PARLIAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 200, 17 October 1900, Page 2

PARLIAMENT

[PKB PHKSS ASSOCIATION.] *- LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Tuesday, October 16. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. It was decided to agree to the report of the Conferences on the Municipal Corporations and Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bills. The report of the Conference re the Trading Stamps Bill was disagreed to by 16 votes to 15. The Crown Tenants Rent Rebate and Land for Settlement Consolidation Bills were read a first time. Hon. Mr. Cadman moved the committal of the Maori Lands Administration Bill which, he said, would break down the old communal style of living among the Maoris arid give them comi plete control of their own lands. The - Bill was committed and amended as recommended by the Native Affairs Committee. In Clause 22 the words ' " Except such as is held under a title ■ issued under the provisions of the Land ■ Transfer Act" were deleted. The ' Ulauso now provides that laud shall not . be alienated te the Crown or any other person by way of lease except with the consent of the Land Council, or by way of sale witli the consent of the Governor-in-Council. In Clause 25, prescribing the procedure in casee of alienation, a new subclause was 1 added, to the effect that where no papa- ' kanga certificate has been issued to an 3 owner, notice and date of allocation ' shall be produced to allow the Registrar - to satisfy himself that the Maori has s sufficient land left for his occupation '' and support. A proviso was added to • Clause 26, that where land is poor, the t Governor, on the recommendation of > the Lands Commissioner, may increase f the area of land which a European may i acquire after making a statutory t declaration that he is taking it up for 1 his own use. Consequential amendf ments were made in the Native Land 8 Laws Amendment Act, 1895, and pro- - vision made for the examination of ' persons making declarations there- >' under. New clauses were added vali- • dating existing instruments, and prot viding for the completion of existing - contracts; also that the Governor may 1 remove or modify restrictions on Maori & lands where application for removal or 1 modification was made before the pask- sing of the Act. 1 The Bill was read a third time and i passed. t The Crown Tenants Rent Rebate and i Land for Settlements Consolidation 1 Bill was read a second time pro forma, i and referred to the Waste Lands Coru- > mittee. i The Council reseat 4.45 p.m. till !• 2.30 to-morrow. ' HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Tuesday, October 16, I The House mot at 2.30 p.na. r Mr. Stevens brought down a report of the North Island Main Trunk; llail- ,. way Committee, which was read to the i House. The report, which Is of n

lengthy character, recommended that ; c.o deviation should be made from the | route nlreody surveyed, the Committee , being of opinion that the Central route '. was by far the best and most suitable. , It was expected that the Makohine viaduct works would be completed t within a year. The Committee ex- , pressed an opinion that the Waimarino I forest would bo a perpetual source of , revenue, and royalty on the timber ! would pay the wholo co>t of the line I twice over. The Committee's reason^ for expressing preference for tha Central , route were that the distance was . shorter, grades .were easier, the line , would pass nearly through the centre of the island, and the country was good . on both sides for nearly the whole distance. The report was ordered to bo printed. The Public Revenues Aot Amendment Bill was introduced by message from the Doputy-Governor. ;' Mr. Seddon explained that the measure was intended to remove certain anomalies which had been found to exist in the original Act, and to which attention had been drawn during the present session by a report from the Auditor-General. Mr. Pirani objected to a Bill of this character being brought down in the last few days of the session. The Bill practically meant the abolition of the Audit Office and interference with control by Parliament of the public purse. Mr. Seddon said the Bill would be referred to the Public Accounts Committee. The interests of the colony and the public purse had to be safeguarded, but it was necessary the law should be amendel in order to mast cases of emergency which might arise. It was desirable that provision should be made for an increase of unauthorised expenditure to £1 50,000 per annum to provide agaiust the possibility of a deadlock arising with the AuditorGonoral. Mr. Pirani resented tho action of the Premier in attempting to mislead the House by oa4in» reflections upon one of thi publio officers. If tho AuditorGenera) was to be attacked let him be , attacked in open warfare. , Mr. Seddon pointed out that the i Public Accounts Committee had re- i commended certain amendments in tho i Public Revenues Act, and now that ho i brought down a Bill to give effect to I those recommendations it was objected ' to. The Bill was intended to uiako < such provision as the Agent-General ( and financial advisors in London had i suggested. t After further discu-sion Mr. H'ddon j said ho declined to go on with the law t as it stood as present, with tho risk of s a recurronco of what had happened a before. Ou tlio motion of Mr. Soddon d tho Bill was icad a second time ;»-o a forum, and referred (o the Public Ac- a counts Committee. t, A message was received from tho li Doputy-Governor intimating that I Clause i had been ttruck out of tho fi Loans to Local Bodies Act. Mr. h'eJdui explained that this clause made the Bill rotroaetivo, and fl appliod to Crown tenants who had taken up lands prior to a special loan boiug raised. Tho amendmont wm agreed to. Il'nm'ts of tho Cjnfewnco on the p i.'euutil's amendments in tho Muni- fi >ipil_ Corp.-irution Bill and Indmtiial is Conciliation aud Arbitration Bill were tt ivgrotil to. \\ I

On tbe]motion for the adoption of tint report of the Conference on the Council's amendments in the Trading Stamps Abolition end Discount Stamps. . Issue Bill, Mr. Seddon asked the i House to adopt the constitutional -A, course and agree to the report of the Conference. Ho defended the Bill o* t the ground that it would oaooortfi 1 thrift. The report of the Conferewo wm adopted on a division by 40 to 19, 9 Mr. Sodden morel to introdnoe eke » Porirua, Wairarapa, and other School Grants Bill, e Captain Russell said tbe Bill would a affect every educational tract in Now Zealand, and be asked whether oaok ft - far-reaching iaovatwi should bo per- - to ta introduced at the very ead If of the session. g Mr. Seddon said the Bill only pre- - posed to tie up too matter oatu • e Royal Commission had reported «a it, a The debate was adjourned, •s It was decided, by 35 votes to 27, to h disagree with the amendments outdo by e the Council in the Private Industrial d Schools Regulation Bill e Mr. Seddon moved that Captain >t Russell, Mr. Palmer, and bimosk bo r appointed managers to draw upresoOM h for disagreeing. 1, Mr. Pirani eomplained of the remit it of the division, and objected to too ie managsrs proposed, is Messrs. E. M. Smith and Lawry is said they bad been fairly and honouri- ably relieved from their respective n pairs. n The debate was interrupted by the J' 5.30 adjournment, is M .i n KVENUK} BITTING. » The House roramod at 7.80 »«. e On the question that managers bo >f appointed to confer with the Council on » the amendments nude by the latter in y the Private Industrial School InspooV donand Industrial Schools AotAmond- « ment Bill, Mr. Seddon said that is 1- making the selection of nuusagoro ho d had consulted the best interests of the >* House. The question was: did the »f Councils amendments to strike oat »- words "as aforesaid" earry out the i- decision of the House? He contended '■ it.did not do so, and that there was* g majority in the House in favour of the v Bill as it was sent from the Hoase, and n if cogent, and logical reasons for die* >r agreement were drawn up the Council »- would give way. If the Council insisted upon its amendment the House " would again have to review the question and a full conference would have d to take place. The House might n safely entrust the question of drawing h up reasons to the managers named in »■ the motion. Agreed to on the voices. " The Premier moved for leave to introduce the Porirua, Wairarapa, and other School Grants Bill, ;, Mr. Atkinson said the Bill was too most unprincipled one that had come before the House this session, and that lie said he was saying a good deal Tho , t Bill proposed to annex a reserve that l_ had been set aside by natives for native e educational purposes. As the site waa 0 unsuitable for the purpose and there

t wa* not sufficient money to carry «!».._-, , ihe trust, nor mi it i» a»eaiteble plaot , for children of tho native no*, it wu , impossible to carry oat tho tract. A, case was brought before the Court for ] deciiioa and a scheme approved of I appointing a oito at Wairarapa. Tha . Bill proposed toupeet the decision of , the Supreme Court, which ho thought • was an improper thing to do. Mr. Field supported tho Bill, and , . opposed varying the trust for a site on - the East Coast, urging that a site on 1 the West Coast, at Otalci, would mora . correctly carry out the intention of th* ; . , donors of the land. 1 I Mr. Ileke supported tho BilL - ; Mr. Seddon said ail the Bill provided was that proceedings should be stayed uudor the judgment of tho Sumni Court until after the next session of Parliament, in tho meantime that * ! Royal Commission would be appointed to enquire into not only the trast ist question, but other native trusts thai had originally been granted for ed«cational but had been diverted ten* ligious purposes. The question was a, very important one, as there worn thousands of acres in different parti of the colony which had been coded by the natives, but where the terms of th* trust had not been carried oat. Leave was granted to introduce tho Bill, which was road a first time. The Premier moved that the amendmente made by the Oooooil ia.MM Maori Lands Administratis* BOMm • disagresd with. Tha motioa waa carried and managers were (UttstMtag.) ' ' ' "i