The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 151, 28 December 1877, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28.

This past session has been.the longest since the establishment of responsible Government in New Zealand. Whether the results are commensuratewith the time consumed may well be doubted. iThere has been such an ever recurring ■ outpouring of angry •personal abuse—so much crinimation and recrimination— discussions on questions of privilige and •points of order, that anyone who has read the summary of proceedings as telegraphed to the .daily papers, or has waded through the pages of Hansard, will probably have come to the conclusion that a great .deal of time was wasted, and that the proceedings in Parliament have not raised the character of our public men. But it must not be accepted as a fact 4hat very little work has been done. •Whetherfor good or ill, great changes have been effected.

The late Ministry brought forward a number of measures, some of them of great importance, which, after being amended in their passage through Parliament, -have become law. Foremost among these may be placed the Education Bill. This Bill, though faulty in .some respects, was so carefully drawn ( that the Minister 'for Education, 'Mr Bowen, deservedly received the credit due from members on bothsides-ofthe House. The amendments, made-.in.' committee,; giving more power to. the Boards and restricting the power of the Governor— locr.lising'the power in fact—were great improvements. These 'alterations,"with" the abolition of the " capitation fee "- of' ten shillings for each child of school age, and the elimination of all matter which' might have given rise to sectarian differences, made the Bill one with which the people of .New Zealand may well be satisfied. Tlis : J)istr ; ct Railways' Bill was also r, carefully prepared measure. The main pro-visions arc, that any company may construct" a/line of railway, provided .the 'majority/if the ratepayers and. owners of property within the proposed railway; •district shall -consent to the construction \if the line, and the Governor irioygive his approval.- The company to be guaron'iv&&: interest ,of;...seven per..'centf per fiJnriuM6n.'fbe-cOß>o.f eo'nstri&Wion;" Of

payers of a district, 'if they line of.railway yvould v .be\ advantageous ■ to them, wiirliavj? fyti v > opportunity off having one constructed;. ' ■ ■• \ > The Land' Kill Was more of; the nature of a Consolidation Bill than a ney measure. ' There, were;, however, provi-' sions of considerable importance introduced, altering the existing land laws of some of the provincial districts, notably, extending the system of deferred payments to all parts of the coloriy,<the cultivation of the land and personal residence being made imperative land taken up on deferred be fifty per cent, higher than the cash price. This in Canterbury means £3 per acre, tat is only applicable to blocks set apart by the Governor by proclamation in the Gazette. The provisions for selling pastoral land by auction in blocks of from 500 to 5000, acres at an upset price of £1 per acre, do not apply to Canterbury" till; after May in the year 1882. The licenses to Canterbury runholders *are extended'to 1890, when all rights of occupancy will absolutely cease. The increased rent to be paid after 1880 *to be not less than ninepence nor more than two shillings per head for each sheep *he run is capable of depasturing, pre-emptive rights to cease on Ist May, 1880. These are the principal provisions of the Act now passed, but it is not considered by many.as a final settlement. Another Bill, intituled the •" Crown Lands Sale. Bill," introduced by the present Ministers, made an important alteration in the price of Crown land in various provincial districts. This Bill became law, and by clause 4, all Crown lands throughout the colony shall not be sold at less than two pounds per acre,- "if\,by free-selection ; not less than one pound if by auction. The effect of this Act wfll be to raise the price of Crown lands in some of the Provincial districts in the North Island and in the . "Marlborough district. This; Act appears to have-ibeen considered necessary in conseqaenoe of "the colonialization of the Land Fnnd. The" Mines Bill" and " Shipping and Mariners' Bill," very , important measures, passed and became law. Altogether there were fifty-four public General Acts passed during the session, some of which, particularly the " Financial Arrangemeuts Act," which colonialized the Land Fund, require more than a passing notice. In addition to these there were eighty-eight " Local and Personal" Acts, all of importance to the localities affected thereby.. We purpose on a future occasion to refer to some of the Acts of general importance not . noticed in • this article ; meantime, enough has been stated to show thatthe ' sesskfn'has not been barren of results. That there has been a great deal of unnecessary talk, there can be no doubt— : . that it .would be more creditable to New if a great deal of what was said : had never been uttered—yet. injustice to our representatives Aye must acknowledge that a great many important Acts are now on the Statute-book, the result of the labours of last session.