THE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 251, 16 July 1908, Page 9

THE COUNCIL.

'. SETTLERS. -yesterday afternoon, 7 ilif• 'v'-r. 1 The 'Hon.' W W M'ARDLE mo\cd — . "Thafr'Hheratteiition : of tko Gbvcrnnicht be <!&the,'fact that nor provision- has •. • been; under'.'tlio Advances to Settlers' ' Act ffiatJenablesJeascholder's' under private ' ' contract fcrojn : Nativo owners'and other land- ■ lords to 'obtain advances on''improvements on : such' !; holdings; • and. that,\in-:'<irder: that .justice" may bo extei^ed : 't6'.'a;>laTg6*rad''.incriea3-' ' ing nuraber 'of .desorving 1 ■ an amendment, to the _ Advances- to Settlers • Act';is urgently required." ;' ■ The; mover stated .tliat ■.'acres :of ;land Stf the ■King Country v.ero ? held ' by under lease from Maoris,', and those sfrfctlers' ; 'wero debarred from getting-money under tho Advances to Settlers Act'.'..Theri) were.others in 1 the vicinity.of, Kawhja, who had erected buildings onrs'ectionsjlea'sed from, the Maoris: . Ho; thought .it'must be owing ; .to an oversight that lio' prbvision"' had : been ir.ado-to/ extend to all ■.tbcie persons the-sa,n).q as was ! ;erijoyed '.;byvoth'ers. ; mv. regarcl'-to-elieap :.money. / It had .'been tho .holders of land oil long leases, with improvement clauses .'..from,-^privatetrusts or owners, should be"placqd ? on'-tho same'foot- . ing. : " '•'• -V •-'■■•■-■' " , Tha Hon. S. .THORNS GEORGE (Auckland) • seconded* the ' . . The ; ATfOItNEY-GENEItAL' (Hon.. Dr. Pindlay)t replied ..that 'he-,, suspected . there " ''.would' bo, diffipnlties-in regard to titles in many of tho cases alluded to bv the mover, but'he recognised .the forco, of'his. remarks/ and would, take 1 ' tho "- earliest. opportunity of placing :tho.-matter before the Minister for Finance. ' ~ ■ ■:(' LOAN BILL. .The.ATTORNEY-GENERAL brießy moved the.-second.,reading,of,.the':Aid to Public /Works and Settlement Bill, which had al,ready. beeflVpassed House... . '. ; Thp. Hon. G. JONES (Oamaru); took advantage .of-, the opportunity to draw ■ -atten--1 tion to tho-want of veiitilatiori in the Chamber: Ho remarked that he.: could see no • provision for the, ingress, of "fresh .air. While acknowledging the general excellence of tho arrangements in the building, he'hoped-the ■ . Government would, ;:in'. the interests of .'the health ■, of ;mombers, lihavo this defect reme- ' died: - • .The Bill'was read i a-second .time'j and.nut through -its remaining stages without .fur-' ther comment. , '• i '■ ■ , '. r ; MEIKLE ACQUITTAL' DILL. The. ATTORNEY-GENERAL ' - (Hon Dr 'Findlay),'. 'jn' : moving 'the ' second reading - of the .Meikle /Acquittal Bill, pointed out- that It ,was-scarcely open to the Council : to dis- - cuss -tho. guilt i or., innocenco! iof John James Meikle, as that question- had been'. settled by the' Royal.',. Commission,. :and the Government was .merely .doing the proper thing .in .seeking to, give effect to its;(hidings/ A Case; of. Alleged Injustice.- - The Hon. J.- E.'JENKINSON, (Wellington) drew attention, to . tho sentence •of three ■ months'; Jiard'.labour, recently passed'by 'the Supreme; Court ' Judge at Inverc'argill upon a in fill who had falsified a sschciol; certificate ,in order to obtain employment'in the Railway Department.; .There had been suck a howl from end to end of the Dominion that •hp ; wonderod "the Government."had, not in.torfercd and remitted''tho - sentence. •'He regretted that this had not -bcon done. (Hea 1 * hear.) '' • . ■".; . .;: • '' ' in- reply to : &j.r. Jenkinson, stated that the Goveniment had done its duty in' the matter referred .t0,.; Tho.very fullest inquiry, had been"made, .and if Mr. Jenkinson;knew the facts as tlie Gpverimient_ knew them, h'q: ivould not ask that, tho: • oirender ;.sh'ould. be ireleased. Ho had himself at first ,hold a similar view to .that expressed.by Mr jc-ukiiison, but : when! hesaw the ivhplo .of tho evidencoi and not merely , : th.o newspaper,roportsi.Jie re&lisod that the Judge, could 'have' dona 'veryj-littlo.olse but what .ho, had done. ;■ -.'lt'imight iiiow be'ad•visablo. that: .tho rGovermnent should'show on what/grounds.' take no actirfn; in tliij.'; matter. . 'J'hb second ;'reading ; of the Bill was carried. . .... :',t INCORPORATED SOCIETIES BILL. The. AXTORNEYrGENERAL then moved ■the second[l'oading'of.tho'lriborporated Socie,nes ;Bill,' winch; lias '.passed through the House - of- Roprestntativesfl- 110 mentioned ..-•hat liis -Attention had b(a;n. drawn; to the need for suclva measureMby the discovery that the Victoria. Students', Hostel could not an registered as an .incorporated society. The Bill would ho of, valiio to many societies estahlisKed for purposes of art, benevolence, ■ etc. . . _ tho. Hon. J. 1 ANSTEY-(Canterbury) drew attention to the clauto Imposing a penalty pf-.fl on every member jof an incorporated society;which fails to coh'iply with an,official notice, to discontiiino aify operation beyond itu scope. as dofirie'd by'/its rules. Ho suggested that this 'provision was too drastic, and might bear hardly on eomo'agricultural societies. 1 • ' v Tho H0n....J. E. JE'NICINSON (Wellington) suggested that a^majority'of tlio members- of; a .society 'should be'required to bo in favour .of . incorporation it cbuld' be etFcctcd.- . • - ; ' The ATTORNEY-GENEItAIj promised thijk' tho points', raised, wrilild recpiva his':.attention before the "coiiiirilttal-of' tho Bill. ■' J Tho second readme: v ia carried.

, ACCOUNTANTS BILL. ' The ATTORNEY-GENERAL also, moved tlio second reading of tho Now Zealand So- . cioti - of Accountants Bill. ... 'The ' Hon. JONES (Otago) said' it socmod too drastic.'to penalise a man for putting the words "public accountant" after his name without being a' member of tho Society. " ' ' i Tlio lion. E. C. J. STEVENS (Canterbury) did not agree with tho last speaker. He thought tho Bill was a good.one, and well- . drawn. It could ,do very littlo harm if passed exactly, as it stood. Tiio . second reading was agreed to. '". ..the, Council! 'rose- -at- 3.16 rc.m. '(■: ; ' v ■