from the Maori, and let hitn die of starvation in the streets.

At 12.15 a.m. Mr Hemes replied. He stated that he had been accused of not going far enough, but he was there to conserve the natives' interests, and he intended doing so as far as lay in his power.

The second reading-was passed after a division.

The House went i#rto committee on the Bill, progress was reported, and tiro House rose at 12.40.