PARLIAMENT.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18479, 5 September 1925, Page 14

PARLIAMENT.

LANDS AND DEFENCE ESTIMATES. £IOO,OOO REDUCTION MOVED. (rEESS ntLEGBAM.) "WELLINGTON, September 4. Immediately after opening to-day the House went into Committee on the Estimates, the first class taken being Lands and Survey, £174,018. v Replying to several criticisms of Commissioners of Crowif Lands, and the method of their appointment by the Public Service Commissioner, The Minister of Lands (the Hon. A. 1), McLeod) f-aid that no one would dispute that the present system of making appointments was not capable of improvement, especially in view of the altered character of the work which the Lands Department were now called upon to do, but it was quite a different matter when it was suggested that they should go out into other Departments and get better men. He differed entirely from that view. It had been customary to link together the positions of Commissioner and Chief feurvoyor, and in consequence the position had generally j gone to tho survey side of the Department. But tho whole position was being; overhauled. The experience was that they sometimes got a man who "was a first-class man in one respect, and not so experienced i* another, so that it was not such an easy matter to j get men efficient in all respects as it might appear. Destruction of Pests. Mr Nash (Palmerston North) raised tho question of whether iti was wise to accomplished tho complete destruction, of keas in high country. Opinion was divided as to whether these birds were as destructive as some asserted. From keas the discussion spread to wild pigs, which Mr .Masters described as a great menace to back block settlers. After prolonged debate on these topics, Mr Corrigan transferred the discussion to soldier settlements, and finally moved that the totfal vote be reduced by £5 as a protest against tho failure of the Government to make a proper classification of soldiers' settlement lands, and so give soldiers a cbanoe- to make good. _ Replying, the Minister said lie did not think the duty of ridding the country of pests such as rabbits, keas, and wild pigs was one that devolved upon the Government solely. Settlers wnose lands were invaded had some responsibility in the matter, and if they were going to lean on tho Government all the time,, then the pests would never be got rid of. He was putting a vote on the Estimates to clear wild pigs off Crown Lands, and he would ask for more on the Supplementary Estimates. But occupiers of private lands must do 'something to help themr selves. With tho kea the position was somewhat different. This pest was almost exclusively on Crown Lands, on which the Crown was dependent for a certain amount of revenue, and if the pest became so bpd that it was found impossible to stock this country, then the Crown would- be the sufferer. He ridiculed Mr Oorrigam's eharges that soldier Bettlere had not been well treated, but the Crown was not going to waste its assets in soldier settlements by writing off '"its mortgages, while second mortgagees held on to their security. If second mortgagees were prepared to do something in that "way, the, Crown would also do its share, but it could not make tho whole of the sacrifice.

Mr Corrigan's amendment was negatived on the voices.

The vote was passed unaltered. On the vote for Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Account, £43,250, Mr Forties (Leader of the Opposition) askeH when the Revaluation Boards were going to conclude their work, for which £6OOO was being set aside. The Minister said that the attention of the Revaluation Board at the present time was being given to county woric. After pert week there would be only one paid representative on the JRevaluatibri Board."' %

. The vote was passed without amencTment. .The Land for Settlements Account, £4410, and Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Account, £6041, were both passed without comment.

Mr McComba on Defence, On ttie Defence vote, £412,8/5, ■ Mr McCombs (Lyttelton) complained of the great increase in the cost of defenoe compared with that in 1913. He moved a reduction of £IOO,OOO ''as an indication that in the opinion of the House New Zealand je not carrying out the spirit of the League of Nations, nor is it in accord witih the Washington Agreement." He considered that New Zealand was not playing the game as one of the signatories of these documents.

Mr Atmore (Nelson) said chat the Dominion must do all it could to take some of the burden of Imperial defence off the Old Country. Mr Horn (Wakatipu) thought the results of training were not commensurate with the expense. The period of training should be shortened. Mr Glenn (Rangitikei) considered that the work; done under the present scheme though he urged that the period oi camp should be increased. More attention should be given to the Air Force, whose services could be employed niost usefully for purposes quite apart from defence, such as in the prevention of fires in forest areas.

The Minister (Sir: R. Heaton Rhodes) said that the increased expenditure proposed was due to tile fact that last year's vote was not freely used owing to the 'epidemic. The ' Government's policy was to carry out the Territorial system inaugurated by Sir Joseph Ward. The grant for rifle clubs had been criticised, but the Minister said those conoerned in the conduct of Rifle Association matters Considered the vote adequate. He agreed with the suggestions that aircraft miglit Ije used tor certain civil purposes. A seaplane bass was necessary at Auckland on account of that being a naval base, and the Minister said the Department believed it had, found a suitable site.

The amendment was defeated by 35 votes to 13.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL?" (PfiSSS ASSOCUTIOK TXLZGBUI.) WELLINGTON, September 4. In the Legislative Council to-day, the Land for Settlement Bill was reported from the Lands Committee without &moactment. The Statutes Revision . Committee reported the Weights and Measures Bill with minor amendments. The Dunedin District Drainage and Sewerage Amendment Bill, the Mana-watu-Oroua River District Amendment Bilk and the Auckland Harbour Board Empowering Bill were rooeived from . the House, read a first time, and reLocal Bills Committee, xne Land and Income Tax Amendment . Bui wag received from the House and read a first time. ■' . The Nurses and Midwives Registration Bill, was put through its final ,t stages and passed without amendment. - ' —Ji Provident Fund Amendttie Electric Power Boards