HousE of Representatives. AFTEENOON SITTING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4765, 4 October 1893, Page 1

HousE of Representatives. AFTEENOON SITTING.

The House met at 2.30. DUNEDIN TRAMWAYS. A lengthy discussion arose over the report of tho Public Petitions Committee on the petition from the Dunedin Tram- '. way Company. Mr Pinkebton moved that the Government take steps to give effect to the - report of the Committee, and this waa eventually agreed to. BILLB DROPPED. i The Hou E. J. Seddon moved that the i following Bills be discharged from the Order Paper : — Eoada Validation, Distress i Amendment, Betterment, Shearers Ac-' i commodafcion, Arsenic and Cyanide of Potassium Importation and Carriage, and Sale of Poisons ; Tongariro National Park, ■ Noxious Weeds, Auctioneers v Act Amendment, Labour Department, Imprisonment ; for Debt Abolition, Legislative Officers' i Salaries, Elective Executive, Road Boards i Act 1882 Amendment, Pharmacy, Women's Suffrage, Gum and Gumfields Property Law Consolidation Act Amendment, i Licensing Act 1881 Amendment, Manual and Technical Elementary Instruction, Public Schools, Corrupt Practices Pre- ] vention Act Amendment, Coroner's In- i quests, Direct Veto, Alcoholic Liquor ; Importation, The Manufacture of Ihtoxi- ; eating Liquors Prohibition. Mr Fish moved that the Libel Bill ba j added to those to be dropped. i The Speaeeh ruled this amendment out of order. .;. Mr Thompson (Maraden) asked whether the Premier really intended to go ou with < the Shipping and Seamen's Act Amend,- i ment BUI. . Mr Seddon said that Bill was now so much altered that they might be able to j proceed with it, j Mr Thompson said he could promise the • Premier that if that Bill got into Com- ' mittee it would never come out agaiq. i Several members would nob leave till the j Bill was dropped. j Mr Eolleston asked the Premier when he really intended to bring the session to : a close. Mr Seddon said ag long as the Government kept the Libel Bill and the Shipping and Sesmen'a Bill on the paper, it could at any rata ensure having a good attendance of members. He reminded the House that he wished it to sit on Saturday last in order to get on with the business, but the House refused to do so. He said that although twenty Bills would fctill remain on the Order Paper, with the exception of thrae of those, all the othera should not occupy more than a few hour 3 in discussion. Ho hoped therefore that if members really assisted the Government in getting on with the work they might get away by Friday next. The Government would do its best to close the session by that time?. The Hon E.. J. Soddon's motioa for the discharge of the Bills named was agreed to. QUESTIONS. Replying to Mr Fish, The Hon E. J. Seddon eaid he should make enquiries with respect to the alleged discontent amongst the police force respecting promotion of third-class constables. Eeplying to Mr Kapa, as to the disposal of £7000 which, under the Civil list, should be appropriated for the use of Natives solely, * . The Hon R. J. Seddon said the matter was still under consideration. Eeplying to Mr Hamlin, The Hon E. J. Seddon said the Governmeat had decided to expend £1000 on the graves of old soldiers at Eangariri. GOVERNMENT RAILWAYS. Mr Eolleston asked whether the Premier would fix a day for the consideration of the amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Government Eailways Act Amendment BilU He- said considerable interest attached to the question as to what the Government proposed to do with respect to the Bail way Commissioners. | The Hon E. J. Seddon said that one of | the greatest affronts had been offered to the House by the Legislative Council that he had ever known of, namely, by striking out a complete clause of a Bill and directing the House to appoint certain persons for another year. "The Government had the matter under consideration and knew its position. It had determined to act in a constitutional manner with respect to the matter, but he would remind the Houee that it was not yet reduced to such a position that it could be dictated to by a nominee Chamber. MINING ACT. The Hon A. J. Cadman moved the Committal of the Mining Act Amendment Bill (No. 2). Mr Eolleston strongly objected to this Bill, and he also took objection to a Bill of its kind being dealt with in the last few days of the session. He should divide the House on every clause in this Bill to which he objected, and he hoped the House would asßiathim. The Hon E. 2. Sbddon said if the leader of the Opposition wished to obstruct business he would have to take the responsibility for that. He explained that all the expenditure incurred under this Bill was £5000, which had been on the Estimates, and was already voted by tho House. Mr Eolleston said if ho received an assurance that £5000 was the only expenditure to be incurred by the Bill he should not parsist in his opposition to it. Considerable discussion ensued on the Bill, after which the Houeo went into Committee on it. Clause 2, advances may be made for developing mines. Mr Kolleston said he was glad to hear from the Premier that £5000 was all that would be expended by this Bill. He moved that the clause be amended so ao to authorise money to be applied that " shall have been " appropriated, instead of that " may be " appropriated. Mr Wright moved that thiß clause be struck out. Mr Eolleßton's amendment was lost on a division by 27 to 15. The House rose at 5.30.

EVENING SITTING. The House resumed at 7.30, in Committee, on the Mining Act Amendment Bill. Clause 2 wbb retained in the Bill, after a lengthy debate; The remaining clauses passed with verbal amendments, and the alterations made by the Goldfields Committee. Mr Carncross proposed a new clause to repeal cub-Section 3 of Section 3 of the Mining Act Amendment Bill, 1892, and to substitute in lieu thereof a .provision that the compensation to be paid Bhall be, in the event of no agreement being come to, such a sum as the Assessment Court under the Public Works Act, 1882, shall award. He said his object in moving in this direction was to endeavour to secure for farmers the compensation decided by an Assessment Comt, instead of being compelled to take the ordinary Land'tax valuation. Clause lost by 20 to 13. Mr Eolleston moved a new clause to the effect that particulars of moneys advanced under the Bill should be laid before Parliament each year, within twenty days after the meeting of the House. Agreed to. The Bill wsb reported, read a third time and passed. NATIVE LAND PURCHASE. . On the motion that the Native Land Purchase and Acquisition Bill be committed, Mr Kapa urged the Premier to adjourn the Bill till next year, on the ground that the seasion wbb about to close, and members ware anxious to return to their homes. The Bill could not, therefore, receive the consideration it deserved, an although a good many members were still in the House their spirits were not with them, and there was plenty of other work to go on with. He said it appeared to him that Mr Carroll had now turned his back upon the Native people who had elected him to the House. He said up to the' present time petitions signed by two thousand six hundred Natives had been presented against this measure, and he himself had strongly protested against it on the Native Affairs Committee. He spoke at considerable length on the Bill, and hoped that the Government would not persist in taking it through the House this session. After Mr Jiapa had Bpoken for over an hour, The Hbn R. J. Seddon said ifc would probably disarm the hon member's opposition if he informed him that the Bill would not come into force till Jau. 1, and in the meantime the Government could ascertain the views of the Native people on it. • Mr Kapa said the Premier's statement would be eminently satisfactory if he held the Bill over altogether. . ; ELECTORAL BILL. 'A message wa3 reoeived from the Legislative Council to the effect that it disagreed with the reasons forwarded by the House respecting the amendments in the Electoral Law Amendment Bill. Mr Seddon moved that a conference be appointed consisting of Messrs W. Hutchison, Guinness and the mover. Agreed to. ; NATIVE LAND PURCHASE. ; Mr Kapa continued his remarks in j opposition to the Native Land ParchaEe; and Acquisition Bill and spoke again i; great length. Mr Taipua hoped the Bill would be posfcp'ried. He denied Mr Thompson's assertion that the Natives were being prompted by somebody to oppose the Bill. They had sense enough to look after their own interests. The only provision he saw in the Bill was to take from the Natives all that could be taken. Mr Parata said the Bill was now different from that which was first brought down, and several amendments were made by the Native Affairs Committee. The Native members, however, were informed by the people they represented that the Bill did not suit .them at all, and he held that they were quite right ia standing up for their rights. The Hon J&. J. Cabeoll said Mr Kapa had not advanced a eiogle good reason why the Bill should be postponed till next year. He contended that the Government had shown every latitude with respect to this Bill from first to last, and had taken pains to give tha Natives every possible information on the different clauses af the Bill. It found, however, that Messrs Taipua and Kapa had stated to the Native Affairs Committee that they were not so much opposed to the Bill themselves, but they "were compelled to oppose it owing to pressure from outside quarters. Ho held that the Bill secured to the Natives the proper value of their land, which was an improvement on the existing law. He himself had done everything in his power to make the Natives acquainted with all that waa going on, and he was pained to hear Mr Kapa's remarks as to bis (Mr CanjolTs) act'oa on this Bill and on other majors. ■ Mr Mitchelson thought the Native uiember3 should ~be satisfied with the protest they had already made against the Bill. If they were nob satisfied with that protest they should call for a division on the committal of the Bill. He hoped they would not attempt to stonewall the Bill, as they would only injure their own health in doing so. The Bill would enable the Natives to obtain full value for their land, which they could not obtain before. There were one or two objectionable clauses in j the Bill, but no doubt the Premier would meet the Natives in that respect, Mr Richardson did not think .the Natives had so much tt complain of in this Bill. It was a great improvement on what had existed before. Mr Eolleston did nofc think the Bill should pass through in the last hours of the session. It was a perfect revolution in Native legislation, and the newly constituted Native Minister had not vouchsafed a single word of explanation of the Bill. Sir E. Stout did not think the Bill at all necessary. He would suggest, however, to the Native members that they should do no more in the way of blocking tha Bill, but let it go through Committee. The Hon E. J. Seddon did not take exception to natives protesting against the Bill, but he did take exception to Mr Eolleston's remarks. This Bill was circulated early in the session, and he had met the Natives in every way possible. It all came to this, that there were those outside the House who were not true friends of the Natives ; but itwasnotnot those people who should be considered, but the House itself, which should deal with the Native land question. He held that the Natives were being dealt with fairly by this Bill, and that Parliament could no longer stay its band, as the whole country was being kept back owing to these Native land difficulties. Ifthe Natives refused the advances now offered, no one would regret it more than the Native themselves. He did not wish to use threats, but he felt convinced that if this Bill were not accepted the next legislation would not be so favourable to the Natives as the present Bill. The motion for committal of the Bill was agreed to by 22 to 10. Clause 13: The Governor may direct the 'Native Land Court to ascertain the title to Native land proposed to be acquired. Mr Kapa moved that this clauee be struck out, Lost by 21 to 11, and the clause added to the Bill. The Bill was still in Committee when the telegraph office closed at 2 a.m. After the Telegraph Office closed the remaining clauses of the Native Lands Purchase and Acquisition Bill were passed without material amendment. Several

new clauses, proposed by the Native Affairs Committee, were agreed to. On Sir B. Stout's motion, a new clause was added providing that any proclamation made under the Act shall not remain in force longer than three years. The Bill was reported, and after a short debate, put through its final stages by 18 to 6. The House rose at 2.40 a.m.