Untitled

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 17, 15 October 1907, Page 6

his. experience led him-to saytho los 9 ploughing tho better. Ho would be pleased to see the ploughing limit' reduced to something lower than 3UOO acres. MnT: Mackenkio (Waikouaiti) Baid ovory oncouragomont should bp givon to ro-grass tho country. \ Mr.,' Massoy said ho thought tho lessee should: .be free to ; make what improvements he fit, and should bo allowod.compbrisation at the termination of his lease or tho':s'amo;,torms as those applying to smar grazing Vuris. > An-Amendment Carried. ' -Mr. Flainian moved an amendment to limit tho ;l area 'whioliv the lossee may plough anl sow'in', grass/to:,3000 acres (as, already pro posed.in the sub-section), but to remove the restriction of- area in regard to clearing, burning and surface sowing m grass. , ' '■ Tho amendment was accepted by the Minister, and carried on the voicos. The Minister, also moved a verbal amendment; which was agreed to. ; .. : ~ ~-.,„ Clause 39," sub-section 2, allows the holdei of a pasturage lease or license, with the permission of the Land Board, to . bring sucli area under crop as may bo sufficient for the use and maintenance, of himself and family. Tho Minister moved 'to ' add the words " and employees " after " family. , This was agrcedto. ' :'' ',/ Revaluations. .' Sir - William Steward moved; to add three new sub-clauses, His proposal was to hay valuations made of a pastoral, lease by th Board, not earlier than three years, and not later than eighteen months before the expiry;' as provided in the case; of renewable Peases?and riot later than twelve months beSe expiry of the lease the should-give the lessee notice regarding th Stionsi of the Government as to whetne tho land should bo offered-again, whaler l was intended to sub divide,; it wa intended not to lease; If itwas decided *c rabdivido into hold:ngs ' ° S3 ? be entitled to havo.a renewed leascv St to the' rental fixed under the valuation He-should,also bo ent.tled to reSo the value'ofrtheimprovements upon the not accent the new clauses, pointing out that work in regard to tho two classes i if .lane roco&iisea the genuine dosire of tho movflr U Khe very bSst legislation for those leases Mr W leaser thought tho have'been applicable .twelve months betoie but nowthe effect might bo of a ha Ayw;v> naturf .He agreed with the intention oth. moverJtoallw^a, tenant, the prior, right oi Tenewali, did. not>e how.the propo a could bo made to work in.with the 1892 ;Vt He spoke of the need'-for thorough legisia tion in connection with the pastoral leasc^ ir. Otago and Southland, and hoped. the ster •would-Vake- threadiest opportuiijty t make himself properly acquainted with the local conditions and requirements. ' The clause} wero not adopted. The clause/was then passed. , ','. . ■'''Section" 4yyrelatin'g' : to'the' depasturing o\ stock on p/stbraiaands, was;passed after ar amendment by Mr. J. Allen, to make, the clause'applicable to Crown lands, had beei negatived by 24 to 14. • \ Piako Fla*-',: v '"' "''■''■ ■.;..' ' Section iOa proposes to pornnVa Board-tc lease by auction flax areas tor not more than 14 years, and to enable a new lease to be n-anted-i to"-the' former .'-lessee, without auctibnr'fbf 'a'further term' riot •exceeding fourteen years. /The section applies to lands both'under-the principal Act and the Lane Eor Settlements Consolidation Act, I«UU. Mr. Massoy raised a question as to .whether instead of royalty on flax being paid.tc local bodies,in future there would be leases payable to-the Crown. If this wero the deal, bodiosj-.wouldi.experience.ia,, .hardship. The Minister said that the necessity. ioi ;his clause had arisen mainly from the. progress in'regard to' the Piako swamp. , In the lext three or four years the' Dominion .would boSpendiiig sixty or seventy thousand pounels n connection with the property. He was adrised that the; most profitable return',;froni she swamp now would: be flax, and thisrwould be "obtained as soon' as'the'draining hacb.been mfficiently carried out..* Flax would also be slanted in places where it did not at present rrow.. Experiments made under his rircde•essor in office had' shown, : what could be 16rioin ; this: direction;;; <' Portions that had been bare"of flax now took,.the-plant ro.markibly well. He had no hesitation in saying ihat as soon' as the: draining was : acconi-alisheaY.th'e'-centre^ je removed from Manawatu tofthat locality, rhe Government had thought under the cirmmstances .that they .should have legislation ;o deal with, the matter., The idea was not ; to lispose of the flax under a system ■ of royalties, but to have a good loase. under which orogress' and development could take. place, the Piako, swamp wtmkl bo found to be unijud in Ward- to. transit facilities. The roada would go°down to the Piako River at. right ingles, and the flax would be carted down to ;he river and shipped from smalj, jetties. The mills would mostly bo on the river bank, and iho finished fibre could be taken in the same ressels from the : mill doors to the-cranes on ihe-Auckland;wharves. ':' ': .. Mr.i Masse'y 'agreed' that the ; greater part )f the Piako swamp would grow flax, but in some parts there was too much peat overijing the, soil. ; .-'"■' A Conditions of the Flax Leases. ; ; Mr. Poland 'moved to make .'the term of the flax lease, twonty-ono years. instead of tdurteen. Lost by 46 to 20. ,';...... Mr. Massey.moyed.toallowthe Land Hoard to further'subdiyide"a" flax area on the renewal of the lease. ' '; •■ . "'.. Tho'amondment K was 105t.., ] ■'~ Mr. Massey next moved to have the rental Eor the second'term of the leaso fixed by irbitration instead''of being determined by the Land Board. Lost by 48 to 18. , passed.. ..._;,:/ The clause was then passed without amendment. •■■'.., ' „ Clauses 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 were all igreed to without alteration. - Clause 46 was struck out. A number of mombers expressed ..strong objection to the dause...' .:--"•■'. ; '■ ' : -..v ..." ' ' :.-.■-. '~ Clause 47 proposes to confer power on the Board to dispose of Crown land as a site for dairy factory, cheese factory, fruit-preserving works, or creamery. . . ; ■ ~,.,, Sir William Steward moved to add buildings' "for -religious, educational, charitablo, public, or any other'approved purposes. This was agreed to on the voices; and the clauspj as-amended, was then passed. . ; . t ; _ ...,- Progress was reported at 12.10 a.m. ' NORTH AND'SOUTH ISLANDS. '." ;; ' DEPUTATION TOTHB PREMIER; ■: yesterday' ,: moriung'' : the Promier was interviewed by a ; largo, numbor ol soritat-ivcs:,".ori .'.:thb.,'. representation- 'question:' ' ''Tho 'deputation l "was' a' privato''Olio: andMiot-open'jto tho^Press..., ~; ;:. • It was' pointed - out- to ■ the-' Premier that the recent distribution,of .seats gave the North "Island ,41 iriomb.efs,'' ,and,",th'q'.. Sptitl Island 35''m'embers.';;,Thb\'np'minal. of the Dominion in 1906 was stated'-at the popnlation of the North Island (with provision;for 41 -European mombers; being 544,019, and,of the .South Island (witl: provision for 35 European'mombers)'474,362 Each island at present has 38 members. 11 is how suggested by some of tho South Islanc members that tho population of tho Soutl: Island be taken as tho basis, for tho quota and that the North Island recoivo representation on that basis, which would giyo tin South Island i3B. members,: and the .Nortl Island 43.66 mombers, 'equal to a total' Euro poan representation (in round numbors). o! 82, with a population.of 12,500 each: The unworkable nature' of some constituencies owing to their size was referred to; and alse

the fact tlia't.tliero would bo further changes of boundaries tin 1908 and 1911, . destroying,' in some instances, community of interest. It was stated that under tho new boundaries some candidates would haVo to address ovor a hundred meetings. , The physical strain and financial obligations involved would bo, it was urged, unduly great.. Tho deputation ' 'endeavoured'to mako it clear to tho Premier that there' Would bo no attempt to do an injustice to tho North Island. It. was contended also that during the past fifteon years tho .'work of members had increased quite five-fold. The following comparative table, to show tho population per member for 1876, 1881, and 1907,' was submitted: — Population . ■ ' per i Population. Members. moml>er. 187(3' ... 388,000 90 4311 . 1881 ' ' ... 490,000 ,95 51C8 1907 .... 1,000,000 80 ' 12,500 Tho proposal made by tho deputation was that legislation should bo: introduced, fixing tho number of members to be elected for the South Island next year at 38 European membors with proportional ropresontation to the North Island, which would' bring its representation .up to 44; alsotoprovido that the representation of tho South Island should in future bo not less than 38 members, with proportionate representation in the North Island until the total representation for the Dominion reaches 95, and that whon this point was reached tho wholo question of representation, should bo reviowed by Parliament. '.. r Sir Joseph Ward said that tho problom of representation was a difficult one, • and the proposals • of tho deputation would require careful consideration., One important detail would ho the readjustment of boundaries in both islands. He recognised that those who had..referred to tho obliteration of certain electorates,had presented their case in such a way as to call tor consideration if that wero possible. Ho did not like to think that members should bo thrust out of political life in a haphazard way. It would bo for tho Government to seo if anything' could be done to meet the. wishes of members-and of thoir constituents','but only if an equitable basis could be determined. Ho could not, of course, make any promise, but ho assured the deputation of liis desire to approach-this matter of representation in a manner that would bo fair and just,to tho country as a whole. The Government, he added, would have to' uso the utmost caution in coming to a decision, but tho matter'would be, placed boforo tho Cabinet with a -view to its careful considera- ' 'tion. : . "' NORTH ISLAND FEELING. Mr. F. E. Baume, K.O. (Auckland East), was unablo to express himself at length, on the matter, as Ire had not had tim.o to look into the proposals. But at present ho did riot regard the suggestion favourably. Ho was not agreeable to taking away, from tho North Island the increased power which it was entitled to by its.added population. Apart also from any other consideration—even allowing that tho North Island, would get six moro members out of, a total (excluding' Natives) of 82—it would not be quite as large a proportion as 6; out of 78, which was : .the quota the North Island was entitled to. by reason of tho report of tho Commissioners. Mr. Baume really thought that a House consisting of 80 members was quite large enough. ■While feeling that tho time had cbnio for the North_ Island, to reccivo its' proper representation,'? ho „' would ..deeply regret if. any change iri the boundaries should work detrimentally to the return of such esteemed, long-service members as Messrs/';'T.".'.'Mackenzie, ' Bennet, and 'Lewis'./'/'.'" ./Mr. Remington, member for Rangitikei, , took a favourable view of tho proposals. " I , was formerly opposed to: tho suggestion to increase tho number of members,", he said,' "but.' after taking a tour through tho centre of Otago a few months ago I found reason to alter my..opinion. . With'tho knowledge , that I thus gained of tho extent of some of ,' the large southorn districts, added to my experience of the representation, of large dis- | tncts in the North Island, I have come to tho conclusion that such a charigo as suggested , would mako for efficient representation. Tho ,■ proposals, he, cpnsidored, wore fair to tho : - North Island,'providing,- as they did, for a further" increase'of throe moinbers for that | island, and ho saw ho reason to withhold his support from!the mo voment which had been set on foot. •■''■/ •' Another North Island member who was [' spoken to_on tho subject-said.that.ho saw no ■ reason for .'the..proposed' changed ~Ho recog- . nised the pwkward position in which some of ' the present members found,themselves, but ■ he looked .upon the present basis of rcprei sontation. as,: satisfactory, and the increased expense'that would bo involved by six extra J; districts would not bo warranted. ■ ■ " Thero ; is," he added, " one arguihent in favour of ] the proposal, and that is tho large proportion that the presont number of Ministers bears ' to the total number of members. Tho pro- ' portion is at presont too large, and.such an increase ;'of 'members as suggested would cer- ' tainly reduce this proportion to something like a reasonable limit.'.