THE SESSION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 890, 9 August 1910, Page 6

THE SESSION.

LATEST FROM THE LOBBIES, NATIVE LAND SETTLEMENT. TO-DAY'S PROCEEDINGS. Sittings of both branches of tho Legislature will take place to-day. In the Legislative Council the. Crimes Act Amendment Hill, which embodies the prison reform scheme, will come on for its second reading. Most of the afternoon will probably be taken up by a speech explanatory of the whole scheme, by the Hon. Dr. Findlay. In tho House the debate on the Financial Statement will be resumed. Altogether about 20 more members have expressed a wish to take part 'in the discussion. On the Government side three Ministers, the Hons. R. M'Kenzie, D. Buddo, and A. .Ngata, have not yet spoken. There are five Oppositionists, including Messrs. Buchanan and Lang, who intend, to add their quota to the dehate. OF INTEREST TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES. An important amendment in tho law relating to State advances to local bodies is proposed. Section 70 of tho Local Bodies' Loans Act, 1908, provided that if moneys borrowed by local authorities were found insufficient to complete -a public work in respect of which application was made, a further application' could ■ bo granted by the Minister whore the amount required was not more than 10 per cent, of the sum originally authorised, by the ratepayers. This clause was omitted from the State Guaranteed Advances Act, 1909, with the result that numbers of local bodies have been greatly inconvenienced. By notice of motion, Mr. Ross, M.P. for Pahiatua, recently called attention to the necessity for amending the Act this session iii that direction. He received an assurance yesterday from tho Prime Minister that that would be done. LAND SETTLEMENT. To a deputation yesterday Sir Joseph Ward intimated that the Government intended to ask. Parliament to make an alteration in the clauses of the Land Settlement Act referring to valuation in its relation to compulsory, acquisition. At present any landowner dissatisfied with the Government valuation may place Ins own unimproved value on the land. This is to. count both for general taxation purposes and in connection with the taking of the land by tho Government for settlement, ten per cent, being added to the unimproved value. Then the value of the improvements on tho land—which may if necessary be fixed by a, Compensation Court—is considered, and the capital value is ascertained by adding the two togothor. The estate can bo acquired at the capital value so fixed plus 2 per cent. The result of this legislation has been that many landholders, thinking their estates might be compulsorily acquired, at once put up their values, and thongh I his no doubt led to the Government's receiving an increase (a land tax it has acted as a bar to settlement, because in some cases the prices were no doubt' increased to such an extent that .the Government would not•jhavo been justified in acquiring land for settlement at such a-figure. ' AN UNEXPECTED EFFECT. ; The spceuh of the Hon. James Carroll on the land question on Friday may have ono effect, Mr. Massey thinks, which Mr. Carroll did not anticipate. "It has brought the Native land question right into the forefront of politics," hp observed to a Dominion representative yesterday. "From a Parliamentary point of view it-has for tho first time become a burning question, and the solution of the difficulty is nearer by: many , , years' than if the Native Minister had kept to his policy of silence. I welcome tho change, There can be no looking back now, but steady progress towards the. goal where both races 'will be placed on an equal footing, when the lauds now unoccupied will be utilised, when tho Native "will share with the European in the work and responsibilities of citizenship, and special Native representation will bs no longer necessary." Mr. Massey's opinion of the speech itself was expressed as follows:— A really clever speech, well prepared and well delivered, but the Minister did not meet the points raised by Mr. Hemes, who immediately preceded him, or by the other speakers who dealt with the Native land question." . THE LIQUOR BILL. It is understood that the amendments to tho licensing laws which the ■ Government will introduce will be only minor ones and practically non-contentious. "Unless both parties agree not to-raise, violently contentious issues the Bill will probably riot be introduced at all. Should, however, it be brought down without such an undertaking being extracted Mr. T. E. Taylor, M.P., thinks that both parties will endeavour to introduce important amendments on the lines :that they have already . indicated their ■ desire. It is considered too late ! for. a private liquor Bill to have, any i chance of going through, so on the whole it seems likely that there will be no radical alteration' in the licensing law this, session. . SCARCITY OF UNSKILLED LABOUR. Fears are expressed by .some members in whose electorates railways are being constructed, k-jt there will be a scarcity of labour for railway works during the coming summer.. Last winter, it will be remembered, thsro was a glut of unskilled labour, and relief was afforded to many, unemployed by sending them to railway works.. This winter, happily, there is no such glut of labour and the supply is in some districts hardly equal to the demand. In the summer, if trade is good, us it promises to be, the-supply may bo below tho demand, and it is feared construction work may be hampered. Of course the situation may he relieved by arrivals from oversea. i A PARLIAMENTARY TRIP. ' There will be a distinguished gathering in Auckland at tho end of this week on the occasion of the opening of. the A. and P. Association's winter show. His Excellency tho Governor (Lord Islington) has expressed his intention of being present, and the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) has definitely determined-to travel. Mr. Massoy, leader of the Opposition, will also atteud the show if his Parliamentary duties will permit. Nearly all Vhe representatives of Auckland city and province will attend and a good many of the southern members. The number of southern representatives present will de-pend-somewhat on whether, a. special train is run. Besides the gentlemen named tho following have expressed their intention of goinu to Auckland' if a special train is run and a good many will go in any case:—Messrs. Anderson. Bnick, Buxton, Craigie, Dillon, Dive. J. Duncan, Field, Fisher, Forbes, Glover, Graham, Greenslade. Hall. Hardy, Hogg. Jennings, Lang, Lawry, Malcolm, Mander, • Nosworthv Phillipps, Smith, T. 33. Taylor, and J. C. Thomson. A number of Legislative Councillors will also attend the show. It is desired that a special train should leave Wellington at 10 p.m. on Friday, arriving in Auckland about 3 o'clock on Saturday afternoon, nnd Mr. Glover is now obtaining signatures to a petition to the Minister for Railways , to put on a special train. Failing a. special train, most of the members will go north by the ordinary express on Saturday. JOTTINGS. The secretary to the fund for the proposed Nelson memorial to the lato Colonel Pitt, at one time Attorney-General, hasbeen informed by the Prime Minister that the Government has approved of a £ for £ subsidy up to .£2OO on local contributions. It is reported that Mr. Witty, M.P. for Riccarton, will again be opposed by Mr. George.Sheat, who unsuccessfully attempted to secure the seat in the Opposition interest Inst election. According to a rumour current in the lobbies, Mr,. G. W.. Leadley, of Wakanui, will bo a candidate nt next election for the Selwyn seat, which is now held by Mr. Hardy, senior Opposition Whip.