PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLVII, Issue 12272, 5 September 1904, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

(By Tekgraph.)

(From Our Speoal Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, September 2. Tho debate livened up considerably today, without, of course, 'Losing its academic character. Mr. Allen opened from the Bruce point of view, which batters the Government. Every time he fought on the line that the. Govemmenb has shirked responsibility. Mr. Tayllor followed 'him ■with ingenuity,- flu. ency. and ipo-int against the Governmenf.. Ho was <a& iinucih. as Bruce, but he was not viewing the matter froan the Bruoe stfindooint. The Liberal party, said ho in his deadliest manner, ought to bo mended or -buried. On that he reared hi's rhetorical edifice, and tho i!ate Mr. BaHance was the chief part of the foundation. 'Mr. McGowan succeeded •him -with agreement as to the Ba'llanc© part of itba foundation, but reared a totally different structure, and, manning the battlements thereof, defended the 'Government. Mr. Witlieford said 51'ttlo. and diidnit say it long. Mr. Baumo cut in with a, speech unc'ompromiiaingly favourable to the Royal Com. mission, ridii-cu'liing tho pretensions of the House to anniecience. He struck the special snag of this thorny subject. "What price," said he, "do you propose to pay for tho freehold?" Having struck the snag, he danced on it, concluding thura: "I am in favour >of fho freehold, and I advocate a leasehold., with periodical revaluation, wit!h optfon to the tenants to acquiire the 'freehold at every revaluation price." It was a compreliensivo summary of the whole question. When Siii William Russell follow, ed he spoke of the speech as analytical, logical, forcible, modest, and straight to •the point. He himself went to the point toio, and didn't meet the poait inado uit)on the snag of tho price of acquisition. He defended the oCd ssttleifs who acquired tßie freehold when th-sa-© were no roads and no one would take a, responsibility which involved making somo sort of road. The men were then regarded as public benefactors, but now they aro denounced as stealers of the publi'io property and at a tim© when no ono thinks of going near a ballot box until! a road is made somewhere near his section. He went back into history, claimed Sir George Grey ats a freeholder out and out, chaffed the Premier, stood up for his Leader, and chaffed the other side handsomely, Sike a gentleman. During Sir W'ildann Russell's speech he referred to S!ir George- Grey a.s an advocate of the freehold. Over and over again he said he had heard him, with tears in has voice (not in his eyes), deploro the oM'fdbm of fhoßO persons who are tied to tho soil by the leaselbokl and its many conditions. ' Sir George, he added, was Ma*. Seddon's old chief. ("And your dhiief," Mr. Seddon retorted, "was Sir Harry Atkinson, who was an advocato of the leasehold. 3') Sir William agreed, adding: "For my part, witili ©very respect for my chdef, I have alhvays been aife to stand on my own feet.''' As h>3 prooseded ynth b/s argument lie took occasion to remark on the Preaniie,r's declaration that to give the froeibold would %& to pilace the holders under th© lieel of the money-lenders, and ho at once- read tho previous declaration of the right hon. gentleman that all the f..aas!hoMers _ -ought to be placed on tihe same foot-in?;, so far as borrowing goes, as the freeholder. Did the hon. gentleman want to pCaes- the leaseholders under tba he-si of the money lender?