THE HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 900, 20 August 1910, Page 3

THE HOUSE.

A NEW RESERVE. QUESTION OF LEASING. .When tlio House resumed its sittings yesterday, there was a brief discussion with reference to a local Bill which proposes to enable the- leasing of a public reserve at New Plymouth. . . . Air. OKEY (Taranaki) said that the reserve was given ■ to tlio Borough Council for the purposes of a racecourse. Seeing that a more suitable area has since been acquired for the purpose,' the local authority now' wishes the. power to lease the reserve as building allotments, and apply tho proceeds towards the improvement of other reserves. ,As the report of the.Local Bills Committee was unfavourable to the measure, be ..wished to move that tho matter be referred back to the committee, so that additional and material .evidence might be heard. ■Mr. ROSS (Pahiatua) mentioned-that last year the committee. mis ."tricked" into recommending that a Bill providing for an exchange of land should be allowed to uroceed. Mr. T.*E. .'tfAYIQR' (Cliristchurcn North) favoured the setting up of a Parliamentary Committee, to consider the question of placing all such reserves in tho Dominion umkr a Board of Control, "(which ■' would hold them in trust and report annually to Parliament. . Mr. MASSEY pointed out that tho people of New Plymouth were almost unanimously of opinion that tho Bill should be passed. It was not proposed to part with the reserve at all. As regards the settlers who.went on. to unimproved lands, they should get tho option of the freehold. It mattered not if reserves in the cities and towns worn leased, so long as the lease was sufficiently long to induce the lessee to make all the improvements which ho needed.' ' The Hon. J. A. MILLAR said thin, no new evidence could alter'the principle of the Bill, which proposed that the land,should bo parted with so far as the public was concerned. The Hon. T. MACKENZIE described the scheme' as a cunning one, which would result in the , public being permanently' excluded from the reserve in question. By way of personal explanation, Mr. Okey, in reply to Mr. Boss, said that the exchange of land to which he had referred was fair to both ,, parties, and that there*had been rio concealment of evidence as had been , suggested. \t was then agreed that the report should be referred back to the committee for further consideration. . RANCITAIKI LAND DRAINAGE' ■ : ;'.'■ bill. ■■~*. '. V, SECOND READING DEBATE, In moving the second reading of tho Raugitailii Land Drainage Bill, ' The PRIME MINISTER, .stated it was proposed to make a, number of amendments'in .the .measure, which provided for. tlio drainage of'Bl,ooo acres lying between Te Teko and the coast in Whakatano County. .. ' 'Mr. HERIUES /(Tauranga) approved n'f the. scheme, especially as it would not cost the- .Government, .anything. Even if 'the cost had : beo'n borne by tile Government, -it would have, been justified, in view.of the large area of fertile land that would be made available.lor settlement. __ ■ '.-. ' ■ •

Mr. MALCOLM (Chitha) said-he had been assured by an engineer that the scheme would be so costly as'to. bo unpayable; v . , Hon. Jl. M'kenzio: He does not know anything abont it. ■■''■' Mr. W. D. Si MACDONALD (Bay of Plenty), in whose electorate the swamp lies, said that before the Government took over the scheme a number of thoroughly competent engineers had commended it as thoroughly practicable. Mr. MASSEY expressed the hope, that the Native land which would benelit would bear its fair share , 'of- the cost.. A number of, settlers who had taken'up land under the 0.r.p.. tenure: were anxious that at the end of ten years they would be able to exercise the -right of purchase. Personally, he did liot consider thoir tithes would be affected. ■■

The Hon. A. T. NGATA said the East Coast line between and Opotiki would tap this land, which, in turn,, would be the outlet of tho eastern and central TFrewera district.' ■ , ' The Bill was read -a second time and referred to tho Lands Committee. DEBT EXTINCTION SCHEME. The second reading of. the Public Debt Extinction Bill was' then moved by the Prime .Minister', who, with Mr. Massey, made'impdrtant'speeches with' reference to the proposals, as reported in another column. .-.-.- At 10.30 p.m; the debate was adjourn,ed on tho motion of Mr. Field till Tuesday. / ■ .■•:-.- ,' ■ v