EVENING SITTING.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3579, 16 June 1880, Page 2

EVENING SITTING.

The House resumed at 7.30. Progress wns reported on the Regulalation of Elections Bill. NATIVE LANDS SALE BILL—THE NATIVE POLICT. Mr Bryce moved the second reading of the Native Lands Sale Bill, stating that the Government policy was embodied in eight Bills, each dealing with separate branclr 8. The object of this one was to deal with land after a title had been ascertained He reviewed the course of native land legislation from the date of the Treaty of Waitangi and the Native Land Purchase transactions since 1871, which he said tended greatly to demoralise the natives. The agents had been baying for themselves and their friends as well as for the Government, the former getting the good, and the latter the bad lands. The Grey Government utterly failed to fulfil what it came into office to do in regard native lands. They had, in fact done quite the opposite. He despaired of making the House under* stand the terrible iniquity of what had been going on regarding-native land purchases. He quoted instances at Tauranga, of J. C. Young's transactions there. Blank vouchers bad been signed, and they were vary unlikely to get any return for the enormous sums advanced to natives when any expenditure was incurred 'at Wellington, Thames, or I Waikato, which was very unjustifiable. The rule seemed to have been to change it to Patetere, the negotiations for which block he derailed at length. £11,000 had been paid on account of this block. He gave the history also of the Muri- ! motu and other cases, which, he said, the Government were bound to lose. He said he hoped he had shown that the continuance of the present system was impossible. The question now was what remedy could be instituted. He said he believed personally that the restoration of the pre-emptive right was the only true remedy, but it was now impossible. He condemned free trade, and said the only remedy remaining was the proposals of the bill. No perfect solution was possible, but these proposals were the best possible under the circumstances, which he had explained at length. He moved the second reading of the bill.

Major Te Wheoro moved the adjournment of the debate, which was agreed to. This day.

THE PHABMACY BILL.

Last night the Pharmacy Bill passed through Committee with amendments, and the House adjourned at 11.10.

There are several Turkish youths studying in Paris at present. At a recent examination a professor, wanting to make matters easy for one of the young fellows, asked, " Can you mention some of the Greek authors f" No answer. " For instance, you must know something about Homer?" "Oh, yes!" answered the student," Omar Pasba—everybody knows about him."