PARLIAMENTARY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9917, 4 August 1910, Page 1

PARLIAMENTARY.

(Abridged from Press Association.) LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wednesday, August 3. AFTERNOON SITTING. I , The Council met at 2.30 p.m. THE LATE HON H. SCOTLAND. The Council passed a motion expressing its high sense of the services rendered to the country by the late Hon H. Scotland and sympathy with his relatives. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. TVkdxesdAv. August 3. AFTERNOON SITTING. | The House met at 2.30 p.m. CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES. In reply to Mr Massey. the Prime Minister said that the election of chairman of committees would be proceeded with after the conclusion of the financial debate. FINANCIAL DEBATE. The debate on the Financial Statement was resumed by Mr M'Laren, who ! advocated a referendum, on the land question.' Ho attacked Mr Fisher's explanation of his vote on the no-confi-dence motion, and said the member for Wellington Central had no principles. It had been proposed that large landowners should apply the same principle to their properties as they wished to apply to Crown lands, but this proposal had been rejected by the Fanners' Conference. • Replying to Mr Herd man's criticism of State control. he instanced Tasmania as a country without Labour legislation, and as a consequence in an exceedingly backward condition. He denounced trafficking in lands and said the real issue was between useliolders and tradeholdors. Six Australian States had alienated 123 million acres at an average price of £1 an acre.. Victoria had contributed a fifth of this amount, the unimproved value of which was now £127,500^000. Mr Anders<sh said that the land question was not one on which a straightout "yes'' or '-'no" could be obtained by means of a referendum - to the people. The Opposition had a definite policy on. the land question, which was the optional system, with a view to allowing every man who wished to get on the land to do so, and ultimately become the i owner. Touching on Mr Laurenson, he referred to the meuiber for Lyttelton as the reincarnation of one of Job's comforters. Mr Laureneon had threatened to stump the country. Tf he did, the result would probably be as futile as when he last did so. There was no truth in the statement that the increase in Opposition numbers Avas due to misrepresentations of the dairy regulations. He himself had been elected chiefly owing to his attitude on the land question. Both State and private landlordism were objectionable, although under the leasehold system the State was the bettor landlord. He favoured the compulsory sale of large estates in small freehold areas rather than compulsory leasing as advocated by Mr Forbes. The principle on which he'would settle the land was occupying ownership- and small areas. Mr Smith, expressed satisfaction at the financial position disclosed by the Budget, turning; to the no-confidence motion, ho criticised the tactics of Mr Massey, which were clumsy and involved. The leader of the Opposition should have brought down an amendment containing a Straightout issue on the land' question, in which case he would have supported him. Mr Massey had confessed to hiui that he had been congratulated on the cunning wary in which the amendment had been framed. The farming community had received more consideration from the Government than any other class had received. The House rose at 5.30 p.m.

EVENING SITTING, The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. Mr Russell predicted a bright future for the dominion. Its staple products were fetching good prices and harvest prospects were favourable. He was surprised that finance had been so little dealt with during the debate. Many important matters referred to in the Budget had been overlooked by previous speakers. The whole debate had centred chiefly round,the land question. If the leader of the Opposition would move a etraightout vote of want of confidence, he would find that the supporters of the Government who sided with him in voting for his amendment would stand bv the Government. Ho denied that the Government had no land polic.y. and gave figures showing that a total area of 2,326,037 acres had been opened for settlement last year, exclusive of Maori lands. He was certain that if the Liberal Party went to the country as a leasehold party they would come back stronger than ever. If the Opposition's land policy were given effect to, what would be the effect on the rrioney market P On the value of lands he estimated that the State would receive £11,540,000 for freehold, equal to twenty-three years' rent, after which the dominion would have to find £577,000 a year in taxation to make up for the loss of rentals. The Cheviot Estate had nearly paid itself off/and would in. future yield an annual profit of about £OOOO a year. This estate was a standing proof that the leasehold system was not inimical to productiveness. If the freehold were granted, the immediate effect would be to raise the rate of interest throughout the dominion. People in Canterbury were not satisfied with the progress of land settlement. There was a considerable surplus to be expended oil land for settlements, and he suggested that this should bo utilised to purchase small farms. ■ • ,

Mr Guthrie defended the Farmers' Union Conference from misrepresentations as to the position in regard to the holding of/large estates, and read resolutions passed at meetings affirming the limitation of area. It had. been said that the tenure under which land was held did not matter, but the experience of the State in regard to the letCse-in-perpetuity system did not support this contention. The worst thing in connection with this tenure wS»s the introduction of a Fair Rent Bill, which destroyed the confidence of the tenants in the Government by subjecting them to a revalution £y«tom, hence the demand for the freehold. He hoped the original system of loans .to local bodies would he reinstated. The proposal to charge local authorities with a proportion of the cost of education was one he could not support. .Education ought to be a charge on the Consolidated Fund. Sir William Steward said he would like to see the Government introduce a progressive, clearly defined Land Bill, based on public opinion. At the same time, ho believed that the Government, once having adopted a policy, should stand bv it. even at the risk of losing office, The holders of leases-in-perpetu-ity were generally well satisfied with the tenure under which they held their land. One objection was that, while by paying one-third of the capital value of their lands lessees could free themselves from cropping conditions, this privilego was not granted on account of improvements equal to onethird of the value. Other complaints were made as to restrictions on the lease. He hoped thaw* ilijoctions

would be considered by tho Minister of Lands when .drafting the Land Bill. Tlio proper land policy to> pursue was a renewable lease, so that the land could be revalued. He was glad that the lease-in-perpetuity "> system had been abolished. In regard to Native lands, it was time to discontinue the '' Taihoa" policy. He urged the need for further settlement of land in Canterbury; which, was particularly suited for subdivision. Referring to defence, he favoured carrying out Lord Kitchener's recommendations in their entirety. The debate was adjourned. The House rose at 11.10 p.m.